Illegal Immigrant Research Paper

Getting through high school, getting a license, getting into college, and getting a job are all extremely intimidating parts of every young adult’s life, but it is hard to imagine doing all these things illegally with the fear that at any moment everything could come crashing down. In Jose Antonio Vargas’s article, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant”, Vargas explains his take on the struggles of being a gay, illegal immigrant trying to achieve the American Dream. Throughout the article, Vargas tells his story and really makes the reader feel sympathy for his fight and his strength. He does a very good job keeping the readers drawn in as well as appealing to pathos and ethos.

Illegal immigration has been a hot topic in the United States. For those who were born in the states, they are primed to see that most illegal immigrants are not welcome. Yet these immigrants see the United States as a land of opportunity. According to independent research by the Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project, there were 8.4 million unauthorized immigrants employed in the U.S.; representing 5.2 percent of the U.S. labor force (Goodman, 2014). We will examine the different sociological perspectives to understand this topic.

One’s cultural experience of poverty can make one take full advantage of the opportunities one gets. Just like Reyna in the novel The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, Reyna and her family luckily got their green card by an act of government amnesty which gave all the illegal immigrants that were currently in the country a green card. For one instance, after she went back to Mexico to visit her grandmother with her mom and after seeing her cousin, Reyna said “Now I realized that we owed it to them, our cousins, our friends, to do something with our lives, If not for us, then for them, because they would never be able to. I understood so clearly now why papi said there were so many people would die to have the opportunities we had, who

Freed from the constant fear of deportation, Alex moved his family to Los Angeles, where his family would better fit, given the large Hispanic population. In Los Angeles, Alex obtained a job with Pan-American Underwriting Company as a file clerk, making roughly $1000 per month. Alex worked there for twenty years, without receiving a promotion or raise, before finally being laid off without receiving any retirement benefits. My wife cries as she recounts how she helped her father to get a job as a delivery driver where she worked, after he had been laid of at Pan-American; she cries in a mix of emotions that include anger, embarrassment, shame, and deep anguish for her father’s wounded pride (Rock, 2011). Alex’s experience is like so many immigrants in the United States, where uncertain legal status combined with other factors, like language barriers serves to lock them into low-wage jobs that often lack benefits (Massey, Durand, & Malone, 2002). While living in poverty in the United States was an improvement over the situation in Guatemala, Alex’s status as illegal immigrant and poor command of the English language all but assured a life of poverty in the United States.

Jose’s father had always mainly worked construction jobs with other undocumented immigrants and Jose joined his father’s line of work because there were not many jobs available to him and he felt obligated to contribute to the family, “A second feature of the Hispanic American family is the emphasis on cooperativeness and on placing the needs of the family ahead of individual concerns” (Manning & Baruth, 2009, p.170). Jose dreamed of going to college and pursuing art or graphic design but even these simple goals were out of reach for him because of his undocumented status.

The United States is known as “the land of opportunities and hope” but it does not always offer what it portrays. Undocumented immigrants who come to the U.S. in search of “the American dream” have faced many injustices in this country, a country which claims to be free and fair. Undocumented immigrants are everywhere; however, not all immigrants are bad or trying to hurt others. In the United States, especially in California, Mexicans are the targeted group when it comes to politics and other important government issues. Mexicans are seen as invaders who are constantly killing and raping, but in reality this is not true. There are some Mexicans who kill and rape, yet there are also Mexicans who come to the U.S. to work and provide for their family.

Undocumented Americans are like any other Americans, but with limited freedoms and opportunities as their other American peers. In the United States, undocumented Americans number about 2.1 million, and almost half of them are now adults (Friedman, November 10th, 2016). Many of these undocumented Americans were born in Mexico, moved to the United States and began their lives as American since they were young. This particular group of immigrant youths face uncertain futures clouded by fear and frustration due to the lack of rights, opportunities, and supports from both the general publics and the government. Many undocumented Americans do not fully realize the constraints of their status until they become young adults. Undocumented Americans’

In the article of “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas, he tells his story from the minute he arrived in America. Vargas first arrived in this country by a lie. He was told by his mother to get on and get on a play with his uncle, which he had never met before at the age 12. Over the course of his life, Vargas soon discovered he had come to America as an illegal immigrant. His grandfather Lolo and Lola took him as his own to care and provided the basics in life, to have a better life than in the Philippines. Vargas took it upon his mission to be successful in school and hope that the hard work would pay of and become the American he wanted to be.

