1. Introduction
Migration has become a serious problem in many countries around the world. Up to this day, one of the countries with the highest immigrant percentage is known to be the United States of America. Among the ethnic minorities entering this country, trying to find a place to start a new life, are the citizens from its neighboring country, Mexico, which make up the majority of its immigrant population. Ever since the construction of the U.S.-Mexico Border, Mexican immigration to the United States has increased and is expected to keep increasing throughout the years. Many U.S. citizens see this as a serious problem. That is why it became one of the main discussion topics in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.
When talking about
The history of the U.S.-Mexico Border will also be analyzed to give readers around the world further information that will help them to understand why a political border now stands between these two
Before its construction, the United States offered approximately 75,000 Mexicans, who still lived in Mexico’s ceded regions the choices of either becoming a U.S. citizen or returning to Mexico. Surprisingly, less than 30,000 Mexicans immigrated because of the fact that many did not want to change their nationality and/or wanted to stay in their land and their land of their ancestor’s, while others thought that those regions were conquered for a short period of time and had hope that they would later again be returned to Mexico.
2.1 Migration in the 1900’s
Vernon M. Briggs, an American author, wrote in one of his books about Mexican migration in the seventies, that during and after the border was built, no positive changes were seen through the eyes of some of Mexico’s citizens. That is why many decided to leave. Another reason was the separation from their relatives. Many were not happy with the fact that a part of their nation was taken away and with the fact that some of their relatives decided to become citizens of the United States. Not being able to see them was a really difficult task for many.
One of the strongest points that resolutely drove them to the United States was the extreme violence that the 1910 through 1920 Mexican Revolution had created. Fear, spread throughout their land and many fled for their
For centuries, Mexican Americans have dealt with an enormous amount of hardships that date back to their early Aztec roots. The source of many problems in Mexican American history can be traced in the pre-colonial period, before the United States of America was even conceived. Major problems of this era in history not only affected the Aztecs, but also the following generations of Aztec and Mexican descent, and continue to have an impact on their descendents in contemporary American society.
During World War II, the United States was in dire need of Mexico and its laborers. The Americans were at war and the labor was needed to supply the soldiers with food as well as to help keep the countries’ agriculture business going. As well, the Mexican government failed to provide many Mexican peasants who were skilled workers with the resources they needed to improve their lives following the Mexican Revolution of 1910. With this being said, by the late 1930’s, many crops in Mexico were insufficient, making those skilled workers look elsewhere for jobs. On August 4th, 1942, the United States and Mexico negotiated a temporary contract to allow Mexican guest workers into the United States. These agricultural and railroad labor contracts were intended to be short-term and terminated once World War II was over. However, after involving over 4.5 million people, it can be said that the longstanding effects of this program contributed to today’s illegal immigration from Mexico. By analyzing the different components involved with The Bracero Program, there will be a deeper understanding to how this intended short-term legal contract
Martinez, Oscar. Border People: Life and Society in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1994), 232.
One day, my parents talked to my brothers and me about moving to United States. The idea upset me, and I started to think about my life in Mexico. Everything I knew—my friends, family, and school for the past twenty years—was going to change. My father left first to find a decent job, an apartment. It was a great idea because when we arrived to the United States, we didn’t have problems.
Since the 19th century, America became a place where millions of people aspire to immigrate intensively. In order to pursuit a better life, freedom, and equality, people have to leave their hometowns and family, deal with uncertainty. Why were so many people willing to leave their family and go to the United States for pursuing their American Dreams? The most important reason that people chose to immigrate to America was they believed that they had opportunities to earn a better life. No matter how hard they tried, their lives are barely improved. Therefore, people were dissatisfied and despaired with their own countries since their efforts did not pay off. However, reality was cruelly destroying the path to the dream, additionally; people
Starting in the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, the immigration policy in the United States experienced dramatic changes that altered the pace of immigration. High rates of immigration sparked adverse emotions and encouraged restrictive legislation and numerous bills in Congress advocated the suspension of immigration and the deportation of non-Americans (Wisconsin Historical Society). Mexican American history was shaped by several bills in Congress and efforts to deport all non-Americans from the United States. The United States was home to several Spanish-origin groups, prior to the Declaration of Independence. The term “Mexican American” was a label used to describe a number of Hispanic American groups that were diverse and distinct from each other (Healey). Between 1910 and 1930, Mexican’s immigrated to the Southwest regions of the United States and began to work as low paid, unskilled physical laborers. Mexican immigrants took jobs as migratory laborers or seasonal workers in mines or on commercial farms and ranches. These jobs resulted in isolation and physical immobility with little opportunity for economic success (Mitz). Mexican Americans were not alone in their struggle to adapt to mainstream America and fight racial discrimination in education, jobs, wages and politics.
