Immigrant Children In The United States Essay

Undocumented families arrive in the United States expecting a better life. They come, not knowing what to expect from a foreign country that people speak, so great about. Once they arrive to the United States, their lives start to change. Problems begin to arise. Problems such as, money, language barrier, work, food, etc. Latino families live, day in and day out, trying to avoid the fact that life may become more difficult, than they expected. Everything started back in the 90’s, when families from Latin America began to settle in the United States for a better life. Many men and women from those families did not know how to do much, other than what a handyman was capable of doing. Handymen would like fixing and building things. Families from those foreign countries, had the idea of seeking

America is traditionally a country of immigrants. Very few people today have relatives who were Native Americans, many of them because of religious persecution, and others because of they were just looking to start a new life on the exciting untouched frontier. For instance, in Florida, the first arrivals were European, beginning with the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon who explored the land in 1513, following French and Spanish settlement during the 16th century. From the past, America was seen as a country of opportunities. People from all over the world have moved here looking for better opportunities. There are a lot of reasons why immigrants should live in this country, but I would like to mention three of them.

The majority of American children grow up learning that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. There is little room for argument against the idea that the United States is a nation founded on immigration. However, there are some Americans who contend to the idea that new immigrants should not be allowed into United States and should receive no help adapting to their new culture. When people travel to the United States, the majority choose to bring their children with them. These children leave their homes and must come face to face with their new surroundings. If children are rejected at the border, what does that say about American citizens? How the children are treated by their peers can have a considerable impact on their likelihood of success. If nearly 44 million foreign-born people live in the United States 22 percent of those people are children, that leaves with America nearly 10 million immigrant children who may need assistance while trying to go through school. Immigrant children are typically described as those who have at least one foreign-born parent. These children deserve the same opportunities to succeed as the typical American born children. With assistance, immigrant children are likely to graduate high school and even move forward with college. If American citizens wish to make the United States a better place, they must move forward with helping the immigrant 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.

Immigrants have been migrating to the Unites States for years. Many people in the United States have different opinions on immigrants: some are negative and some are positive. Some Americans assume that immigrants are here to destroy the United States, but immigrants are here for many purposes: to support their families, succeed in their future, or to escape violence occurring in their home countries. Many Americans think that once an immigrant has settled in the United States that he or she will right away get a job or quickly learn English. Imagine moving to a new school not knowing a single person. You will feel anxious or even discouraged. Now just imagine arriving in a new country and not knowing anyone and you can’t speak English. Well, that is how millions of young and adult undocumented immigrants feel every day when trying to fit into the American culture. Life is hard for an undocumented immigrant. Immigrants in the United States face many challenges when trying to adapt or assimilate into the American culture. But my question is, what kind of mental health issues or other psychological problems do immigrants face when they are trying to adjust to the American culture, and how can our society alleviate some of that anxiety?

When someone hears the word immigrant most first think they are either poor, dirty, and illegal. What most people don’t look past the appearance they see walking past them. They don’t see the blood, sweat, or the long days and nights it took for that ‘immigrant’ to get where they are now. Also, most immigrants who travel to America travel here to give their children better lives. Therefore, those long days and nights will be worth it in the end when they can see their child walk across a stage and collect a diploma. However, undocumented children still are facing obstacles with not being allowed to attend community or state colleges, or receive in-state tuition, and most cannot receive financial aid.

According to the American Immigration Council “There are approximately 1.5 million undocumented children in the United States, and each year tens of thousands graduate from primary or secondary school, often at the top of their classes.” For most of these students, legal status squanders their chances at pursuing higher education and following their dreams: leaving them with uncertain futures. This is a very compelling problem because the U.S. is the only home a lot of these students have known. A lot of these students become fluent in English and serve as interpreters for their parents-which helps their parents become accustomed to the American culture and successfully integrate into society. These students have the potential to excel in medicine, law, education, business, entrepreneurship, etc.

The “Undocumented Students” are youth who arrived to the United States as young children. These are young adults fighting hard to achieve their piece of the American Dream. Their experiences are emblematic of the struggles of millions of undocumented children and youth in America who deal daily with isolation from peers, the struggle to pursue an education, fears of detention and deportation and the trauma of separation from family and loved ones. Today there are one million children under 18 and 4.4 million under 30 undocumented young adults living in America and 11. Undocumented immigrants. Being undocumented negatively affects the well being of these young

In the recent election, many immigrants are in fear of their lives due to the political climate that the president-elect has instigated. Donald Trump has promoted aggressive anti-immigrant rhetoric throughout his campaign and now that he is the future successor, there is an implication of mass deportation. Trump has even stated he intends to undo the executive orders that President Obama has issued several years prior in favor of young adults who have been taken into the country as a young child without knowledge that it was against the law. These individuals that hold the DACA or TPS citizenship are in jeopardy of having their legal existence of being in the United States stripped away. Not to mention, away to combat this situation is to install a program that allows immunity from deportation and allow a direct path to American citizenship if these individuals show merit to the economy and are law abiding.

Along with its economic classes, American is known for its freedom, its liberty, and the melting pot of ethnicity. This ethnic diversity comes form the immigrant population in the country. However this perfect country is a major falsehood. These untrue ideals of harmony, freedom, success, and equality are deceptive and do not show the struggles that immigrants face when coming to this class dominated country. The immigrants of today do not come from just Europe, but overwhelmingly from Asia and Latin America. “They are driving a demographic shift so rapid that within the lifetimes of today 's teenagers, no one ethnic group – including whites of European descent – will comprise a majority of the nation 's population’ (Colombo, Cullen, Lisle). These immigrants challenge the social myth that everyone has an equal chance in life. They

Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are “all created equal” with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”

Immigration laws have been a subject of debate throughout American history, especially in states such as California and Texas, where immigrant populations are high. Recently, some citizens have been questioning whether we should continue to educate the children of illegal immigrants. While this issue is steeped in emotional controversy, we must not allow divisive "us against them" rhetoric to cloud our thinking. Yes, educating undocumented immigrants costs us, but not educating them would cost us much more.

Children most of all are affected by the bad decisions that the federal government makes. This is because they often end up orphans or in foster homes. Because of deportation kids grow up without their parents and they have to live with strangers. In some situations their other family members are also undocumented immigrants which means that the child can not stay with them. Hence, they get sent to Child Protective Services and get put in foster homes. According to another article “Furthermore, child welfare departments tend not to place children with undocumented relatives, opting instead to place these children in foster care with individuals the child has never met” (qtd. in Zayas, Bradlee, 170).

The social problem I will address is complex and has major implication for an entire generation of immigrants. After reading many articles and testimonies, the social problem/issue is the lack of opportunity for immigrants to achieve upward mobility. Per the American Immigration Council, here in the United States of America annually, approximately 65,000 undocumented children complete their secondary education. while many U.S. citizens their ages are applying to college, joining the military, or just perusing a career, many of these 65,000 students are unable to. These immigrant children often excel academically in K- 12 education, are members of student government associations, and exert great personal character.

Immigrants have been coming to America since the start of this country. However, there is a fine line between an illegal and legal immigrant. Although most immigrants come here in search of a better life for themselves, they do not think about the consequences the rest of the country must fac. Since they are not citizens, they do not receive some of the benefits that an American citizen has, including health care and public schooling. Although they do not have these benefits, they continue receive treatments at hospitals and attend schools, which Americans cannot afford. Illegal immigrants affect the United States’ economy, health care system, and education system in a negative way.