Summary Of So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs From Americans

The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2)

Manuel Munoz adds a new dimension to Dulce Pinzon argument that shows how immigrants are working and doing jobs that most people won't do while still sending money back home to their families to help support them, by showing how these immigrants are forced to adapt and change to fit the mold of the “American Dream” and it’s standard of false equality. In “Leave Your Name At the Border” by Manuel Munoz, he talks about how immigrants are forced to change their name to something more American so that it will be easier not only for the people around them that don’t speak Spanish but also that it would be easier for them to get jobs. For example, if someone's name is Jose and Carlos, they would have to change their name to John or Tony to be given

As the population of Latin America and the Caribbean raised in 1995 with a 190 percent increase (Gonzalez 199), the job markets in Mexico are becoming scarce and competitive. The living conditions of residents in provincial towns like in Cheran, “whose timber-based economy is in tatters” (Martinez 9) are greatly affected. Mexican immigrant workers are forced to cross the border and find a greener pasture in the United States, because “in 1994, Mexico was crippled by a profound-and-prolonged-economic crisis” (Martinez 8). With the huge influx of Mexican immigrant workers coming to the States in search for better jobs, the US citizens are concerned about the economic impact: jobs, government and public services. However, the Americans’ concern that the immigrants are draining the nation’s resources, is a sweeping statement, it is based on a myth. There are many recent studies that the immigrant’s population living in the United States helps the economy. Similarly, the Mexican government and immigrant families are grateful for their immigrant workers for lifting the ailing economy and the status of immigrant families. Immigrant workers, legal or illegal, are positively reshaping the economy of sending and receiving countries through these major myths.

Despite Hispanics owning land dating back to the 1500s, hey are wrongfully snubbed by white settlers. Courts would refuse to recognize the Hispanics claims, and masses migrated to barrios, or Hispanic ghettos. They were created by lively communities who were determined to keep tradition strong. “The country was full of lawless and desperate men, who bore the name of Americans but failed to support the honor and dignity of that title.” (“The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta” page 233 American Studies.) The Americans were desperate to continue finding ways to earn money, and the article argues they do not deserve the title they have. For that reason, they’re wreaking havoc on other cultures and other properties and other people. The Hispanics were unfortunately crowded into barrios as they attempt to keep their tradition high. However, it is tragic how these people lost what was once theirs, because the Americans wanted to get their hands on anything that would help push the agenda of the American dream. Segwaying into individual stories of oppression is Joaquin Murieta. He was a rather interesting character from the province of Sonora in Mexico. What is rather odd is the difference from when he was growing up, and fast-forwarding to him residing in California, as he was known to be generous and mild, not “evil” and “barbaric.” Following the Mexican War was

In “Illegal Alien” Pat Mora writes about the problem of the difficulty people have communicating when they are of different backgrounds. For years now people have been judged by their skin color, their race, or where the originally come from. In “Illegal Alien” Pat Mora gives us a good example of this as the character in her poem goes through this trial of being from both the Mexican and the American cultures. Pat Mora indicates her difficulties that she is going through being born into two different cultures.

The story of “Like Mexicans” has several moments of irony, such as when Soto states that he was certainly going to fall in love with a Mexican girl, but he ends up falling in love with a Japanese girl. He makes a statement of his irony by saying “but the woman I married was not Mexican but Japanese” (Soto 167). Another example of irony found in the passage is when Soto’s grandmother told him not to marry a person of different descent from them, but yet Soto’s best friend is of different descent (Soto 166). The final example of irony found in the passage is when Soto’s family turns worried about him marrying someone who is not Mexican because they don’t want Soto to marry someone who is richer than they are, but it turns out that the Japanese girl’s family is in the same economic stance. The author makes a statement of his ironic discovery by stating “these people are just like Mexicans, I thought. Poor people (Soto 168). The use of irony in the passage helped the author keep the audience captivated in the story creating a sense of excitement.

Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, is a book that explains the difficulty of Mexican immigrant lifestyles, which has gained the attention across the country especially since Donald Trumps’ recent statements against these people, as illegal civilians come from Mexico to work in America. Gomberg-Munoz tries to give us an understanding of the life of these people. Gomberg-Munoz’s thesis is that immigrant workers work endlessly to improve their life by finding employment here in America. Gomberg-Munoz claims that due to these people being “undocumented” or “illegal” it created many struggles in their daily lives, which limits opportunities to achieve the “American Dream” that we previously discussed. During this review I will look through a number chapters, discussing some of Gomberg-Munoz’s points and getting further into them.

Coming from a life of poverty and despair would be enough cause for anyone to search for a better life; a life in which there is a belief that all of your biggest dreams can come true. This is the belief that many immigrants have about the United States. They naively believe for it to be the “land of opportunity”. Originally the United States was founded and settled by immigrants. Many immigrants, such as Mexicans, Eastern Europeans, Jews, and others from countries around the world came to America to escape war, poverty, famine, and/or religious prosecution. Some also chose to immigrate to take advantage of the opportunities and promises that America held. One such major group of people is Mexicans. Being a border line country neighbor to

This statement leads one to believe that the Lions have taken the expectations that Americans have set for them and made them a part of their social identity. While the Lions’ actions may make the hard-working Mexican stereotype seem innocent enough, it can lead to employers taking advantage of undocumented workers.

Gary’s Soto “Mexicans Begin Jogging,” describes an event that happened when he worked in a factory where illegal Mexican workers were employed. Although the poem is simple, Soto brings identity, ironic, drama, and imagery to his audience. The narrative reflects irony the speaker went through and the dilemma that Mexican Americans go through. The poems tone is ironic and not taking too seriously.

The book ‘Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network’ by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz explains the hardships that surround the Mexican immigrant network. Over the years the ‘undocumented’ workers coming to America from Mexico has increased which has gained the attention of the American government and the media, as it is ‘illegal behavior’. Gomberg-Munoz attempts to create an understanding of the lives of these workers by telling individual’s personal stories. The author reports the workers undocumented lives rather than reviewing their status as this is already covered in society. The author’s main topic revolves around the principle that undocumented workers strive to improve their quality of life by finding employment in the United States (Gomberg-Munoz 9). Gomberg Munoz also presents the daily struggles the works face daily, and how these struggles “deprives them of meaningful choice and agency” which effects their opportunity and futures (Gomberg-Munoz 9). This ethnography shows their social identities through work, the reasons why their position is illegal and how they live their everyday lives under the circumstances.

According to this article, “Bring on More Immigrant Entrepreneurs” by Shayan Zadeh, Zadeh discusses the impacts the immigrant entrepreneurs have on the economy of a state. Immigrations proposal to the United States it has a distinctive benefit that will permit us to be a more industrious, competitive, and efficacious nation in the 21st century. However, he plans the complications that immigrants face when they need to originate a business in a foreign acreage. For example, he states that he and his acquaintance were not allowed to start a Zoosk corporation (a dating site they wanted to develop) in the United States, just because they were not citizens. The Office of International Affairs at the University of Maryland told them that, beginning

In “So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans,” Jimmy Santiago Baca defends and shuts down the stereotype of Mexican workers. Many Americans hold resentment towards Mexicans presence in the work force, and believe that they are taking jobs away. However, many Americans don’t realize that these Mexican workers fill jobs that others do not want and are usually paid less than an American would be paid. In the beginning of the poem Baca addresses the American stereotype of Mexicans taking jobs from Americans in a very sarcastic manner. He then continues by telling the truth, that Mexicans are actually not taking jobs. He explains how Mexicans come to America to make a living for their family, which

best for him was very stereotypical. She once again reminds me of my mother in

The United States is called a melting pot because in this one country, cultures and people from all over the world have converged to unify under one flag. Author Samuel Huntington writes in his article "The Hispanic Challenge," that unlike other populations who have changed their identity when immigrating to the United States, many of the Mexican and other Latinos who have come to the country are not assimilating or modifying in order to fit in with the majority culture. Further, he believes that the refusal to do so is more than just a population which is determined to maintain a unique identity, but rather a danger to the foundation of community on which the nation is based.