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Jaime Alvarez's story, as told in an interview, is a compelling account of a native Peruvian's attempt to escape desperate poverty and make a new life. In the mid-twentieth century, Peru's poor economic conditions forced substantial population movement from rural to urban areas. Following this pattern, Jaime, born and raised in rural Peru, at 25 married and found a factory job making fish powder into pet food, a common Peruvian industry. Within a few years Jaime had four daughters. But barely earning enough money to live on, their home was in a shanty district at the outskirts of town.

Eager to provide a brighter future for his children and obtain a better paying job, Jaime decided to journey to the United States in 1971. He traveled alone, hoping to become established and eventually bring the family. Like many Peruvian immigrants taking advantage of relatives already living in the United States, Jaime settled in...