Immigrants Coming To America Essay

Midterm 1, Essay 2, Question C Response If I were an immigrant coming from a foreign country there would be many questions racing through my head. How different will this strange new society be from home? Will I meet new friends?

America has, is, and will always be a nation of immigrants: the great melting pot. In the years that have passed since Emma Lazarus' poem was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty "the golden door" Americans have seen times when the door was open wide and times when it was close shut to most immigrants (Sure 4). Many people look at the present immigration problems as a purely modern dilemma. The truth is America has always struggled with the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Changing times, however, makes it imperative that our government reexamines and adjusts today's immigration laws to today's standards. Those standards, however, are not easily defined. Too often the issue of

Transitions are never an easy thing to conquer. It is often hard and stressful to cope with changes to one’s surrounding, but in the cases in which one manages to conquer this obstacle, elevation of knowledge and experience are great results gained from this achievement. I originally came from Africa and recently moved to the United States to join my mother and my step father. This great change in the things I had become accustomed to in my daily life was not easy, furthermore taking into account the fact that I had never experienced a transition so little as shifting from one residence to another.

There are events in life, which can change yourself or your way of thinking. As for me, I think the major change in my life occurred when I moved from France to America. This change has entirely affected my personality. Why? I arrived in the United States during the summer of 2002. It was really hard for me since my parents had only told me about the move in April of that year. Therefore, I did not have the time to prepare myself psychologically. My parents had talked about coming here for a very long time, even before I was born. Everything started in 1973. Indeed, my parents came from Iran to Europe in order to finish their studies and then to return back home. However, even at that time, they had not set their mind as to where they

First, let's define "American Dream". "American Dream" is what you would consider a "perfect life." It can be full of happiness, money, love, food, cars, whatever you desire, everyone has a different opinion. One person’s American Dream may be totally different from someone else’s, that is what makes us all individuals. My American Dream would include a good job and lots of money, spare time for my family and I, and most importantly, healthiness.

The culture of every ethnic group is beautiful in its own way and worth cherishing. Today, America is known as the great melting pot not for the number of immigrants it has but rather because of the wonderful cultures and traditions the immigrants brought with them. Immigrants do not need to forgo their mother tongue, significant celebrations or customs to become American. However to be socially accepted, they will need to learn English, take part in celebrating national holidays and fulfill their patriotic duties Americans like every other U.S citizens.

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.

Illegal immigration at the U.S. - Mexico border is a growing problem, and the death toll is rising as more people are attempting to illegally enter the United States. As a result of an increasing number of people trying to enter into the United States illegally, the border is now being guarded by an increasing number of border patrol officers. The United States implemented different laws and operations to prevent more illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States. The ‘Operation Gatekeeper’ was introduced in 1994, which increased the number of Border Patrol officers. The most recent and controversial law was passed in Arizona, which essentially ‘allows’ officers to use racial profiling to check legal status of anyone in that

Illegal immigration has caused a lot of controversy within the United States. The media has influenced our society to make us believe that illegal immigrants are horrible people. One thing that I have learned throughout life is, “Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains (Rousseau 4).” This sums up how society dictates our lives and limits us to what the media wants to us to believe. Whether it is legal or illegal, everybody should be treated equally. Illegal immigrants might always end up with the short end of the stick, but they heavily support the US economy. They contribute by paying taxes every year. In addition, they adopt difficult low wage jobs that are not of interest to the average American.

Illegal immigrants flooding into the United States is by far one of society's biggest problems today. Due to our lack of immigration laws, the immigrants our stealing welfare right out of legal citizen's hands. It's quite simple, without the laws that we need. The immigrants, coming from wherever they do, simply sneak in, have a child, and are automatically given money by the government to care for the child until it turns eighteen years old. The problem is this: In the U.S., there are so many homeless or helpless legal citizens that could use the money. Illegal citizens, who are not part of the country, who have not helped the economy, or had worked to help develop the United States each year are being given the money. It is good to be kind and giving to everyone, but wouldn't you think that citizens who have done all, if not more should be getting that money? All citizens, whether they are new to a country or not, should come in and become citizens the right way. The right way is to legally become a citizen.

The American Dream is a goal that is specific to and can only be achieved in America. A dream is defined as a goal, hope, and/or plan for the future. In this case, this dream is only available for people living in the United States of America. In America, there are more jobs, a good education system, and the country is safer than most. Also, America says to have equal rights for women which is not always the case in other countries. All of these things attract people who do not have access to them which makes America a very desirable place. The American Dream is different for everyone and changes over time. Generation after generation, the American Dream has evolved into what it is today.

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.”

There are about 1.5 million children and youth that are brought over undocumented. . In the book Lives in Limbo there is a saying which goes “ ni de aqui ni de alla” meaning that they don’t feel like they belong to either side. They know they don’t belong here because everyone is telling them they don’t belong but then they don’t belong from where they came from because they grew up here and that's all they know. Many of these children are often faced with discrimination, racial profiling, bullying, forcibly taken away from their families and even deportation. These events can not only scar them but cause them severe issues while growing up. They can become depressed, have anxiety, PTSD, and become socially isolated. These children should not have to experience these types of situations. Many of these children lose their only support system . In some cases some of the youth became so hopeless that they their last resort was suicide.

The second wave of immigrants to come to the United States came in from Southern or Eastern Europe. These immigrants came to the United States seeking better economic opportunities for their families. The economy of the United States was driven by the culture that resided in the area. In the Seattle area, the farming, ranching, logging and fishing industries drove the economy. This was mainly due to the huge growth of Oregon and Washington by settlers coming in from the European countries. The mining market of San Francisco also grew during this time because of the willingness of the immigrants to pursue hard-working, heavy labor jobs. The Hispanic population was primarily responsible for the cattle and sheep

“They are willing to sell themselves in order to find a better life for themselves or