When luis chili-quinga moved from Quito, Ecuador, to suburban Maryland in 1996, he followed a path well-worn by millions of illegal immigrants before him. He doggedly worked a $13-an-hour construction job that paid in cash, sometimes racking up 20 hours of overtime per week. Initially, he could afford to rent only a small apartment for his wife, son, daughter, two grandchildren, and himself. Because he arrived in the U.S. without a visa, Chiliquin- ga didn't qualify for a Social Security number, which would have allowed him to open a bank account, apply for a credit card, or buy a house. So the Chiliquingas lived in legal limbo for five years.
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