Do you know how an undocumented Immigrant lives in the United States? If not, one such immigrant, journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, wrote "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," published on June 22, 2011, in The New York Times Magazine, and responded the question with his life experience. He confided his secrets living in America, where he wasn 't supposed to live in. According to his words, he worked hard to enable maintaining in America, throughout, proving his value in America but just couldn 't get his documents. Vargas building his credibility base on the details of his personal affairs, convincing people to rethink about the undocumented Immigrants, and encouraging readers face the hardships and strive to make yourself better. However, towards the middle of his paper, he started to write about he 's gay weakens his purpose of the essay and …show more content…
His paper is full of emotionally-charged words and phrases that that create a sympathetic introduction; Vargas notes that he "grew up here. This is my home. Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn 't think of me as one of its own". This introduction depicts his awkward relationship with the United States, which he loves the country but the country needs to send him away by law. This is also explained in "The debates over ‘illegal aliens ' intensified my anxieties... Gov. Pete Wilson was re-elected in part because of his support for Proposition 187, which prohibited documented immigrants from attending public school and accessing other services". Because those hardships he faced his paper has numerous feeling words such as, "confused," "scared," "doubt," "guilt," "daunting," "eager," "feared," "worried" (Vargas). All of those words evoke his interior feeling about being an illegal immigrant, which makes the readers sympathize with those undocumented
In Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities, Julio Cammarota studies Latina/o youth who live in El Pueblo, and talks about how Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant law, is affecting Latina/o youth in California (Cammarota, 2008, p. 3). In this book review, I will write about the two main points the author is trying to get across. The two main points I will be writing about are how Proposition 187 is affecting the Latina/o community, and about how Latina/o youth are copping in the El Pueblo barrio. Afterward I write about the two main points the author is trying to get across, I will write a brief description of the author and write about the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
In Lives in Limbo, Roberto G. Gonzales dissects the disastrous effects of US immigration policy on young Latina/os struggling in the often untouched, unnoticed, uncared for, American underbelly. Through a striking ethnography, Gonzalez examines 150 illuminating case-studies of young undocumented Latina/os, shedding light on their shared experience in the struggle for legitimacy in the United States - their lives, effectively, in limbo. He develops two major groups with which to classify the struggling youth: the college-goers, like Cesar, who received strong marks in high school and was able to land himself a spot within the UC system, and the early-exiters, like Silvia, who was unable to attend college, resigned to a paranoid life plagued
Vargas discusses that there was no way of him becoming legal, even with a green card. He briefly explains that he is from the Philippines and was practically raised in America. He considered himself an American till he found out that he had no legal status whatsoever. One day he meets a man named Konrad Sosnow that asked him why he thought he was so special for getting a driver’s license without having proper documentation. Vargas responded that he never thought of himself being special but rather than a man that needed to survive. After their brief discussion, Sosnow was so moved by Vargas words, he emailed various important people such as the President and elected officials, to consider an immigration reform. Reading Vargas astonishing experiences made me think that everybody, no matter their legal status, should have an equal opportunity in America. America is known for the land of the free and the American dream. Everybody should have an equal opportunity even if they are not from this
Vargas stated facts on undocumented immigrants entering our country writing that, “The Obama administration deported almost 800,000 people in the last two years-- they are speaking out. Their courage inspired me.” He stated this information because he knew he had a chance of entering the county legally with the proper documents and had hope. Vargas may have not felt as frightened as he did before after hearing this, so he opened up to his employers and started telling them the truth. After Vargas stated the statistic “There are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States,” he reassured himself he was not the only in this situation. He might have written this so the reader knows he is not the only undocumented immigrant in this country illegally, and that he deserves a chance here. Using this statistic as a form of logos helped Vargas explain to the reader that he is not the only illegal immigrant in the United States, but he wants to also prove that he is different than them. Considering the facts that almost one million undocumented immigrants were let into our country and that 11 million undocumented immigrants are hiding in this country, Vargas is telling the reader that he could have a chance of living here legally. Using logos throughout his article helped him because it gives us a better idea of how many undocumented immigrants are living in our country and we need to be more welcoming since a lot of undocumented immigrants already live
A mother sees her children off to school at the school bus stop; however, they would never see each other again. The mother’s trip to the immigration check-in has caused a dramatic change in both her’s and her family’s lives. A story such as this, one where a parent is taken away and deported, is far too common in the U.S.A. An unsympathetic system of deportation has torn many families apart and has thrown away all the effort that immigrants have put into coming to America. Throughout the novel Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, a young boy named Enrique struggles to immigrate to the U.S. and faces many obstacles that infringe on his right to immigrate. The right to immigrate is threatened both in the U.S. and around the world by corrupt dysfunctional
If we talk about undocumented immigrants in United States, we usually focus on the benefits and jobs they take from our country, but have we ever stood in their shoes and imagine what life is like for an illegal immigrant? To live as an undocumented immigrant is a bad situation, but I believe to be a child of an undocumented immigrant is even worse, because their choices are limited and they are unaware of their rights to attend colleges. In this research, I will focus on undocumented immigrant students, who are unable to afford for higher education, and the fear of their unknown future which is mainly cause by their undocumented status. The largest invisible group in America, to explore “what are the struggles and unsolved problems of undocumented students?”
