One dream most Hispanic/Latinos share is to work or live in America legally. Most of them feel responsible for their relatives back in Mexico after crossing the border. Once they have crossed the border it is vital that they earn money to send home. The Hispanic/Latinos usually believe they will cross the border by any means necessary. The struggles and needs of the families outweigh the danger and struggle involved in illegally crossing the border. Most of their beliefs on illegally crossing the border are based around a better way of living. They want a better education, more money, and a taste of freedom like the generations before them struggled to fulfill.
Hispanic/Latinos are mostly living in poverty stricken homes in Mexico that are subject to cruel circumstances. Most of the homes are without running water, electricity, and no resource for heat or air conditioning. They mostly have to use the bathroom in an outhouse behind their house. Martinez (2001) describes, “The kids are given a meager meal of fried strips of tortilla. I am not offered any. There is not enough for the adults to eat today” (p. 171). A Hispanic/Latino person can find work in Mexico on farms or building houses. However, the job market in Mexico is not so great considering the low pay rates. Skinner (2006) writes, “Mexico’s economy does not provide adequate jobs for its citizens because it has been controlled by an authoritarian government for too many years” (p.17). The pay for the work they do in a week’s time is not even enough to feed the family for one week. Their economy has improved a little but not much. Most of the roads in Mexico are not paved so when it rains it makes the dirt roads muddy. There are stores and bars around in...
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... were to escape from ethnic, religious, or political oppression in their home country or to pursue a better life through economic opportunity” (p.6). When someone is subject to a life of hardship and poverty, being allured to a better life is irresistible. Knowing there is a way to a better life they can’t resist coming to America. Considering their circumstances they have good reason for wanting or getting better education and financial support for their children.
The price to pay for better education, freedom, and money is nothing when compared to an agrarian in Mexico. The poverty stricken families in Mexico dream of making a better life for their selves and loved ones. They leave their fate in the hands of their religious figure when attempting to cross the border illegally. They may not succeed the first or second try, but giving up is not an option.
I believe that the American Dream nowadays, is just a short, redefined version of living a middle class lifestyle. But, for others, the dream might simply mean escaping poverty and giving their children a better life. The American Dream, however, is in my opinion not only applicable to natural born citizens but to legal and illegal immigrants as well. I’m swayed to think this way because my parents are living their own, redefined version of the American Dream. They came to America to escape the poverty that Mexico had to offer, they were in need of food, money, a home and a better life for my sister who was only one at the time.
The Latino community is a very varied community each with its own unique past and circumstances. In the book Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez the readers can learn and appreciate some of the experiences and history that the different Latino groups had. This book does this with a special emphasis on immigration trends. These points of emphasis of the book are explained thoroughly in the identification of the key points, the explanation of the intersection of race, ethnicity, and class, in addition to the overall evaluation of the book.
Los Angeles was the place to find work if laboring was all you knew. Not speaking a word of English, but able to labor in the fields of California's various crops, Mexican immigrants flocked to Los Angeles. Los Angeles quickly became a Mecca for Mexicans wishing to partake of the American dream establishing themselves and creating families. The American dream, however, became just a dream as harsh unequal assessments by white Americans placed Mexican-Americans at the bottom of the social, economic, and political ladders. Whites believed that Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans had no place in their society: a place shared by many minorities (Del Castillo 7). Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles were at a great disadvantage despite their great numbers. No representation existed for the minorities.
With the difficulties and the dangers of migrating are big, people are willing to risk their lives in order to reach the American Dream. People dream of making it to the US and having a big luxurious life when in reality all the jobs they can get is working in the fields and or factories. They discrimination they are going to face because how they look and speak, the idea that they may never make it to the top unless they go back to school and get a degree. The harsh realities with being an immigrant in the United States is big, always having to worry about ICE, or losing a job, this constant fear of being deported. In every society there is hegemonic society that prevails over everyone else and controls everything and everyone. In a country that strives to for every person to be equal is a myth, we live in a world were only the rich will prosper and the poor will get
Coming from a life of poverty and despair would cause anyone to search for a better life; a life in which there is the belief that all of your dreams can come true. This is the belief that many Mexican immigrants had about “El Norte,” they believed that the north would provide them with the opportunity that their life in Mexico had not. Many Immigrants believed that the United States was “the land of opportunity,” a place to find a successful job and live out the life that one only dreamt about living. The North was an open paradise for the immigrants. They were told by the people who had already ventured to the north that the United States was a “simple life, in which one could live like a king or queen, but in reality immigrants were treated like slaves in the new country that promised them their dreams.
It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today brings awareness of how Latino/as are affected.
For many Mexican immigrants, crossing the border into the land of freedom and the American dream is no easy task. Some immigrants come over illegally by means of hiding in cars to cross borders, using visitor visas to stay longer, marrying to become citizens, and having babies as ‘anchors’ to grant automatic citizenship. Other immigrants gain green cards and work visas and work their way into becoming US citizens legally and subsequently gaining citizenship through paperwork for their families back home. After escaping harsh living and working conditions in Mexico, immigrants come to America prepared to gain education, opportunity, and work. This American dream unfortunately does not come to pass for most.
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.
They want their children to be well educated and to go to higher courses of education in their life. They want their children to be healthy and be in a better environment. The medical bills are much more expensive in Mexico when using “pesos” compared to using American Dollars. It would be extremely difficult for a family to afford or even to find a doctor in Mexico. There are more possibility to find medical help in America. United States is the land of opportunity, there are many jobs available for those in need. In Enriques journey, Enrique’s mother goes to the United States so he can have better education and food. She wanted a better life for her son. She was working hard to bring back her son to the United
Immigrants come to America to seek a better life and receive a better education. America
to have money to send back home, or to make sure their children are raised in a better
Immigrants came to the United States for different reasons, but Laskin stated the three main reasons were “land, freedom, and hope.” (9) If they immigrated to the United States, they could experience what other immigrants sent letters home about. Most immigrants traveled to the new world with expectations
... their jobs” (immigration pg. 63). Hispanics fight back commenting on how they “take jobs Americans don’t want”. Hispanics say they come here to have a better life for their family and themselves and a job. Americans say Hispanics are criminals, drug dealers, etc. and should stay in their country. Yes, it is true Hispanics are usually in gangs; go to jail, do drugs etc. But Hispanics say they start doing those types of things because they don’t have money to take care of their family, so usually they will do anything for their kids to have a good life. The different POV arguments are endless.
America is often known as the land of opportunity, a place where you can be free. Many Immigrants came to America so that they could have a greater possibility at succeeding in life. Immigrants took a leap of faith when coming to America, for some it worked out well but for others they had a difficult time here. Despite the struggles that the immigrants encountered such as; standing out from others, being separated from their families, and breaking their culture, the immigrants are still grateful to be in America because they were in better conditions than they were in their home land. When viewing interviews or looking at an immigrant’s perspective you get many responses to being in America, some major things that stood out were the amount of freedom the immigrant had, and the age of the immigrant. These two things had a huge impact on the opinion of America from an Immigrants point of view.
The pursuit of happiness for some is a journey that can lead to new and great horizons. Sometimes it means to leave everything behind to start something from the bottom up. More and more people decide to leave their hometown, others their state, and others their country to go and find what their hearts desire. In most case that is the vision of an immigrant, to seek and find that better life. In one way or another we are all immigrants in this earth. Since the foundation of the U.S., immigrants from all over the world have marked its history, even though some oppose to this idea; immigration is a key point for this nation.