The differences between "Dreamers" and "Enrique's Journey" when discussing family shows that relationships between family members aren't perfect and not always beneficial. Pretending that they are discredits the experiences and struggles that some immigrants face because of their family. Despite their differences, both books emphasize how family plays a huge role in immigrants'
Case Summary: The Hernandez Family: Immigration problems Identified Clients: Maria Hernandez, female, 37-years old, Mexican and Jose Hernandez, male, 33-years old, Mexican Presenting problem: Navigating immigration and the legal system while handling the stress of possible deportation. Intake: Jose states he is concerned about being on probation with immigration. He has until 2019 to become a citizen or be deported.
Jeremy Smith writes about the American policy’s negative effects on immigrants, particularly unaccompanied minors to unearth why they are criticized so harshly. Rodrigo Smith was a fourth grader in Berkeley California when he was deported to Mexico long after his tourist visa expired. As a result, his classmates asked, “How is that fair?” When they worked together to create a video to bring his spirits up, they showed more empathy and comfort than an abundance of humans on our planet. Despite the emotional punch this anecdote lands with readers, it is not an effective piece of writing on its own.
Humans rarely change their ways; they stay in their own worlds and always interact with the same types of people. Unfortunately, this habit often creates unseen barriers that divide and alienate human beings from one another. In Luis Alberto Urrea’s book The Devil’s Highway, Urrea provides a personal perspective to immigration by telling the story of 26 illegal immigrants, known as the Wellton 26, who are abandoned as they cross the Mexico-U.S. border. Through their story, Urrea proves there are invisible borders among people that create prejudice, such as language, ethnicity, and economic status. By reading The Devil’s Highway, it is clear that these barriers must be broken down to ensure harmony within society.
Response to “Our Fear of Immigrants” In “Our Fear of Immigrants” Jeremy Adam Smith takes a neutral stance on the immigration and anti-immigration argument. Smith begins by telling the story of a 4th grade class at Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley, California who try to fight back against immigration laws after a classmate of theirs was deported back to his home country. Smith then goes on to compare the 4th graders to the adults of their town who fight for stronger immigration laws asking his readers what qualities the children possess that the rest of the citizens do not to make them react so differently.
By all means; the Imperfect Mexican-American When I was younger, I couldn't fathom what my parents meant when they said ‘‘Cruce la frontera para que tengan una mejor vida,’’ In other words, I crossed the border for my children to have the future they longed for; their American dream. I understood the troubles and sacrifices they went through and felt the pain they carried for leaving their motherland, yet I didn't understand what life they were looking for me and my sisters. Years later, one afternoon, my sister greets us with the news that she got accepted to college, I thought this is it, the better life my parents wished for us, the sacrifices they made are paying off, yet to my surprise what was suppose to be proudness turned out to be
Being a Cuban immigrant has provided me with a unique bicultural perspective that has become my support system in the United States. For the first eleven years of my life, my culture was composed of music and dancing. In every street corner of my hometown, there was a group of seniors playing domino and close by, their grandchildren dancing to the Salsa music being played on the radio to pass the time. The hardships created by the communist regime are overshadowed by memories of my mother teaching me how to sew and by my paternal grandmother teaching me how to enjoy a strong Cuban coffee. Those precious memories of home became a source of pain when I migrated to the United States.
Immigration is deeply rooted in the American culture, yet it is still an issue that has the country divided. Marcelo and Carola Suarez-Orozco, in their essay, “How Immigrants Became ‘Other’” explore the topic of immigration. They argue that Americans view many immigrants as criminals entering America with the hopes of stealing jobs and taking over, but that this viewpoint is not true. They claim that immigrants give up a lot to even have a chance to come into America and will take whatever they can get when they come. The Suarez-Orozco’s support their argument using authority figures to gain credibility as well as exemplification through immigrant stories.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, before I deliver my words to you, I would like to say that it is a truly honor to be given the privilege to speak not only for my community, but for the Hispanic community as a whole. Once again, thank you for welcoming me to this meeting. As some of you may or may not know there has been an innumerable amount of controversy involving the Hispanic community in the past decade. As a representative of my community I would like to address our fears and concerns before you. Consequently, following former president Barack Obama the statistics pertaining to deportation of Hispanic immigrants have drastically increased.
For a nine-year-old who wants nothing more than to make her mother proud this was exciting. In the beginning, we can see her excitement and desire, “in the beginning I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so.” (Tan). However, as we follow the story we see her excitement quickly fade to sorrow and anger. The high expectations immigrant families place on their children is still a very relevant social issue and can be witnessed throughout the United States.
Undocumented immigrants live with fear of deportation every day of their lives. Those with control of state institutions who do not consider undocumented immigrants as worthy American residents in our society, take advantage of their power by instilling fear of deportation. The restrictive federal and state laws towards migration in the U.S. has become a way to keep undocumented immigrants and their families living in the shadows. Arrocha (2013) claims that the paradox of the U.S. migration seems be that our free democratic republicanism is viewed as the land of freedom, equality, and justice. Yet, these undocumented immigrants aren’t treated equally or given the freedom to live in our society without intimidation.
In 2017, it is impossible to discuss the changing landscape of America without discussing immigration. While most look back upon the time of their ancestors and see immigrating as a brave endeavor, tones have changed since these massive waves of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. While the discussion of immigration may seem like it should be left up to the government, there is no denying the fact that millions of families are impacted by immigration on both large and small scales. Families who choose to immigrate, do so for a multitude of reasons. Who will be immigrating, where the members will be relocating to, and the means to which the immigration is carried out, are all factors that a family must consider.
One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo upon experiencing racism and prejudice.
Being a 1.5 generation immigrant myself, I was interested to see if we shared similar experiences growing up in America especially since we’ve grown up around the same area. My interview with Mario has given me deeper understanding of the difficulties and challenges immigrants have to go through in their first few years in America. Through Mario’s experiences,
My immigrant experience started one year ago, during my senior year in high school with my parents we decided that I will go abroad for college. I looked at lots of universities from different countries China, England, United States and Canada. I had a preference for Canada specially Montreal because of the French language we share, on top of that my uncle was living there. However, I did not apply because my father was against that idea, he did not like the weather and convince me to choose United States. I did not have any idea where to go in the United States, I used to spend hours on my laptop looking for universities.
