Immigrants Face Diversity

America has been a melting pot of cultures for many centuries, with the number of immigrants continually rising every year. Most of these immigrants come into the country with nothing at all except for the clothes on their backs and a few English words. But they also bring with them something special – their cultures and traditions from their homeland. In the Immigrant Advantage, readers can see that these specific traditions that they bring with them give them an advantage because they tend to have better mental and physical health than their native born American counterparts (5).

Daniels, Roger. Not like Us: Immigrants and Minorities in America, 1890-1924. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1997.

The United States has been a host to a wide diaspora of people. Immigrants have had to transition from their familiar land to a new-fashioned foreign land that they must consider home. They bring with them the essence of their initial homeland such as customs, traditions and beliefs that inadvertently change the dynamics of culture within the United States. As a result the United States is an extremely culturally diverse nation. The continual changes or accretions that Americans encounter have always been a controversial topic depending on the experiences of individuals and communities that have immigrant populations. This essay will critically explore

Humanity is ever so much more complicated than one could have ever imagined. Humans can thrive on change, but ultimately look for something to declare as home. In search of this home people travel long distances and risk everything they have. When an American contemplates the word immigrant, one imagines the countless people from Mexico crossing into our country or the refugees that hope to make this country their home. What eludes most of us, however, is the reality that most people were, at one point, immigrants to this country and that our forefathers came here exactly the same as refugees come today. What is brought to mind when I hear the word immigrant is hope and perseverance. I remember the countless people who have traveled here

Immigrating to a new country is difficult. One of the largest groups of immigrants that migrate to the United States are the Hispanics. There are approximately 11.7 million immigrants in the United States as of January 2010, and the amount continues to increase at a rapid rate (Warren, 2013). On average there are approximately 300,000 Hispanic immigrants entering the United States each year (Warren, 2013). Hispanics come from all Latin America including Mexico, the islands of the Caribbean, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, Central and South America (Warren, 2013). The United States has represented liberty and freedom to these individuals, and they often make critical decisions and take chances in the hope of a better future. Individuals often, leave their home country in hopes of a new beginning. The aim of this paper is to provide an extensive research on the current literature on immigration and acculturation among the Hispanic population.

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

The United States is often called a melting pot because of the vast array of cultures that all live in the country. People have come from every corner of the world to settle in the United States. In recent years, the influx of immigration has become a contentious issue. Some people believe that the US is overpopulated and that further immigration poses a danger to the country while others contend that the US was built on immigration and that it is un-American to prohibit people from living here if they so wish. The articles "5 Myths About Immigration" and "The Challenge of Diversity" detail the different issues which are related to the immigration issue, both discuss the amount of immigration that occurs, the fear of immigrants taking jobs from American citizens, and the idea that immigrants are reluctant to assimilate into the American culture.

Immigrants and refugees seeking services seem to lack knowledge and understanding of American culture. This may lead to legal issues and barriers that can ultimately impact their health and well-being. Language barriers are a huge problem among the immigrant and refugee community which leads to laws being broken without immigrants and refugees realizing that they are breaking the law. For example, in one’s native country, bribing law enforcement may be acceptable, while in the United States, it is an offense which will result in arrest. Immigrants and refugees need to be taught this in a way that they can understand.

The biggest challenge that immigrants faces once moving to a new country is learning the language because it affects their education and ability to find a job. Once in school, the children struggle to understand the instruction and communicate their ideas. Some students go from loving school to hating it due to the language barrier. The parents are faced with an even harder challenge which is finding a job. Since immigrants are unable to speak the language, they aren’t hired as often because they don’t know how to communicate.

Immigrants are one of the most challenged groups of people concerning employment in the United States. Migrants have a much more difficult time with native-born Americans finding a job for many reasons. Cultural factors play a large role in job availability for immigrants. Language barriers, educational differences, and cultural differences are all among reasons immigrants and door difficulties when trying to get a job. it has been found that language barriers have the biggest impact on jobs available to immigrants. The fact that education varies from country to country most degrees and qualifications are equal in different countries. Assimilating to a new country can be very difficult and can cause major setbacks for immigrants. Western media can give immigrants an negative connotation in the workforce.

Parents have their beliefs and practices when rearing their children, they share their customs and beliefs with their families to guide and support their families. Parents hope to share their practices from generation to generation, however when immigrants relocate other to countries they adapt to new ways of living (Two Parents, 2009). Immigrants relocate to provide their families with financial stability and better education. Some immigrants face obstacles when they relocate to North America, such as language barriers, discipline issues, and little involvement in their child’s education. Many of the immigrants first language is not English, their language barrier may hinder them from communicating with employers and classroom educators

Immigrants have come to the United States in different races and religions, but they all share similar aspirations in the struggle for life in America. Over the past 400 years, poverty, religious persecution, and the hope to create better lives have motivated immigrants to make the journey. Immigrants have always faced the perilous task of making it to the land of freedom and opportunity, and they are able to reach their destination with a tremendous amount of courage and hope.

Most of the immigrants presume they can be anything they want in America. This is the notion the American people show to the outside world. They believe that a person can become instantly rich and famous and even buy a house without any money down (Tan 405). However, the realities of life in America to the immigrants become totally different the moment they step into the land of the free. The challenges the immigrants face in their daily lives contradicts their beliefs and expectations of the land of the

English and speak English at home than the overall U.S. foreign-born population (DHS, 2014). In 2013, about “69 percent of Mexican immigrants ages 5 and older reported limited English proficiency, compared to 50 percent of the total foreign-born population”(DHS, 2014). Approximately “4 percent of Mexican immigrants spoke only English at home, versus 16 percent of all immigrants”(DHS, 2014). Assimilation has its merits as it encourages immigrants to learn to speak English, the language that is required to succeed in life as well as experience ordinary life in the United States. Without assimilating enough to at least learn English, the predominant language of the United States, immigrants cannot communicate with Americans and will be confined to their ethnic group. Studies show that immigrants that learn and adopt English as their first language are more likely to self identify as being American (Renshon, 2009). Acquiring language skills is a means that helps immigrants become more attached to America’s institutions, to its way of life and its communities. Assimilation not only means learning English, but also developing an appreciation for civil rights, and abiding by laws. Consequently without assimilation, an immigrant will always be “diverse”, and this divisiveness will inevitably destroy America and its prosperity. Diversity in this sense is not strength, but rather a weakness. Unity, values and a shared identity is what defines a country (Huntington, 2004).

The constant increase of immigrants in the United States generates diversity and barriers between ethnic groups. However, the question to ask is: How can immigrants eliminate those barriers and integrate into the American society? Immigrants presenting limited English proficiency are unable to interact and communicate with other ethnic groups in a common language. As a result, they remain in their own social background without experiencing the opportunities offered by their new country of residence. Thus, the solution relies on the implementation of educational programs in literacy. Only on this way, people will be able to integrate into the American.