So, who are these people we call immigrants? They could be your parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, doctors, policemen, grocer, waiter, cook, babysitter, gardener, lawyer, your favorite actor, actress, or sports hero, your mayor, congressman or even your senator. Throughout its history this country has relied on the strength, expertise, and special skills of foreign workers and immigrants to build what you have and what you are. Immigrants permeate the fabric of America.

An immigrant is a person from another country who comes to the U.S. to take up permanent residence. According to the 2000 census, 10 percent of America’s 281 million residents were born in other countries. 60 percent of the immigrants have come from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Latin America. In 1998, 660,447 such noncitizens from 208 countries around the world were granted permanent resident status in the United States.
My photographs represent the Hispanic community as an integral part of this country's society, economy, goals and values by exploring the subjects of the images as individuals who contribute to make this country what it is. The U.S. depends on maids, gardeners, carpenters and home-health-care workers whose children will probably become teachers, technicians, surgeons and Senators. If they all put down their tools tomorrow, the U.S. would not be arguing about whether it is in a recession.

I am photographing a group of immigrants living in Savannah, Georgia. Their origins, backgrounds, and actual conditions are very different from each other, but all of them are Hispanics. Alex is from Puerto Rico and Victor is from Peru. Ausencio is here with his brother Santos, and Leonel came with his son Noe. Reverend Rodriguez is here with his wife and four children. He just got his green card for the next ten years. All of them are Mexicans. Jeniba came from Panama as a student. She is now a high school teacher, and is married to Randy, who is an American. Ricardo, a Colombian, came two years ago and is here with his wife Zoraida and his three children, Sergio, Juliana and Andrea.

I am working only with the Hispanic community for specific reasons. First, this community now constitutes more than 12 percent of U.S. residents, 35 million people, not including illegal aliens. Second, I have an instant “bridge” with them as Spanish is my mother language. Finally, I have been in their countries, and I know and understand their culture. It is easier for me to compare how they live here as opposed to how they lived in their home countries.

With this project I want to show that immigrants, and especially Hispanics, are normal people with normal lives, and they are an integral and important part of this country's society, economy, goals and values. They are the often invisible backbone that helps make this country what it is.

Copyright © 2002 Eduardo Angel