In the article Learning to Be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition to Adulthood, Roberto G. Gonzalez addresses that undocumented young Latino adults transition into adulthood differently from their legal companions and hold a mindset of illegality, thus unable to assimilate in the United States. Roberto Gonzalez states: “This article focuses on the interactions between such favorable and unfavorable contexts during what I call the transition into illegality. I conceptualize this process as the set of experiences that result from shifting contexts along the life course, providing different meanings to undocumented status and animating the experience of illegality at late adolescence and into adulthood. The …show more content…
Firstly, Roberto Gonzalez lays out some background situations involving the struggle to transition into adulthood. He says that public schools teach undocumented students at early ages the idea of what he terms “unity of experiences and orientation,” which is the feeling of fitting in with peers in school. After, he says that the coming of age is delayed much longer today because young adults are taking longer in college, exit from their parent’s household, entry into a full-time career, and decisions about marriage and …show more content…
In addition, the lack of experience in the labor market was a major disadvantage. Likewise, they struggled to negotiate precarious situations because of their undocumented status and were not prepared for it. On the other hand, college-goers who had more favorable situations including sufficient money to pay for school, family permission to delay or minimize work, reliable transportation, and external guidance and assistance were able to prevent the negative effects of unauthorized status. Several college-goers had enough support and focus to succeed in post-secondary schooling, however, many others found it to be a discontinuous experience, with frequent stalls and detours. Many took leaves of absences, others enrolled in one school term per year, needed to work, had few scholarships, or long commutes was a factor. Eventually, respondents learned and understood their legal status after prolonged experiences of illegality. By this time, most young adults in the United States had finished school, left the parental home, and were working full-time. But even so, Gonzalez finds college-goers’ and early-exiters’ employment options as uniform. He discovered that despite advanced degrees and higher learning, they still worked in jobs that uneducated individuals worked in. As a result, aspirations of college-goers were
In Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities, Julio Cammarota studies Latina/o youth who live in El Pueblo, and talks about how Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant law, is affecting Latina/o youth in California (Cammarota, 2008, p. 3). In this book review, I will write about the two main points the author is trying to get across. The two main points I will be writing about are how Proposition 187 is affecting the Latina/o community, and about how Latina/o youth are copping in the El Pueblo barrio. Afterward I write about the two main points the author is trying to get across, I will write a brief description of the author and write about the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
In Lives in Limbo, Roberto G. Gonzales dissects the disastrous effects of US immigration policy on young Latina/os struggling in the often untouched, unnoticed, uncared for, American underbelly. Through a striking ethnography, Gonzalez examines 150 illuminating case-studies of young undocumented Latina/os, shedding light on their shared experience in the struggle for legitimacy in the United States - their lives, effectively, in limbo. He develops two major groups with which to classify the struggling youth: the college-goers, like Cesar, who received strong marks in high school and was able to land himself a spot within the UC system, and the early-exiters, like Silvia, who was unable to attend college, resigned to a paranoid life plagued
A majority of people believe that graduating from college will result in a well-paying job. Unfortunately, a degree will not secure a job for many graduates. In the U.S., the jobless rate for college graduates in 2012 was 7.7 percent, and has further increased in the past five years(Robinson). With such a large pool of unemployed citizens for employers to choose from, recent graduates are facing fewer opportunities for work due to little or no previous work experience(Robinson). Although many graduates are faced with unemployment, the majority do receive the opportunity to work. Sadly, many must work jobs they do not enjoy for salaries that make it difficult to make ends meet(Debate). Students are faced with mortgage-sized debts upon graduation, making it difficult for them to start businesses, buy cars or houses, or make other investments that would better the
Roberto Suro, the author of “Strangers Among Us”, wrote arguably one of the most sincere and informative immigration related narratives. Suro’s analysis and observations of the emergence of social and economic immigrant contribution go into great depth and explanation of exactly how Latino Immigration is slowly but surely transforming America. Suro’s narrative gives an in depth look at various Latino groups and how each group adapted and intertwined with American societies around the nation. Each Latino group regardless of immigrating location had its own separate story and journey as they each have immigrated to an American generation that is seeing economic changes with an overall unsympathetic American attitude towards immigrants. Immigrating to another nation forms
His ostracized youth compels him to spread the message to all other Hispanic Americans in assimilating the necessary skills to survive in the American society while not forgetting his roots like he momentarily did. He describes himself as a “Mexican-American who, in becoming an American, forgets his native society” (Rodriguez, p.230). Feelings of emotional intimacy and belonging are human traits. Everyone wants to belong somewhere. Rodriguez ascertains the theories that ethnic Americans face more dilemmas at finding their place in the world than the average American.
In comparison to other migrating groups, Latinos have had different experiences that have prevented them from completely assimilating into American society. Throughout our history and presently, Latinos continue to face acts of cruelty and...
Undocumented students are becoming a growing outrage in the United States. It has been a constant battle amongst the students, the schools, and the Government. According to collegeboard.com, statistics shows that 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year (collegeboard.com).After graduating high school they face legal and financial barriers to higher education. This paper will address the importance of this growing outrage and discuss the following that corresponds to it.
