Driven: 3 immigrant cabbies on the road to their American dreams

America Tonight profiles three immigrant cab drivers who are striving to build better lives for their families

In past eras, new immigrants built America's railroads, and made our country's garment industry. Today, thousands of new arrivals to America get a license to drive a cab.

The driver's seat of a taxicab is a life in constant motion, a life often chosen by people who have uprooted themselves to navigate a new country. In the last couple decades, foreign-born workers have become the majority of cab drivers in America’s biggest metropolises. In New York City, only 6 percent of cabbies are from the U.S., according to a December report from the Taxi & Limousine Commission. Like other first jobs for new immigrants, driving a cab involves lots of hard work and hustle. Unlike other first jobs though, it involves learning a city’s streets better than the people born and raised there.

In our “Driven” series, America Tonight shone a spotlight on the stories of immigrants who drive cabs around three major cities. When the average annual pay of a cab driver is $23,000, are their lives in the U.S. what they expected? Have they built a better life than they would have in their native countries? Is the taxicab a modern symbol of the American dream?

Iraqi boxing champ shuttles Chicagoans

While many Chicago cabbies are known for their storytelling, Estaifan Shilaita’s personal history might be the most interesting tale. He went from bobbing and weaving in the boxing ring in Iraq to bobbing and weaving in Windy City traffic. Once a huge boxing star in Iraq, he was persecuted because of his Christian faith, and followed his wife to America in hopes of a better life. Shilaita began driving a taxi to support their family of six, and 15 years later, he hasn't missed a day of work. 

A change of plans in New York

Originally from Nepal, Yogesh Dangol, 36, spent most of his life near the city of Katmandu, where he went to law school and obtained a master's degree in sociology. Curiosity about the American dream brought him to the U.S., but when none of his school credits could transfer here, he needed money quickly. Dangol started working in fast food, then became a cabbie. His driving supports his wife and two teenage kids, along with extended family back home. He considers his life in America a temporary sacrifice, and hopes to return to Nepal once he gets his kids to college.

Driving for half her life

Among the hills of San Francisco, one woman is navigating her new life behind the wheel. After her family’s home country of Eritrea was torn apart by a brutal civil war, Senait “Freedom” Tekle sought refuge in the U.S. and became one of the few female cabbies in the American workforce.

Editing by Dave Gustafson and Claire Gordon

Find Al Jazeera America on your TV

Get email updates from Al Jazeera America

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Get email updates from Al Jazeera America

Sign up for our weekly newsletter