Immigrant Child Narrative

I come from an immigrant family and I have had the privilege to be exposed to different social, cultural and economic realities all my life as I constantly navigated across cultures. Aside from family origin in Ecuador, I was born in Virginia and lived in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico) for six years. The biggest influences on the way I see life comes from my immigrant parents. I have learned to perceive their differences and appreciate their interactions with me.

Being a daughter of immigrant parents has never been easy here in America. Both my parents worked excessively hard to be financially stable. Unfortunately at the age of ten my life changed. I learned that my parents no longer loved each other. The arguing and fighting my parents had, only damaged me emotionally. I was too young to grasp the idea that my parents were separating which become one of the hardest times for my mom to maintain my siblings and I. Shortly after, I began attending church and fell in love with the idea of getting closer to God. Luckily, my life took an enormous turn the moment I gave my life to Christ. God has opened numerous opportunities for my education. I am proud of all the accomplishments I have achieved in high

The United States has experience a large wave of immigration of hopeful people to try and start a better life and live the American Dream. Coming from countries around the world, the United States is being shaped by the immigrants. Families that come to the United States come here to give their children a better education and for them to have a successful life than they ever had. Immigrant children have to live with the fear everyday of being deported and being separated from their parents. All these children want to do is have a better education and try to support their families. Little by little Obama is helping the immigrant children who actually want an education and deserve an opportunity to be successful in this country, by passing the dream act and making speeches about how important immigration is and how education for

There were three lessons that my immigrant parents ingrained in their first-generation children: Work hard, never give up, and most importantly, give back. Among other life lessons they taught us, these three were the basis for everything. It would be the basis that would and will define me as a person.

It is challenging being the oldest child in every family. What is even harder, is being the first child of immigrant parents. From the obstacles I faced, I was able to become independent. My parents left El Salvador to go to America for a better life. When they left their country my mother was pregnant with her first child which was me. After I was born and I began to grow, the only language I spoke and heard was Spanish. Since both my parent spoke little English and spoke mostly Spanish I thought it was only natural for me to follow them.

What would you do if you were in danger? In the article, “Why are so many children

It is not uncommon to hear one recount their latest family reunion or trip with their cousins, but being a first generation immigrant, I sacrificed the luxury of taking my relatives for granted for the security of building a life in America. My parents, my brother, and I are the only ones in my family who live in the United States, thus a trip to India to visit my extended family after 4 years was an exciting yet overwhelming experience. Throughout the trip, I felt like a stranger in the country where I was born as so many things were unfamiliar, but there were a few places that reminded me of my childhood.

Immigrant groups take refuge in America in hope of starting a better life for themselves and their ongoing generations. They take on the belief that upon coming to America, they will be presented by the riches and freedom granted by the “American Dream”. However, these opportunities are not easily achieved. Many immigrant families are challenged with the initial obstacles of having to adapt to the new languages and the customs of their environment. For example, without the basic knowledge of the standard English language, immigrants will not be able to apply for a majority of the jobs available. This puts immigrant parents at disadvantages because then they will not be able to provide the sufficient funds needed for allowing their children

My parents both came to this country at a very young age. My father was 16 when he first moved to the U.S. and my mother years later moved when she was 19. I am a child of immigrants and it was hard growing up. I consider myself a Mexican American or Chicana. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and later moved to Las Vegas. As I asked my father what he had to deal when he first moved he said “people would discriminate me just because I couldn’t speak well English and because of my brown skin”. “I was only 16 and wanted to live the American dream, but it was more like hell in America”. A lot of people are discriminated every day just because they aren’t Caucasian/white Americans, but they’re still American they live here and have a living here.

People come to America in search of many things: freedom, opportunity, or wealth. Coming to America has its downsides. Immigrants are often expected to conform to the dominant culture and give up their own. This was the case for early German immigrants; but along with being purged of their own culture, they contributed to American culture.

I remember the day I knew I belonged in Emergency Services. I was a young cadet in the Civil Air Patrol, assigned to the radios on a search and rescue ground team. Somewhere in Northern Connecticut, an emergency beacon was calling for help, and it was up to us to find it. The high-pitched siren was the only sound in the van as I carefully manipulated the radio direction finder and called out instructions to the driver. The excitement and tension in the van were palpable as we closed in on the beacon.

Children in immigrant families are often considered at increased risk of maltreatment due to the stress and pressure experienced by the family resulting from immigration and acculturation. Within the child welfare system, the number of Latino children has steadily risen over the past several years, with national data indicating that the percentage of Latino children confirmed as victims of maltreatment has risen from 10.0% in 1995 to 14.2% in 2000 to 17.4% in 2005 (Dettlaff et al. 2009). This data represents only one part of the various research studies conducted in order to better understand immigrant families entry and presence in the child welfare system. In Earner’s (2007) research study, a focus group was facilitated with immigrant families who were already part of the child welfare system. From this focus group a few key themes arose, there was a deep concern for the public service workers lack of awareness on issues that immigrant families face and the needs that they encounter (Earner, 2007). There was also concern about the service and referrals they were receiving since many of them were dependent upon eligibility which they did not meet due to their immigration status (Earner, 2007)

Awoken by the startling nightmare of I.C.E seizing him, he stood up, recalling that it was time to leave. When his feet hit the ground, he sensed the dirt tickle his toes. Proceeding to the bathroom, he went on with his routine. He saw his family assembled in a semicircle to say their last goodbyes as he exited the bathroom. Tears started to form in his eyes, as he embraced his family. He heard the dwindled truck honk, knowing it was his signal to skedaddle. Each step he took grew heavier when he advanced to the door. His worn-off shoes scuffled in the dirt pathway as he entered the truck. Seconds later, the ageless tires slammed on the pebbles and the truck began leaving his home. Paradise was in sight. Immigration has been a subject that

In today's world, illegal immigrants are given no opportunities in life. However, suppose there is a way to give immigrant children a chance to a new life. A way for those to connect and meet people with different backgrounds. Imagine the United States government funding and administering a living and educational facility for those immigrant children in search for a better life. The "New Beginnings" facility will educate the youth. The children will learn and explore diverse languages. The facility will teach the children about American culture and allow them to exchange ideas, for instance the food Americans eat, the sports played, and one's religion. This can enable the children to have careers and provide them with United States jobs later in their lives.

I’m an immigrant. I was born in Mexico and it was only until my parents decided to come to the United States that I am where I am. My mother tried to cross the border to come to the United States for the first time when I was still in her womb all by herself as my father was already in the Unites States working in order to provide for her in the way that he wasn’t able to do so by staying in Mexico. My mother was caught by immigration and was sent back. My mother was very disappointed because she knew that if she didn’t get me to the United States some way or another I wouldn’t get very far in life by staying in Mexico. My father returned back to Mexico when I was born and it wasn’t until I was 4 years old that they decided to try to cross the border once again. Although I was only 4 years old I remember the whole experience as if it was yesterday. The amount of fear of getting caught by immigration and having done everything for nothing was always in the back of my mind while going through the whole experience. Up to this day nothing has ever been as terrifying and nerve-wrecking as having to go through that whole experience especially for a 4 year old child but I will forever be grateful for the bravery and strength that my parents had to gather in