Those are Mayan words

someone who enters on a visa would be sponsored by a family member, employer, school, etc.

Not necessarily. They can enter on a tourist visa and overstay

When you enter the US on a visa you get an I-94 which tells you how much you can stay in the country. This is max 6 months for tourists if you have a clean record and you cannot apply for a SSN or get a job. Many people just overstay this period and find a way to work

Was torrent available (or common) during those speeds? I remember napster/kazaa/limeware and downloading stuff like green day.exe

I started using torrents when I already had broadband, although very asymmetrical

That’s bs, my salary was way below US minimum when I worked in Mexico for three different US companies