Around noon, Jagoan found himself alone in a bustling Sterling restaurant nestled within the heart of Chinatown. He savored each bite of his meal, the flavors of home bringing a semblance of comfort to his day. But as he ate, the tranquility was shattered by the sudden arrival of two Immigration Bureau police cars. Their flashing lights silently screamed trouble.

Jagoan kept his head down, seemingly indifferent to the commotion unfolding outside the restaurant’s window.

Several police officers rushed in with haste, snapping photos of the patrons. Abruptly, they approached Jagoan, their voices raised in unison, “Are you Jagoan, the one who smuggled into the United States from Malaysia?”

Jagoan raised his head, feigning innocence as he shook it, “No.”

The officers reviewed the photo again and shared a knowing sneer. One of them turned to his colleagues, whispering, “That’s him, let’s take him in!”

Before Jagoan could react, they pounced, twisting his arms behind his back and handcuffing him.

He pretended to resist for a moment, but when the threat of a drawn weapon loomed, he wisely ceased struggling.

The officers bundled him into one of their cars, sirens blaring as they raced toward the immigration office.

At this juncture, the officers were ignorant of Jagoan’s background. All they knew was that their superiors had tipped them off about a Malaysian illegal immigrant suspected of multiple thefts lurking in a Chinatown eatery, instructing them to seize the opportunity and apprehend him.

Once at the immigration office, they confiscated Jagoan’s Malaysian passport, a decrepit old mobile phone, and a little over two hundred dollars in cash. Verification of his passport’s identity information confirmed his status as an illegal immigrant from Malaysia.

Jagoan was temporarily confined in the immigration office’s detention room, awaiting his uncertain fate.

Upon arrival, Jagoan found himself surrounded by at least twenty others who shared the same predicament. These detainees spanned various skin tones, their expressions marked by despair and fear.

Spotting Jagoan, an Asian man with a scruffy beard approached him, struggling with his English accent as he asked, “Are you Japanese?”

Jagoan shook his head, replying, “I’m Malaysian, but my parents are Chinese.”

Another Asian-faced man with short hair perked up upon hearing this. He exclaimed, “Brother, I’m Chinese too! We share common roots!”

“How did you end

journey here. I arrived with nothing, set up a makeshift tent in the park, only for it to be stolen by an old guy. I thought

asking, “Why’d you head to New York instead of

his thigh, exclaiming, “You know your stuff, Brother! You didn’t come through the

head, revealing,

your hometown – not like us, enduring a grueling journey. I’ve been through hell, it’s as if I’d have

standing the whole time, sometimes having to swim for kilometers. Over sixty of us boarded, but only half made it ashore, the

The swindler agent told me I could make seven to eight grand washing dishes

I didn’t go to Los Angeles. Well, initially, I did. After arriving from Mexico, a bunch of us made our way to Los Angeles, only to realize those high-paying jobs were a lie. I spent over ten days sleeping on

you make it from the west coast

a long haul, so we followed a few seasoned hobos, the ones who ride trains all day long. We trailed them to New York, and our

thought, ‘This city’s bustling, there must be a place for me here.’ I contemplated finding work in Chinatown, settled

faint smile, inquiring, “What’s your plan

It’s not worth being locked up for what I’ve done. American prisons are overcrowded. Petty crimes by illegal immigrants often result in mere days behind bars. After release, I assumed they’d deport me, but they couldn’t care

you find a way, maybe consider

short-haired man shook his head, despondent. “I want to, but I lack a passport and funds. The Americans won’t deport me, and retracing my steps is impossible. This trip cost over ten thousand dollars – where would I find that kind

“Then focus on saving

saving for this journey. Along the way, I indulged in foods I’d never tasted before. Saving up

help but chuckle, asking, “What did you

a bit of extra work in films – I’ve done

immigrants. The life they led was unforgiving. Only the jobs that the locals shunned were available to them. Hogan had been a financial luminary back in Hong Kong, but in the United

reflection, the short-haired man muttered, “I’m just speaking from the heart. If I could, I’d

were escorted in by the police and placed into a detention room. Among them

man, curious about the exchange, piped up, “Hey, buddy,

nodded and exchanged greetings with

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