A spiral of events lead Mr. Jose Vargas to unrightfully apologize to former bosses and employers regarding his immigration status. Many undocumented citizens, Vargas states approximately, “11 million undocumented immigrants” have endured a battle to gain their citizenship. Obtaining proper documents, Green Cards, social security numbers and drivers licenses is undesirably long and difficult. Mr. Vargas, a college graduate and acclaimed author for major newspapers was denied of jobs, opportunities and scholarships despite the numerous accomplishments he gained.

Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of an illegal immigrant. You have to feed your family, get money to pay the rent, and prevent getting caught from immigration authorities. The consequences for getting caught could include deportation or serving time in jail. 11 million undocumented immigrants currently live in the United States and have a family to take care of. Families caught under pressure in their own country might not have a choice but to enter a country illegally. Others would say that immigration laws should not let illegal immigrants into the US regardless of the circumstances, but these Immigration laws are unorganized and broken because millions of undocumented

There are many hotly debated and contentious issues today. Issues that people often find themselves arguing about with their friends, or something that people have a very strong presupposed belief of. But none more hotly debated or more querulous perhaps, than our immigration system. Very few issues have the magnitude and aptitude to tear an entire nation apart, and this is one of them. As with every struggle, there are two point of views. There are those that welcome the cultural differences and the economical possibilities that immigrants bring with them, along with their traditions and their work ethic. On the opposite side, there are those that view them as a potential threat to our barely recovering economy and to their American way of

Jose Antonio Vargas, courageous author of the essay “Outlaw”, contributes a first-hand life story to the boiling pot that is the argument over immigration. He recalls his own story chronologically, beginning with the month and words spoken by his mother on his day of departure over twenty years ago. He justifies the reasoning behind his leaving by retelling almost every illegal immigrant’s initiative, a craving for “a better life”. Vargas takes the reader on his journey, piggybacking through his fight for citizenship. He explains the numerous obstacles he’s had to bob and weave around and the laws he’s had to duck and cover for. On paper, Jose is the perfect American citizen, loved by his teachers and bosses a clean cut right side of the tracks

In “Everyday Illegal” Cecilia Menjivar explains how illegal immigrants are affected every day because of their illegal status. The undocumented immigrants wake up every day before dawn, they go to the fields to collect all the vegetables and fruits you are able to eat. Then, they go home after dusk. They do it every day for less than a half of what a person is expected to be paid. They are being exploited physically and mentally and not just because of the work conditions but, as Menjivar states “the undocumented (as well as their family members) often withdraw from public life for fear of detention and deportation” (725).

As the issue of undocumented immigrants once again dominates the news headlines, our politicians are faced with the difficult task of enforcing the laws of our land, yet humanely and ethically tending to those who illegally reside within America 's borders. As the political parties face off with differing ideologies, the undocumented, who are seen as victims from one side and criminals from the other, are caught in this citizenship purgatory until a political compromise can be achieved. Until such a compromise occurs, the nation is left dealing with the fallout of this population’s existence. Not belonging, they are left to fend for themselves while living in the shadows. Surviving through government assistance or using a stolen identity as a means to gain employment, the undocumented struggle to survive in a nation that is aware of their existence yet chooses to do nothing about it. To address the illegal immigration epidemic in the United States, its leaders must hold all lawbreakers accountable while compassionately and ethically addressing the issue through a balanced approach of amnesty and deportation.

Ever since the election of 1796, political parties have vigorously battled it out for the right to hold office in the United States legislature. Many of these new political parties had beliefs that differed from their political counterparts and many of these ideals are still intact today. But how does a person decide what political party to join or what to truly believe in? Depending on the person, it might take years or even a couple decades to find what is right for them. When I am asked to state what I politically believe I say I stand independently because I feel I agree with different political parties on a wide range of issues. These issues are particularly related to immigration, abortion and the morality of