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Anniversary stirs sadness and hope for one farm laborer

Victor Santillan, standing with his son Diego, loads alfalfa hay on large trucks near Eltopia, Wash. He says 9/11 made him appreciate the United States, but those events and the changes that came after made life harder for many Hispanics here.
Anna King
/
Northwest News Network
Victor Santillan, standing with his son Diego, loads alfalfa hay on large trucks near Eltopia, Wash. He says 9/11 made him appreciate the United States, but those events and the changes that came after made life harder for many Hispanics here.

Reflections of a farm laborer and his son near Eltopia, Wash.:

"My name is Victor Santillan and I work for Agri-Pack, stacking hay in the trucks. I'm from Durango, Mexico and I'm proud of it too. I think people are still feeling sad about this anniversary. I feel sad for all the people that died.

"I don't know. It's been real different, especially for Hispanics. We were treated completely different. They put more laws. It's more difficult for us to travel around.

"I feel proud of Americans because they did so well. We got over it and all those firefighters that died. And the United States don't give up real easy. And I know Americans are tough and united, most of it. We're going to be thinking all day long probably about what happened 10 years ago.

"I have a son. His name is Diego Santillan. He's 9 years old. You probably know more than me at the school, huh Diego? What do you know? Oh Diego, I really want you to go to college one day and go to university, get a degree so you can become a better person and a really smart guy and have a better future."

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.