Final Research Presentation

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Social Issues of  Illegal Immigrants are the Government's Unsolved Affairs

Hello Facebook friends, today I want to talk to you about a topic that has become common for us immigrants to the United States. Many Mexican Immigrants are in this country “half way.” That means we came without knowing enough about our own history. Just celebrating May 5th and being proud of our country while living in the United States does not give us justification to fight for immigration. If we want to fight for rights we have to be able to understand our entire immigration history since the beginning. By doing that we will come to understand that we are not the only people who deal with social issues but our ancestors who fought and were able to obtain rights. Our history gives us hope, it gives us enough tools to fight for our dreams.  

Estimates indicate that 10,500,000 to 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants live in the United States, representing approximately 3.2 to 3.6 percent of the population. Immigrants from Mexico recently numbered less than half of the undocumented population, for the first time since 1990. In 2017 , nearly 4.95 million of the 10.5 million undocumented population came from Mexico, 1.9 million from Central America and 1.45 million from Asia, Pew Research Center reports (2020). Around two-thirds of undocumented immigrants lived 10 years or more in the U.S. Just 20 percent of undocumented adult immigrants had been residing in the U.S. for 5 years or less in 2017 (Kamarck & Stenglein, 2019). 

 The economic issue is what pushes us to get here in the United States. Most of us come in search of an economic improvement and if we compare that we earn $15.38 an hour ($353 pesos) in the United States while in Mexico we would be earning $10.33 ($248 pesos) a working day; it is a sign that we can really improve income. Mexico has not been the same since the peso devaluation. According to Sarmiento (1995), one of the consequences of the massive devaluation of the peso since the economic crisis erupted in December 1994 was crime. At the same time that it brought us into poverty, this has made Mexico an insecure place due to robberies and assaults that became more common during this period of economic hardship. During the first three months of 1995 an average of 523 crimes were reported each day in Mexico (Sarmiento,1995). But everything has a cost. Economic progress could make anyone feel motivated however, the change of life that we experience so drastically when we arrive in the United States brings doubts and add fears of our new life. 

My story is made up of hard-working people who want to get ahead. A particular case was my grandfather who was part of a group of the program called "Braceros'' during the years 1942-1964 (Durand & Massey, 1999). That program brought Mexican men to work in the United States on farms and railroads. This opened a door of opportunity for many Mexicans, but it also helped the United States generate a stronger economy. It should be noted that the braceros did not have an easy life during their stay in the United States. Even so, the stories told by my grandfather spoke of a place full of opportunities. My grandfather loved his family with all his heart then despite his sacrifices to have to leave them his decision to come to this country was an option to be able to excel economically. My grandfather's life has been an example to follow. He showed strength, courage but above all he showed hunger for progress. The same hunger that I feel having despite challenges. 

History seems to repeat itself with me. I came to the United States right after getting married to a Mexican citizen, like me. Prior to that my husband had lived in this country for 10 years so, like my grandfather, he knew of the opportunities that exist in this country. If we had chosen to stay in Mexico, surely our life would not be as economically stable as now. As I said, low salary and violence became principal issues in my country so progressing was going to be impossible there. 

The life of the undocumented immigrant is not easy, it is plagued with many challenges that range from language, culture shock, distance from family, and if we add financial and legal problems we are left with a heavy burden that does not allow us to move forward easily. According to Glesson (2010) the cause of vulnerability for undocumented immigrants is their illegal position in the United States because it provokes persisten fear of deportation. The process of getting up daily and having to carry an illegal status has been very exhausting. Maybe some of you wonder why I don’t try to get legal status. Most people think that it is enough to be a good person to deserve legal status in this country. And when I say “good person” it means that I pay taxes, study, work. I have no problem with the law, and like you I dream of being able to excel and progress in a clean way not only in this country, but in any part of the world. 