Parker begins the essay with the Ethos technique giving the reader her political perspective, when she states, “…I think of myself as a libertarian” in the first paragraph. She also presents herself as being directly involved by stating, “Anyone that lives in Southern California, as I do…” in paragraph 14. By giving the reader her political perspective and placing herself as a first hand witness, Parker establishes herself as being authorative on the topic of illegal immigration.
The policies implemented by the United States to strengthen the border and enforce immigration policies have led to the abuse and profiling of undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants live in constant fear of deportation and are subjected to multiple human rights violations as they are abused, exploited and discriminated against. Immigrants are racialized and stereotyped. The US government has passed laws that discriminate against undocumented immigrants, making it harder for them to live and survive in America. These laws are due to the perception that undocumented immigrants are a burden on the US economy, but on the contrary undocumented immigrants provide an economic benefit to the US, and due to the benefit they provide society
In Marcelo M. Suarez- Orozco and Carola Suarez- Orozco’s article “How Immigrants became “other” Marcelo and Carola reference the hardships and struggles of undocumented immigrants while at the same time argue that no human being should be discriminated as an immigrant. There are millions of undocumented people that risk their lives by coming to the United States all to try and make a better life for themselves. These immigrants are categorized and thought upon as terrorist, rapists, and overall a threat to Americans. When in reality they are just as hard working as American citizens. This article presents different cases in which immigrants have struggled to try and improve their life in America. It overall reflects on the things that immigrants go through. Immigrants come to the United States with a purpose and that is to escape poverty. It’s not simply crossing the border and suddenly having a great life. These people lose their families and go years without seeing them all to try and provide for them. They risk getting caught and not surviving trying to make it to the other side. Those that make it often don’t know where to go as they are unfamiliar. They all struggle and every story is different, but to them it’s worth the risk. To work the miserable jobs that Americans won’t. “I did not come to steal from anyone. I put my all in the jobs I take. And I don’t see any of the Americans wanting to do this work” (668). These
Humans have a never ending thirst for a better life, and a better existence for themselves and those they hold dear. Jose Antonio Vargas was sent away from the Philippines by his mother hoping that he would be able to achieve a better life, and be happy. In “Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant” Vargas is able to find his better life and happiness in America but also fear and anxiety. Vargas gives us a look into the life of an illegal immigrant the good, the bad, their achievements and their constant struggles. Very much like Vargas my father immigrated to America, but legally in 1986.
Jose Antonio Vargas’s article on My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant is a writing about his childhood journey from the Philippines to the United States as an Undocumented Immigrant. Vargas writes this article to emphasize the topic of immigrant and undocumented immigrant in the United States. He uses all three appeals: pathos, ethos, and logic in his writing, in specific, he mostly uses pathos throughout of his entire article with a purpose for the reader to sympathize and to feel compassion for him. The use of these appeals attract many readers, they can feel and understand his purpose is to ask for others to join and support other people who undocumented immigrant like himself. In addition, it gives other undocumented immigrant people courage
Queer Latino/as encompass both of these states of being, which often clash with each other and society in general, creating a “busy street with lots of foot traffic”(Servera, 141). Using concepts like “homemaking,” “choreographies of hope” and clear examples throughout
At a young age, my teachers and parents taught me to believe that I could do and accomplish anything that I set my mind to. I grew up thinking that I was unstoppable and that the only limit to my achievements was the sky. However, during my second year in high school, I began to realize that I was not as unstoppable as I had thought. I began to experience the consequences of my parent’s decision of bringing me to the United States illegally. Among those consequences were, not being able to apply for a job, obtain a driver’s license or take advantage of the dual enrollment program at my high school, simply because I did not possess a social security number. I remember thinking that all of my hard work was in vain and that I was not going to
Furthermore, Vargas faced many personal and career obstacles in his story. For example, at the age of 12 his mother sent him thousands of miles away to live with Vargas’s grandparents in America who were both naturalized citizens because she wanted to give him a better life. After Vargas arrived in San Francisco, he fell in love with the area and loved living with his grandparents. As years went by, Vargas, who was 16 at this time, went to the D.M.V. to get his driver’s permit, but fortunately the clerk working at the office told Vargas that his Green Card was fake and never to come back. After questioning his grandparents, Vargas finds out that he was smuggled into the United States of America and all his documents were fraudulent. In Vargas’s essay, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant”, his story fiddles with the readers emotions and makes the reader ponder the issue of immigration in the United States of
Immigration reform is one of the most pressing issues confronting U.S. Legislators. Do you know why illegal immigrants come to America or any other country? Why is this matter illegal? Some say they leave their home country for a better life and work while others may say for religious reasons or just to get away. Some come for more opportunities and education and a better way of life. What is really the incentive for this? Do you agree or disagree with the law that an illegal immigrant must be demoted back to their country of origin? Do you have sympathy for such actions or are you completely against it? Hopefully if I give logical enough reason I can open your eyes and mind to obtain some of my reasons about illegal immigrants.