Dreams, Exposed is an initiative to inspire others to literally expose themselves for who they are and what they truly want out of life.
Meet Francisco Mejia. The 27-year-old, living in Scranton, Pennsylvania, didn’t let fear stop him when he escaped unsafe living conditions in El Salvador to experience the American dream. Now, during a time when immigration reform remains a heated debate in government policy proposals, conversations with family and friends, and all over social media, the illegal immigrant exposed himself — from his body to his soul — to share insight on his aspirations and the struggles he’s faced to achieve them.
What is your dream in life? My dream is to be an American citizen and not have to fear that I could be deported.
When did you come to the United States? It was April 2010.
Why did you leave your home country? There were no opportunities there and it is really dangerous in El Salvador. Gangs took over the whole country. You have to pay them to leave you alone. If they see you own a little store or a business, they want part of that money. They send you notes, and if you don’t do what they ask you to do, they let you know that you will regret it. They’ll kidnap or kill someone from your family just to make you understand that they’re not playing.
What was your perception of the United States before you came here? It seemed like a paradise. Big houses. Everybody making lots of money. I would watch TV with families from America and there would be all that food on the table — I could never imagine all that food on my table.
How did you get into the United States? I crossed a river in Mexico. And on the other side was the U.S.A.

Photographed by Lisa Petz, Better than the Weekend
Was it easy to cross the river? Crossing the river was so easy. But on the other side, in the U.S., they were waiting for me.
Who was waiting for you? Immigration. They drove up out of nowhere.
So you outran them? There was no way I could escape. They took me somewhere for three days. They made me sign a paper that I would go to court, and then they let me leave, but I never went to court.
They haven’t found you in almost 7 years? No. I don’t think they really care. If you’re working and contributing to society, they leave you alone. The government wants my tax dollars.
You pay taxes? Yeah. I have worked many jobs. Right now I work at a furniture store.
Did the employer require you to present paperwork? I gave them a fake social security card.
Do you think it’s fair that you can work in America by presenting a fake social security card? It’s not about being fair when it’s what I have to do to survive. That’s why I’m working in a furniture store. That’s not what I want to be doing. I want to be a veterinarian and help animals. I want to have a career that makes me feel good about myself.
Do you feel good about yourself in the social class you’re in now? No. I can barely survive. I don’t have a savings account that I’m proud of. I can’t afford college. I can’t make enough money to go to school. It’s not because I don’t like to work hard or because I’m not smart enough. It’s because I’m not a citizen and can’t get a job that makes good money.

Photographed by Lisa Petz, Better than the Weekend
If you’re not making good money, then why are you in the United States? My opportunity is limited here, more limited than I thought it would be, but it’s still better than living from where I came.
You’re employed at a time when millions of documented citizens can’t find work. Do you feel you’re stealing work from an American? No. I work the jobs American citizens don’t want to take. If a white American citizen wanted my job, they’d get it before me. I have my job because nobody else will take it. They’d rather collect welfare than work a hard job that doesn’t pay much. That’s the ugly truth.
Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to deport non-citizens. Immigrants have been outspoken about their constant state of fear. Are you afraid you’ll be forced back to a dangerous country with no opportunity? Even if he wants to, it won’t be that easy for him. I hope Trump realizes there is bigger problems to worry about first. He needs to go create jobs and make America great again. He needs to make cities like Chicago safe. He needs to make sure people can afford to go to college and get an education. Deporting people won’t be so easy. Now if I make a mistake, that’s another story. I’m afraid of making a mistake every day that could get me deported. When I’m driving, I fear I might get into an accident and get deported. I don’t have the luxury of making a mistake and learning from it like everybody else.
Do you drive illegally, too? No. They knew I was an immigrant. They wanted two forms of ID from my home country and a birth certificate and that was enough. The government is strict on getting a green card, but they’re not strict on getting rights that can be taxed or fined, because they can collect money off of us. That’s what it’s all about. Money. Money. Money. The government doesn’t treat immigrants like people. They treat us like property.

Photographed by Lisa Petz, Better than the Weekend
Are you afraid of being deported after exposing yourself in this article? If I do, it will mean that a lot of people paid attention to what I’m speaking out for. I just want immigrants to be accepted and have opportunity. Maybe someone who doesn’t welcome immigrants will see things through my eyes and change their opinion. Maybe someone in the government will see this and it will help them realize immigrants are people, not property.
Realistically, a lot of people are likely to have bad things to say about you. What do you want naysayers to understand about what you’re doing? We don’t just cut a line like that Tomi Lahren lady says. Where is this open line? Please show me. There’s no line to get in. There isn’t even really an effective system that helps immigrants enter the country. There should be, but in the meantime, while the government doesn’t have their heads together, we still have to figure out how to survive and create our opportunity. It sounds so easy for people like Tomi to tell us to wait in line. It looks like her life has been so easy for her. Why is she still complaining? She’s just doing that for fun and attention. She’s an attention whore. She needs to experience being fucked over like illegal immigrants so she can change her mind. She needs to realize people who hear her talk have feelings. Maybe she just needs to be fucked by an illegal immigrant so she can stop being so stiff and angry. She tells people to speak her language — maybe she should speak my language so immigrants can understand her message.

Photographed by Lisa Petz, Better than the Weekend
Has your perception of the United States changed since you arrived? Yeah. I thought I would come here and have the same opportunities. I never thought about how I’d need papers and a social security number to be somebody here. I was young. I was only 19. I was just thinking about freedom. I wanted to experience that so much. I thought I’d be able to have a better life and money and be able to bring my mother here and give her a better life. But I couldn’t bring her here. She’s still in El Salvador. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see her and give her a hug again.
Do you think your dream of being an American will come true? I believe one day someone in the government will make it easier for people to escape dangerous places without opportunity and experience the American dream. I have hope that I will live to see this day and be a citizen. That’s why I came here. Hope.