The Good? The Bad? Hispanic. In 2009 A Pew Research Center

Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in

Immigration of Latinos has long caused cultural conflict, especially when it comes to the illegal immigration of Latinos. Unfortunately, the issue has long been debated and there seems to be no clear cut answer on how to resolve the problem. Many Americans often overlook the struggles that Latinos endure and place stereotypes upon this group of people that are untrue. Furthermore, most Americans are misinformed or uninformed about the other side of this hot issue. The purpose of this essay is to give the reader a better understanding of Latino immigration from a cultural perspective and what these immigrants, both legal and illegal experience when relocating to a new country as well as a brief discussion on the issue of immigration reform.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most

Illegal immigration has been a hot topic in the United States. For those who were born in the states, they are primed to see that most illegal immigrants are not welcome. Yet these immigrants see the United States as a land of opportunity. According to independent research by the Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project, there were 8.4 million unauthorized immigrants employed in the U.S.; representing 5.2 percent of the U.S. labor force (Goodman, 2014). We will examine the different sociological perspectives to understand this topic.

This paper explores the United States, Immigration Policy from an historical, fair and factual perspective. The Immigration Act of 1990 States limited “unskilled workers to 10,000 a year. Skilled labor requirements and immediate family reunification were major goals. The Act continued to promote the nuclear family model, foreign-born in the US was 7%”. This paper will also explore the demographics and diversity, of immigrants, throughout the U.S. This paper includes an article form the website of the Washington, D.C., Immigration Policy Center, and American Immigration Council. This paper will examines significant research data from the Pew Research web site on Hispanic trends and immigration, around the United States. This paper will also cover numbers, facts and trends which shape the immigration policy. This paper will also include five different books written by authors concerning the immigration policy and public issues which most concern Americans. This paper will cover topics of history of social problems and the policies that address immigration, special interest groups advocacy groups, political party and supporters, social justice and ethical issues, policy outcomes of illegal immigrants and how other countries compare to the United States when dealing with immigration.

To say that immigrants in America have experienced discrimination would be an understatement. Ever since the country formed, they have been seen as inferior, such as African-Americans that were unwillingly brought to the 13 colonies in the 17th century with the intention to be used as slaves. However, post-1965, immigrants, mainly from Central and South America, came here by choice. Many came with their families, fleeing from their native land’s poverty; these immigrants were in search of new opportunities, and more importantly, a new life. They faced abuse and Cesar Chavez fought to help bring equality to minorities.

Freed from the constant fear of deportation, Alex moved his family to Los Angeles, where his family would better fit, given the large Hispanic population. In Los Angeles, Alex obtained a job with Pan-American Underwriting Company as a file clerk, making roughly $1000 per month. Alex worked there for twenty years, without receiving a promotion or raise, before finally being laid off without receiving any retirement benefits. My wife cries as she recounts how she helped her father to get a job as a delivery driver where she worked, after he had been laid of at Pan-American; she cries in a mix of emotions that include anger, embarrassment, shame, and deep anguish for her father’s wounded pride (Rock, 2011). Alex’s experience is like so many immigrants in the United States, where uncertain legal status combined with other factors, like language barriers serves to lock them into low-wage jobs that often lack benefits (Massey, Durand, & Malone, 2002). While living in poverty in the United States was an improvement over the situation in Guatemala, Alex’s status as illegal immigrant and poor command of the English language all but assured a life of poverty in the United States.

Whether with a cold shoulder welcome or a open arm embrace, the United States has constantly received a range of global immigrants, over half whom originate from Latin America (migrationpolicy.org). Largely driven by the prospect of the “American Dream,” the Latino immigration movement began in the 1840s and has fluctuated with new policies, including the bracero program, an oppressive operation for temporary migrant workers, during World War II, and the Immigration Act of 1965, which created the first immigration limit for the Western Hemisphere (Gutiérrez, Ewing). Since 1960, the Latino population in America has grown from 3.24% of the U.S. population to 16%, and recent estimates proclaim an approximate 11 million undocumented Hispanics, revealing the growing need for for a political reassessment of immigration policy (Gutiérrez, whitehouse.gov). Today, immigration policy, particularly pertaining to Hispanics, has become a controversial subject in the United States, bearing opposing views and proposals, accompanied by diverse impacts that could reverberate throughout the Americas.