During the 1900’s through 1950’s the United States experienced an influx of immigrants coming in from Mexico seeking employment opportunities, as many of them wanted to avoid the Mexican Revolution occurring from 1910 to 1920. Methods for arriving in the United States varied for each individual’s preference of the destination, but the means of transportation had been constant throughout. These methods of transportation consisted of contractors seeking unskilled workers willing to partake in hard labor in steel, railroad, or agriculture companies. Contractors traveled to towns close to Mexico’s boarder such as Laredo or El Paso seeking Mexicans citizens for labors. In some instances, immigrants traveled on their own will based on the advice
America the land of opportunities, millions of people have left their countries to look for a chance to start a new life, a new beginning. Over the last 400 years, immigrants from different parts of the world left their countries for different reasons, some for war in their homelands others for economic and social reasons. Mexican community was one of the first group of people that stablished a strong presence in the country; therefor had and still has big influence in the development of the United States economically and industrially. Besides the contributions of the Mexican Community to America, Mexican decedents had faced challenges of acceptance from the American society, in a land that once was Mexican territory.
The change in demographics in Mexico is labeled as one of the larger reasons for the increased number of immigrants coming to the United States from Mexico. Ojeda cites that, over the past forty years, one-third of the immigrants come due to high birth rates in Mexico. Howe...
for better paying jobs or perhaps a better life. They were not only willing to pick up and leave Mexico, but they were willing to call a foreign place home. For many Mexicans who believed that things would go well for them in the U.S., that dream was not realized. Today restrictions on Mexicans are continued to be enforced and propositions to deny them benefits re-appear. Julian Nava best describes this relationship between the United States and the Mexican immigrant saying that, "in history, the U.S., a mighty nation with high principles, has eagerly sought workers from across the border and, after benefiting from their labor, has rejected them coldly, making Mexicans feel like unwanted things, rather than
The American dream, as some may call it, is a cherished idea by those who may lack opportunities. For those in Mexico, it is something that is sure to have crossed their minds sometime in their life. The United States, to foreigners, has been looked at as a sign of opportunity and freedom from oppressive governments or unfortunate living conditions. The Other Side of Immigration takes a look at the Mexican nation and provides thought-provoking interview segments about the people still living in the nation who experience and observe the effects of immigration to the United States.
Have you ever been stripped of your heritage and treated like a foreigner in your own homeland? Hopefully not, but if you’re a Mexican American citizen then you may have an idea of what it’s like to be treated in such a manner. For many years, what is now considered to be the Southwest United States, was owned and inhabited my Mexican citizens. These people had lived on this land for generations, many making a living raising cattle and cultivating the land. However, due to Mexico’s loss in a in the Mexican American War, the country was forced to give approximately half of its land to the United States. According to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the inhabitants of the newly acquired land were to become citizens of the United States, and were
Like any other family, they immigrated to the U.S. thinking about the American Dream, a better future for their kids and the generations to come. The parents wanted to provide the life they did not have to their children. One example is Carlos mother deciding she was willing to leave Mexico for her son. The book says, “Manuela was hesitant to return to the United States but felt there would be more opportunity for her younger son there… In the United States, school was free…and more demanding” (Davis 43). Manuela did not want to leave, but she knew her son would have a brighter education in the U.S. Later on it also shows the struggles of achieving what they desire because they were illegal. Another example is Oscar himself. Goins, the ROTC commander told Carlos, “you gotta be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident” (Davis 51). Oscar was trying to enroll in the Army, but unfortunately he could not serve his country like he wished because he had du that he was not legal in the country and would be taking a privilege from U.S.
Mexican immigration in the early 1900's was a huge issue that impacted the United States. States in areas such as urban population, employment and many other areas. The mass number of Mexican immigrants that migrated to the United States from Mexico were at nearly half million. between the years of 1920 and 1929. Mexicans left their native land and moved to the United States not only to achieve financial prosperity, but to get out of the chaotic environment that Mexico was in at the time due to the Mexican revolution which began in 1910.
The United States and Mexican border has been the focus of an abundant amount of controversy the past decade in the States. The border wall, or border fence, is one of several barriers preventing illegal Mexican and South American immigrants from entering the United States. However, as statistics prove, immigration and drug smuggling has been on the rise the past few decades and our “three prong approach” is not confronting the escalating issue at hand. America’s border security is not resilient enough to deter these illegal immigrants and drug smugglers; our border wall must be fortified immediately.