In Marcelo M. Suarez- Orozco and Carola Suarez- Orozco’s article “How Immigrants became “other” Marcelo and Carola reference the hardships and struggles of undocumented immigrants while at the same time argue that no human being should be discriminated as an immigrant. There are millions of undocumented people that risk their lives by coming to the United States all to try and make a better life for themselves. These immigrants are categorized and thought upon as terrorist, rapists, and overall a threat to Americans. When in reality they are just as hard working as American citizens. This article presents different cases in which immigrants have struggled to try and improve their life in America. It overall reflects on the things that immigrants go through. Immigrants come to the United States with a purpose and that is to escape poverty. It’s not simply crossing the border and suddenly having a great life. These people lose their families and go years without seeing them all to try and provide for them. They risk getting caught and not surviving trying to make it to the other side. Those that make it often don’t know where to go as they are unfamiliar. They all struggle and every story is different, but to them it’s worth the risk. To work the miserable jobs that Americans won’t. “I did not come to steal from anyone. I put my all in the jobs I take. And I don’t see any of the Americans wanting to do this work” (668). These
Mexicans are not the first group of immigrants to encounter assimilation problems. A newspaper argues assimilation for Mexicans is more successful than many other immigrant groups in the past. Tyler Cowen, a professor at George Washington University, explains that following Mexican immigrant families for 3 to 4 decades gives a clear, concise model explaining how well they are assimilating. The first members of the family to arrive on United States soil assimilate slowly, but each generation after becomes more American through language, salary, and even divorce rates. His article details how Mexicans are on a faster track to assimilate than the Italians, Irish, Polish etc… were in the early 1900’s. He mentions a study that measures variables including salaries, property ownership, family size, crime rate, and languages spoken. When comparing Cowen’s research with Sandra Cisneros’ novel The House On Mango Street many similarities arise including the generation gap between older and younger Mexicans. The study supports this essay’s claim that Esperanza is able to assimilate into the culture without losing her own self-identity or falling into the typical gender roles defined by tradition. The ability to assimilate is more than just speaking the language; assimilation is living comfortably amongst natives and immigrants without feeling targeted or segregated.
Ngai, Mae M. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Princeton, N.J. [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press, 2004. Print.
Just like every individual in the U.S., the desire to provide a better life for their families is a driving force for the Latino population. The Latino immigrants not only face discrimination upon their arrival, but also deal with the emotions of being away from their home country, the security of their families, friends, culture, and traditions. The reception that they experience on arrival is far from welcoming. “The negativity towards immigration, be it warranted or not, is not good for our country. It fuels segregation, racism, prejudice, and discrimination” (Lopez, 2010). Illegal immigration has become such a hot topic for many that even when immigrants arrive legally they are still met with suspicion. I think one of the most offensive titles given to a group of people is illegal “aliens”. These individuals are not aliens; they are human beings with dreams of a better life just like everyone else. Today, Latinos are proud of their culture and heritage and even though they attempt to assimilate into the American culture, through pluralism they are retaining their own, as well. They continue to converse in their native languages within their families, listen to music and watch Spanish television programs. Where in the past the melting pot theory led many to discard their native language and culture in order to fit in, today many are embracing these ideals, which may be a contributing factor in the continued discrimination (Lopez, 2010).
Jose Antonio Vargas’s article on My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant is a writing about his childhood journey from the Philippines to the United States as an Undocumented Immigrant. Vargas writes this article to emphasize the topic of immigrant and undocumented immigrant in the United States. He uses all three appeals: pathos, ethos, and logic in his writing, in specific, he mostly uses pathos throughout of his entire article with a purpose for the reader to sympathize and to feel compassion for him. The use of these appeals attract many readers, they can feel and understand his purpose is to ask for others to join and support other people who undocumented immigrant like himself. In addition, it gives other undocumented immigrant people courage
It is often argued that undocumented criminals are draining the system and endangering American society. Opponents claim that illegal immigrants take up a large percentage in federal prison, which is costing taxpayers billions per year. Many of these immigrants are released back into society to re-commit crimes which they have been arrested for. Another claim is that immigrants broke the law with their presence and that alone should impede immigrants from any form of amnesty. Despite the 1986 law which made it illegal to hire undocumented workers, employers are still filling available positions with immigrants because it is cheaper. On “Illegal Immigration”, Ira Mehlam argues that young immigrants shouldn’t be granted a pathway to citizenship because it would
Many people in the United States have different opinions on immigrants: some are negative and some are positive. Some Americans assume that immigrants are here to destroy the United States, but immigrants are here for many purposes: to support their families, succeed in their future, or to escape violence occurring in their home countries. Many Americans think that once an immigrant has settled in the United States that he or she will right away get a job or quickly learn English. But, many Americans don’t know what is it like when an immigrant has to adapt in America. The question is, what obstacles do immigrants face when they want to adapt in the United States? That’s why I interviewed three interviewees that have worked
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...