There are more & more immigrants coming to the US from Latinamerica and the American people are feeling threateend by them. They are afraid they will become a minority very soon.

Luckily there are ways out of this serious dilemma and discrimination within state laws against the latin american population. Dalia had a chance to register and inform latino voters and jumped at the opportunity. She also was able to attend college and understand the workings of modern political science and sociology to find ways to fix these issues that set her family and many others back unfairly. She is helping a movement now to empower latin american communities fight these restrictive state laws and wants to continue this effort by becoming an immigration lawyer. She’s very lucky to have this opportunity due to the regulations put forth by the state she grew up in and I hope she can help change them, and more young latin americans who came over with their parents should have these opportunities as well even if they are

Immigration is a heavy topic to address, but the authors of these articles have a way of putting a human face to these stories that help make the article more personal and understandable. In the article “In Trek North, First Lure Is Mexico’s Other Line,” the author talks about the story of an immigrant woman who lost her leg while on her way to America. The author begins to explain that the immigrant woman was trying to find work in America so she could support her four year old daughter back home. Archibold, author of “In Trek North, First Lure Is Mexico’s Other Line,” says, “[the woman] made it to Mexico and onto the train. But after it departed there were cries of “Migra!” — the immigration police — and a scramble that sent her tumbling under the train,” (Archibold 36.) The woman lost her leg, but all she could think about was staying alive for her four year old daughter. This story that archibold plants in the reader’s mind lets the reader understand the reason for why immigrants are so resilient into coming to America. The author for “The Heartache of an Immigrant Family” did the same thing as archibold. Sonia Nazario, author of “The Heartache of an Immigrant Family,” began to tell the story of Lourdes and her children. Sonia explains that, “Lourdes Pineda was the single mother of a 5-year-old

Heidy Sarabia, in her paper titled Perpetual Illegality: Results of Border Enforcement and Policies for Mexican Undocumented Migrants in the United States, argues that heightened border security and legalization restrictions created America’s illegal immigration problem in the first place. For example, she states that The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) created “mixed-status families” by only allowing illegal immigrants who had lived in the United States throughout the entirety of 1982-1987 to alter their legal status (Sarabia). She goes on to explain that “These mixed-status families are one of the most important elements that pull migrants to return to the United States…”, and that any attempt to reform immigration that does not address this problem will only serve to create more “mixed-status families” (Sarabia). Additionally, Sarabia explains that illegal immigrants in the United States are settling for longer periods of time than they have in the past for two reasons: “First, leaving the United States decreases their opportunities for adjusting their legal status, and second, the intensification of border enforcement has made it more difficult and expensive to return to the United States”. So, in order to be with their families, Sarabia argues, and because of the dangers and expense now associated with illegally crossing the border, many undocumented immigrants choose to stay in America as long as they can since obtaining a visa and visiting legally is not an option for many. Sarabia offers an example in the form of Sandra, a Mexican citizen who at the time was trying to enter America to see her sick sister. She attempted to get a visa, but was turned down as many are (Sarabi). Presented with no other options she had little choice but to attempt to cross the border illegally (Sarabia). During the attempt her husband and

The United States of America has always been a refuge where poor and oppressed people from the far corners of the world can come to begin a new life. Much of the nation’s allure to prospective immigrants is in its promise of equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, or color. But the pressures of rising unemployment rates, congested cities, a crippled healthcare system, and national debt skyrocketing out of control have caused America to defend her borders against the influx of immigrants that threaten her already ailing economy. Still, despite all the heightened security measures incorporated in recent decades, a steady stream of immigrants continue to enter the country illegally. The Washington Times reports that there are

Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.

The world was created with the intent that every person might inhabit it and live freely and for the most part most of the people do just that; live freely with little to no restrictions. Yet, there is a small percentage that is oppressed, not openly, not publicly but in the shadows. In this country everyone comes from a line of immigrants. Every settler, every missionary, every pilgrim came to the New World as an immigrant, one who comes to live permanently in a foreign country due to oppression, religious freedom, or to pursue a better life. Yet a pressing issue that has taken a high level of importance in the political and social spectrums is the issue of immigration, how to prevent future immigrants from entering America