Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by

An immigrant’s story: Clare Tewalt

Aaron Mayes

Clare Tewalt — dancer, immigrant

Clare Tewalt told her story of being a professional dancer based in Las Vegas for Desert Companion’s March 2016 feature, “ I Would Have Done It for Free.” Nearly a year later, just after President Donald Trump signed his January 29 executive order limiting immigration, Tewalt spoke up on Facebook about another aspect of her experience here — that as an immigrant. Responding to widespread fear about potential terrorists entering the country, she wanted her friends to know that getting into the U.S. isn’t all that easy, even for someone like her. Here, she shares those thoughts in more detail.

Where are you from?

Suffolk (county), England, which is in the Northeast. The town I’m from is called Woodbridge.

Sponsor Message

How long have you been in the U.S.?

I got married in January 2004, and I’d come out just before that, so just over 13 years. I’ve lived the whole time in Las Vegas.

By what means did you get here?

I was engaged when I came out, but we weren’t planning to get married here. Back then, you just did an immigration card, and you could stay for 90 days. So I had a return flight, and I was coming to spend Christmas and New Year’s, and then I was going to go back. I had a dance job lined up in London, but when I got here, my agent said the position in London was on hold, so I didn’t have a job to go back to. So (my husband) Eric said, why don’t we just get married here? And we did.

What was your status then?

Sponsor Message

Once you’re married, then you apply to (U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services) for a green card. They have to give you a work permit within 90 days. During that time, pretty much, I was in limbo. There was a Spirit of the Dance show at the Golden Nugget with an English company that I’d worked for, and they were paying me pounds in England, so it didn’t matter (if I worked for them). By March, I received my work permit, which was temporary. … They do blood tests and fingerprints and vet you, and then you have the interview with your husband, where you have to prove that he sponsors you, has money to take care of you, somewhere to live and all that stuff. I got my interview with immigration in December of 2004. Once I passed that, I received my green card, probably a year after I got married here.

How does the green card work?

Basically, it’s a work permit. In 2006, I was able to go back for my wedding in England. I still had my passport as a British citizen, but the green card allowed me to come back (after the wedding) and work here. The green card is valid for two years. So I had to do another interview in 2006. I was working as a Rockette at that point, and both in 2004 and 2006 I had to get my director’s permission to leave the show and do my interview. You can’t put it off; you have to do it. In 2006, I was working in Toronto and I had to fly back and do my interview for the 10-year green card. …

You’re a citizen now. What led to that?

Last year, my green card was due to expire, so it was either a case of going through the interview process again or applying for citizenship. To be honest, I didn’t want to lose my English citizenship, but it gives you the right to vote, and an American passport. Our children are American citizens, so if something should happen to Eric — I remember hearing about an English mother whose husband, a U.S. citizen, was killed. They had children, and suddenly she was a single mom, resident alien, unable to stay when her green card expired. So I applied in January of 2016. It took about six weeks for me to get the fingerprints, and then another six weeks, and then you go do the test and interview and everything. And I went to my swearing-in ceremony last May.

Sponsor Message

What did you gain from becoming American?

I voted in the last election, so it gave me a voice. England is one country where you’re allowed dual citizenship, so I didn’t relinquish my English passport or citizenship. Now that I have that, I don’t have to go through the visa renewal process every few years.

What’s your take on current events, as an immigrant?

The president’s order does seem to me like a sweeping ban without a specific reason. It does seem to be targeting Muslim religions. And I think the biggest shock for me is the refugees. These people in Syria are fleeing war-torn areas, and I feel we should be helping them. I understand people’s fear of terrible bombings and atrocities, but my experience is … they make you jump through hoops. I didn’t have problems with it, but I had a husband and a house to live in and money in the bank. If you’d gone on a boat and were escaping with your children and didn’t know where to get food for them, you would need help.

Has it changed your view on your status as an American?

I’m a white girl. I speak the language. Just because you’re not personally affected, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t empathize with those who are (affected), and of course it changes your view. It doesn’t make you proud to be part of a country that’s doing that.

Has it motivated you to do anything differently?

Most of my friends feel the same way I do, but I know there are people in my Facebook community and that I work with who don’t. People see it sort of black and white, and it isn’t that way. In some ways, I hope this is going to open healthy discussion. Maybe we need this to make people stand up. I did the Women’s March, and I’ve never done anything like that. I felt quite empowered. From that point of view, I’m glad I’m a citizen, but it does make me sad.

What would you say to those who are considering immigrating now?

I know that this ban might change in three months, but they might be starving now and have nowhere to live or be vulnerable to terrorist groups. Who knows what’s going to happen? I think perhaps I would say, there has been a huge show of support by people who don’t believe this is an American thing to do, and they want to help. There are organizations that want to help, so this (order) is not a representation of the entire country. I would say that, hopefully, humanity will prevail.

What would you say to our elected officials?

I called both (Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto and Dean Heller’s) offices. … I would appeal to their humanity and compassion. I had to learn the Constitution last year and understand what it means. Maybe when you live here your whole life, you forget what it means. But we came about as a land of immigrants. Maybe they could remember that.

 

 

 

 

Desert Companion welcomed Heidi Kyser as staff writer in January 2014. In 2018, she was promoted to senior writer and producer, working for both DC and KNPR's State of Nevada. She produced KNPR’s first podcast, the Edward R. Murrow Regional Award-winning Native Nevada, in 2020. The following year, she returned her focus full-time to Desert Companion, becoming Deputy Editor, which meant she was next in line to take over when longtime editor Andrew Kiraly left in July 2022. In 2024, Interim CEO Favian Perez promoted Heidi to managing editor, charged with integrating the Desert Companion and State of Nevada newsroom operations.