Immigrant of the Day: Marcelino “Chelino” Garcia (Mexico)

As a teen, Marcelino “Chelino” Garcia entered the United States illegally twice. The first time, he walked nearly 200 miles from Tecate a border town in Baja California, Mexico, to Los Angeles, a trek that took eight days. But after three years, he went back to Mexico. The second time, he swam across the Rio Grande River from Acuña, Mexico, to Eagle Pass, Texas, with several other boys. They were then driven to Dallas in the trunk of a car. That time, he stayed.

Garcia, now 46, is a legal U.S. citizen and a highly successful entrepreneur at the forefront of the Oklahoma City area Hispanic community. He is the founder of the Chelinos Mexican Restaurant chain, which operates 11 restaurants and several other businesses. He is a source of inspiration for immigrants young and old.

Garcia grew up in the city of Calvillo in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He came to the United States for the first time in 1979.

KJ