The Immigrant Experience 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. Immigrants …show more content…
Simmel says the stranger is “person who comes today and stays tomorrow”; he/she has a position within society but that position is “fundamentally affected by the fact that he does not belong in it initially and that he brings qualities into it that are not, and cannot be, indigenous to it” (Simmel, 361). To be a stranger, according to Simmel, is to have position in society but to be at a distance from others relationally with differences in race, culture, class, language, sometimes religion, and physically in terms of community. Due to these differences, the stranger remains an outsider. The Stranger is in the United States, but mentally in Mexico providing for their families and chasing a better life. Because Mexican-American or illegal immigrants are different and so isolated being the Stranger, it is then easy to place blame on them for what they feel is making a life for themselves. Many Americans believe immigrants come to steal jobs, engage in criminal activity, and break laws while Mexican immigrants feel they are only taking odd jobs the common American would never consider to make a
Islas, Arturo. From Migrant Souls. American Mosaic: Multicultural Readings in Context. Eds. Gabriele Rico, Barbara Roche and Sandra Mano. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1995. 483-491.
Latino/a immigrants share similar experiences of anti-immigrant rhetoric just like other immigrant groups. Many Latino/as in America have faced negative comments based on their identity. For example, Rush Limbaugh, a radio host, expounds negative comments toward Latino/as, particularly Mexicans. He claimed that Mexicans are “a renegade, potential[ly] criminal element” that is “unwilling to work” (Media Matters for America, 2/28/06). These malice comments were similar to that of other immigrants. As other immigrant groups of non-English descent started arriving in America, there was an immigrant phobia towards the newcomers. During the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin said ...
Many illegal immigrants enter this country with limited choices like Reyna Wences, who entered America at the age of nine, with her mother, and three-year old brother. As a child, she did not have much input in the decision making to move to the United States. According to the article “My Life in the Shadows” they borrowed six thousand dollars from relatives to pay a guide who helps smuggle people into the United States. Reyna and her family entered into Arizona from Mexico, in which she was shocked to find a lack of guards or security as she crossed the border. Reyna then grew up in America and it is now what she calls home.
When most people think about immigration to the United States, they think of the U.S. as being the “land of opportunity,” where they will be able to make all of their dreams come true. For some people, immigration made their lives richer and more fulfilled. This however, was not always the case. A place that is supposed to be a “Golden Land” (Marcus 116) did not always welcome people with open arms. Even after people became legal citizens of the United States, often times the natural born Americans did not treat the immigrants as equals but rather as outsiders who were beneath them in some way. In some situations, people’s lives were made worse by coming to the “land of opportunity.” Often times people were living no better than they were in their own countries not able to make ends meet, just to live in the United States. Virtually all immigrants during the 1900’s had the same dream, to become successful and provide for their families as citizens of the United States, but they soon found out that the life in their new country was not going to be easy.
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.
There are over twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Many came to America to work, go to school, or be reunited with family members who are already residing here. Most migrants want to work and pursue the “American dream”. There are many barriers for residents to achieving success at the work and life balance. The immigrants fall back on public assistance to support them.
Ruben Martinez was fascinated with the tragedy of three brothers who were killed when the truck carrying them and 23 other undocumented migrants across the Mexico – United States border turned over in a high-speed chase with the U.S. Border Patrol. “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail” is a story about crossing and life in the United States.
The American Dream, is what every immigrant looks for when coming to the United States. But it's not all it seems to be. There are consequences, stereotypes and pressure put on the children of these immigrants. 40% of children in immigrant families have at least one parent who is mexican born. As stated by Childtrends.org. This means 40 out of 100 children have pressure on them whether it's by their parents (because they are immigrants) or by society by placing stereotypes.
America is a brimming nation with immigrants ; these people arrive here to fulfill the much anticipated goal known as the “American Dream”. The American Dream is the ideal lifestyle that many people work hard for. Many of those who are striving to reach the American Dream are illegal immigrants. Many have immigrated into America illegally and bring their children along with them. The children are left with no options of growing up legally, leaving them to grow up with the hardships of life and obstacles on the route to the American Dream.
We don’t realize how hard it is for immigrant parents to get their children education, and we judge and hate on something we have never been through. I guess it’s true you never know someone’s pain unless you go through it. Not everyone has the same privileges as others, some have to work twice as hard to try to give their children an opportunity towards an education on the contrary some American families have it simpler. I not blaming people who have families who were born here or say it’s wrong, but many people tend to affront children of immigrant parents and feel like they have the equitableness to say they aren’t suitable to receive public education.
In an article by David Haugen and Susan Musser, published in 2011, it is stated that, “Obama detailed his vision of how the laws of the United States must operate to fix the broken system. He advocates a "path toward citizenship" for those noncriminal aliens living and working in the country.” Former President, Barrack Obama, defends that, although undocumented immigration is illegal and should be punishable, if the immigrant is working and playing a positive role in the economy, they should be given the feasibility of obtaining American citizenship. During his eight years of serving in office, Obama gained the support of many immigrants and worked toward making America a land of opportunity. Many will lean toward the perspective of Obama because a big population of the U.S. is made up of immigrants, mainly from the bordering country of Mexico. In the same article by David Haugen and Susan Musser, one of the most notable motives for immigration is discussed. The article mentions, “Mexican and Central American immigrants come to the United States because it offers the hope of economic opportunity and, perhaps, a chance to reunite with family members that have already established themselves in the country.” The act of moving to the United States, with or without documentation papers, can sometimes be the only way that a family can remain a union. The deportation of immigrants is a leading cause of broken
These illegal migrates are often stereotyped as uneducated, and inferior to legal U.S. citizens. Just like African Americans, they are living under oppression. In order for a Mexican immigrant there are several steps they must take. Many have troubles gaining citizenship because of the financial costs, and the citizenship test they must take. I accessed the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website and took the practice test. I am a U.S. citizen, born and raised and I only scored a 50% on the
America was born from a group of immigrants ever since the colonial era of English, Spanish and French settlers looking for a land to call their own. Since then, diverse multicultural ethnicities such as Hispanics, Asians, etc... have wanted to do the same and thus gave the identity of America a more different look than the earlier times which majority comprises of European immigrants. The idea of “The American Dream” has inspired all of those who would wish to seek a better life than what their origins has to offer. Despite how enticing for immigrants to arrive in America, the process of living a successful life is actually not the reality that many wish for. Instead, the process will further continue the struggle of immigrants no matter the
Determined to join the American lifestyle thousands of immigrants have journeyed to this great land to have a life based upon “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This country’s backbone is immigration and it started when this
As the number of immigrants increased in the past year, so has controversy of immigration policies. In the United States, as of 2013, 990, 553 people were granted lawful permanent residence in the United States (CNN, 2015). The countries with the most of origin are Mexico, China, Indian, Philippines, and Dominican Republic. In 2012, The Department of Homeland Securities estimated that there are 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. The top countries of origin are from Central America and Philippines (CNN, 2015). As we can imply from the statistics, most of the population that migrates to United States are from countries with corrupted government, high poverty or unemployment rates and are overall less developed. Everyone deserves a new beginning and America give immigrants hope to reach their hopes and dream, but in reality it is not always as simple as it