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my life as an undocumented immigrant
my life as an undocumented immigrant
my life as an undocumented immigrant
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After watching the video of a minuteman who lived with a family of illegals for thirty days, my attitude towards illegal immigration changed slightly in the way that I supported the idea of illegal immigration, but eventually they would need to apply for citizenship. I think it would be great to aid these people with citizenship in a country that will support a better life for them. I never thought much about the families themselves, but this video put our different lives in the US and in Mexico into perspective for me.
Unlike Frank George who immigrated from Cuba, the Gonzales family he stayed with, from Mexico, are all illegal except for the two children that were born in the United States. The only thing different from these Latino people is the citizenship in which Frank George holds. I support the idea of immigration completely because these are the people who are motivated and have the ambition to make something of themselves. The immigrants who are here take jobs that ordinary citizens do not want, at extremely low rates. They work hard for money because they actually have a...
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.
After reading The Book of the Unknown Americans, I realized how difficult immigrating to the United States can be. I am an immigrant also, so just reading the story makes me relate to many problems immigrants experience relocating to a different country. Immigrants often face many issues and difficulties, but for some it is all worth it, but for others there comes a point in time where they have to go back to their hometown. Alma and Arturo Rivera came to the United States to better their life, but also so that Maribel could attend a special education school. While Arturo had a job things had gone well for the family, but once Arturo lost the job and passed away the two of them had to go back because they felt that that was the best option for them. Reading this book made me realize how strong an individual has to be to leave their own country and relocate somewhere else not knowing if this will better your life or cause one to suffer.
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.
In Gonzales article, “Community Support Can Help Integrate Immigrants”, he explains the challenges that undocumented immigrants in America endure. However, because of the relative complexity of creating new laws or reforms that would help these immigrants integrate into society, Gonzales specifies that he doubts Congress will be able to make any effective changes with the next few years. Instead, Gonzales proposes a few ways that different communities would be able to assist. For example, he mentions that at a local level, neighborhood institutions could provide job-training services, at schools, they could provide sensitivity-training for staff, and at a state-level, they could provide literacy programs. To conclude his article, Gonzales reiterates the overall benefit of providing aid to immigrants would lead to greater rewards. He does so by saying that undocumented immigrants contribute an estimated 11.64 billion a year to state and local taxes. However, he believes that with additional local benefits, their contribution would be even greater.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, thirty percent (thirteen million) of the forty-two million immigrants in the U.S. are illegal. Many advocates for immigration argue that these people come to America for the pursuit of a better life, and this is evident in the character Franciso and his family in the book The Circuit. He is a character faced with the fears of deportation while also working in the cotton fields with his brother and father to support his family. His character also has to move around a lot during the different seasons in order to follow the most plentiful crop. Although he comes across adversity and the possibility of deportation, Francisco is an example of a successful person because he is intellectually competent, open to growth, and able to endure through his hardships.
According to CNN, 12 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the United States, which is approximately equivalent to the populations of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Michigan. Removing all 12 million illegal immigrants, then, would be like removing one of the above states, a pretty incredulous task. In practical terms, it is not possible to send that many immigrants back to their respective countries efficiently and economically. This raises the issue of what to do with the immigrants that are already here, and how to increase security to keep the number of illegal immigrants entering under control. It may be feasible to grant citizenship to those illegal immigrants that have been in the United States for some time, however; that citizenship should come with certain set of restrictions. In other words, a probationary citizenship could be granted. In terms of future illegal immigrants, increased security measures to either restrict immigrants from crossing without proper citizenship authorization or better regulate the influx of immigrants coming in should be enforced. Taken together, current illegal immigrants should be provided a probationary citizenship license under the stipulation that they enroll in an English course, take and pass a citizenship test, be able to provide family support without government assistance, and keep a clean criminal record all within a set period of time before receiving a permanent citizenship; additionally, future immigrants should not be allowed into the United States by increasing border security measures to increase efficacy of controlling incoming immigrants which may include building a better border and hiring more law enforcement personnel.
An illegal immigrant, who works for their keep in an unknown country, contributes to taxes, stays out of trouble, and just wants a better life in a foreign country, on unknown land should be recognized for their contribution to that particular society. An illegal immigrant is a person who migrates to a different country in a way that is in violation of the immigrant laws of that country. Immigration has been a divided topic for many years in America- illegal immigrants are sometimes seen as a burden to America, but others view them as an economic savior. There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and many Americans have mixed views about where there stance should be regarding citizenship. Illegal immigrants should be granted citizenship based on the United States need for e legalized workforce, the increase in tax revenues that would decrease the nation’s debt, and the boosting of America’s economy.
There are two category’s in today’s society Those who oppose illegal immigration and want the immigrants to be forced back to their originating countries. Those who oppose illegal immigration but would prefer that illegal immigrants that reside within the United States are granted citizenship options. There are obviously quite a number of people that are opposed to illegal immigration. Almost all of us can say we are children of immigrants Many immigrants risk their lives to reach the United States so that they may provide their families a better life. Some immigration supporters also feel that the risks the immigrants take to get here are far too great. They feel the United States government is placing these individual 's lives at risk by
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.
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.
To close, it is possible to say that to be part of American society and to gain a public identity, Rodriguez believes that it is necessary to assimilate the American culture. Rodriguez believes that it is correct to speak English in the USA because English is the language of public life. As a consequence of this, Rodriguez partially lost his family and his cultural ties. As a personal opinion, I can say that although Rodriguez believes that assimilation is necessary to be part of American society, family traditions, and backgrounds are just as important if not more than conforming to a culture. I strongly believe than people can keep their culture within another one. Richard Rodriguez could have kept part of his Hispanic heritage and still become Americanized.
Immigration is not illegal for no reason. In society today, Americans tend to get upset with our current president's new policies and laws about Immigration. However, with these new policies and laws, America will be safer. Some undocumented immigrants truly do come to America for a better life, however some have other intentions. These other intentions include crimes of drug trafficking and gang violence. Federal investigators believe that when undocumented immigrants trespassed American borders in 2005, around 2.2 million kilograms of cocaine and 11.6 kilograms of marijuana were brought in. It should frighten every American citizen that millions of drugs and people are entering into the country illegally. Unfortunately, drug cartels have
My family has become very concerned with the current hostile political climate. Although their status has always been a concern it has never caused so much fear and uncertainty as it is today. Mexican and Mexican Americans have been a target for discrimination for many years as explained at the beginning of this section. It is unbelievable to think that what people of my ethnic group experienced about 90 years ago, is still happening today. It is clear through my parent’s story that their main reason for coming to this country was to be able to provide a better future for their families back home and their children. Which was something that would not be possible in their beloved country. My heart breaks thinking that my cousin who was brought to this country when she was three months old runs the risk of being deported to a country that she has never lived in. This is her country, and just as the Mexican and Mexican American farm workers who were deported in the 1930’s all she wants is a chance at a better
Latinos face a lot of discrimination when they come to the united stated or they try to assimilate to the American culture. Most immigrants have to deal with the police investigating them because they think they are all drug dealers or are in some type of illegal organization. They also have to deal with people calling them names because of their skin color. Americans also accuse Hispanics of stealing their jobs (Ramos, 53). They also face seeing racist graffiti on homes or wall of a building and they have to face hate crimes (Plunkett, 15). They sometimes get excluded from white communities (Plunkett, 39). Latinos are also blamed for serious problems the country faces (Ramos, 195). There are reasons for Americans to discriminate Latinos and reasons why they shouldn’t discriminate them.