After the end of the Bracero Program, the laws in the United States began to be very complicated. “When the program finally ended in 1964, the United States did not stop employing Mexican workers; it simply shifted from a de jure policy of active labor recruitment to a de facto policy of passive labor acceptance, combining modest legal immigration with massive undocumented entry” (Durand & Massey, 1999, p519). This idea of ​​work and opportunity originally created by the Bracero Program invited many to come to this country to try their luck. It was then that the flow of undocumented Mexicans began to be more evident in the country. The government of the United States did not like this idea very much because it invited more people to emigrate. In order to end this problem, the president at the time, Ronald Reagan, signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). This was in November 1986 (Durand & Massey, 1999). Although IRCA gave legal status to many people, it also made Mexicans have more problems in the future when they wanted to emigrate to this country. After the Amnesty Act in 1986 the immigration problem got bigger. In 1985 Ronald Reagan asserted that the United States has "lost control" of its borders to an "invasion" of illegal migrants” (Durand & Massey, 1999, p521 ). In doing so, he turned undocumented immigration from a valuable political issue to a more fundamental issue of national security (Durand & Massey, 1999). This made the life of the undocumented person more difficult and without fewer rights in this country. For this reason many of us find ourselves with the need to live in the shadows. 

Unfortunately living clandestinely is the only way to move in this country. And with this very exhausting way of living we are subject and excluded from all kinds of help. A clear example has been the pandemic that we are experiencing in the present, COVID-19. Due to the lack of legal status, we did not have any type of financial aid. We were not entitled to unemployment, we were not part of the aid that the government provided. What we are still part of is the payment of rent for housing each month, although we are not generating money. We also continue to pay for car insurance, water, electricity, groceries, dental treatment for one of my children and the expensive tuition that I have to pay at school. The reality is that despite all the bad experiences lived in this country, I am truly grateful just for having the opportunity. Although I do not have an easy path, it does not matter because although with great difficulty I am sure that I can achieve my dreams of progress. Although the realization of another amnesty equal to that of the year 1986 is an issue that seems very distant for me, the hope of obtaining a legal status in this country is what keeps me strong towards the future, regardless of whether it has 30 More years. Meanwhile, we must move forward.


References


Durand, J., & Massey, D. S. (1999). The New Era of Mexican Migration to the United States. Journal of American History, 86(2), 518–536. https://doi.org/10.2307/2567043https://webinfo.ndnu.edu:8080/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=2389359&site=ehost-live&scope=sit


Gleeson, S. (2010). Labor Rights for All? The Role of Undocumented Immigrant Status for Worker Claims Making. Law & Social Inquiry, 35(3), 561–602. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2010.01196.x https://webinfo.ndnu.edu:8080/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=52905344&site=ehost-live&scope=site


Noe-Bustamante, Luis, et al. “Facts on Latinos of Mexican Origin in the U.S.” Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 3 Jan. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheet/u-s-hispanics-facts-on-mexican-origin-latinos/.


Sarmiento, S. (1995). After the devaluation. Freedom Review, 26(4), 24.https://webinfo.ndnu.edu:8080/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9509075623&site=ehost-live&scope=site






Comments

  1. Oliver Q.July 15, 2020 at 3:53 PM

    Hello Teresa,

    These pictures are so powerful and I love the information you provided. I love all culture as it makes us all unique as those differences should bring us together rather than apart and I believe in equality for all. Especially growing up we always hear and think about how America is the land of the "free" yet as we get older, we start to comprehend how opportunities are not the same for all. From hearing you, I know your a passionate mother and hardworking person so I wish nothing but the best for you. I like how you took this class as a challenge and have pushed yourself to continue learning. As for the world and especially in the U.S., we all need to be able to guide, support, and become truly united to make this country the way we all want to live in it. I know hard work pays off and for many of us we just want to be treated equally not because of our color, gender, religion, or cultural backgrounds. Thanks for sharing this, good luck, take care, and be safe!

    -Oliver Q.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 16, 2020 at 11:05 PM

    Hello Teresa,

    Your letter conveys very well the struggles and challenges that an undocumented persons deals with everyday. I often wonder, why is so difficult for so many main stream Americans to understand that we Mexican, Latinex, have the same dream as their great-grand parents when they came here from Europe? We are progressive people who want to live a better life, and contribute tremendously to this country with our hard labor, ideas, culture, as our parents did (my father was also part of the Bracero program).
    I enjoyed reading your letter. I admire your character, and wish you the best.

    Alma R.

    ReplyDelete

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