During my early teenage years, every day after school, I would check the mail and become disappointed when there was no letter from the “Department of Homeland Security.” I came to America with my family at the age of eight, and it took our family almost eight years to become naturalized as U.S. citizens. These years were the most stressful times of my life. Day and night, my thoughts were consumed with uncertainty and fear that our family was not going to survive the path of obtaining citizenship. With my dad having no job, and my mom suffering from a uterine disease, the path to obtaining our citizenship was a “nightmare.” I remember my parents filing out numerous applications, such as “I-485” or “N-400,” writing checks that amounted to almost ten thousand dollars, paying expensive fees, and trying to remember countless facts about the U.S. government for the citizenship test. Indeed, the citizenship process is costly, utterly stressful, unfair, and because it encourages illegal immigrants to maintain their illegal status, America should reform the citizenship process to make legalization more attainable.
United States has one of the highest percentages of immigration. The majority of the immigrants that settle in America come from third world countries, which are characterized by “deep, absolute poverty and instances of great wealth in their populations, but their overall economies fall below even that of a middle-income country such as Russia” (Alters 1). Due to the poor conditions in developing countries, many immigrants decide to come to America for job opportunities that are not present in their country of origin. When applicants apply for citizenship, the application fee for citizenship acts as a barrier for their path t...
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America is a land filled with immigrants coming from different corners of the worlds, all in hopes of finding a better life in the country. However, No one had an easy transition from his or her home country to this foreign land. Not every race thrived the same way—some were luckier than others, while some have faced enormous obstacles in settling down and being part of the American society. Many people have suffered
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
Immigrants have been a key part of The United States’ development into a first-world nation. Their impact on the nation is dichotomous; parts of society have actively sought to increase immigration, while other parts have actively fought against its expansion. The types of immigrants have changed throughout American history - the perception of immigrants has not. Economics has dominated the argument of immigration, as pro-immigration individuals seek to financially benefit from the influx of immigrants and anti-immigration individuals seek to limit the financial damages caused by immigration. The arguments made by opponents of immigrants reveal strong economic fears, while also revealing fears
The United States of America has the largest foreign-born population in the world. With nearly thirteen percent of the total population being foreign-born, one may find it hard to imagine an immigrant-free country (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration has been an integral part of the United States’ overall success and the country’s economy since it was established and without it, would have never been founded at all. Although there are some negative issues associated with immigration and many native-born Americans believe to be more of a problem than a solution, overall it actually has a positive effect. Immigrants in America, among other things, fill jobs where native-born Americans may not want to work or cannot work, they contribute to Social Services and Medicaid through taxes and they help provide the backbone of America, especially by working jobs that natives may have not even considered.
However, others may disagree, but in addition to lacking nce their arguments are also insignificant. Although there is a controversy on this matter, America should welcome immigrants that are already here. Immigrants may earn legal status as well as cost just as much or less than deportation. But, so what? Why is this notable? Well, here’s why, the future is on the line and we have to take charge. If leading undocumented immigrants to a path to citizenship, includes all of the previously mentioned advantages, there is no point to do otherwise. If we don’t go through with this, imagine the troublesome possibilities, imagine the costs, imagine the risks. It is necessary to lead undocumented immigrants to a path to citizenship, and your help is needed. Share this essay, spread the outlook, get involved, and do what you can to make sure, we are where we need to be in our
Since a long time ago immigrant families have been coming to the U.S. to seek a better life. The idea of the American Dream becomes shattered once they start dealing with all the obstacles to get to the United States from South or Central America. People start facing discrimination and are taken advantage of. Since their journey starts, immigrants face discrimination from everywhere they go; the people who help them cross over to the U.S. charge high amounts of money to help them come over. Once they get to the United States immigrants continue in the same pattern of being abused, and taken advantage of. It is important to mention that if people are moving from their own country of origin it must be because the conditions they are living in are worse than the ones they are willing to live in, by moving. People that decide to make the move and explore new ways of living are often faced with discrimination, wage-theft and poor health conditions. “Wage theft is particularly prevalent among immigrant workers, and ―work-related exploitation appears to be growing along with the country’s immigrant population.” (James Pinkerton,
First, immigrants come to the U.S. to work and bring valuable skills which help grow the economy despite the negative views surrounding their part in the U.S. economy. Since the 2008-2009 recession the view on immigration and its effects on the economy has been more negative than positive (Peri, 2012). A study done by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found that about 50 percent of American adults believe that immigrants burden the country because they, “take jobs, housing, and healthcare”, while the other 50 percent believe that, “immigrants strengthen the country due to their hard work and talents” (Delener & Ventilato, 2008). Over the past decade, “over half of the increase in the U.S. labor force,… was the result of immigration-l...
In 2013, nearly 1.7 million immigrants entered the United States -- a nation built with the blood and sweat of the millions of immigrants who came to it -- in search of a better life, one free from tyranny and oppression. However, only nine hundred thousand of these immigrants entered the country legally, vesting their time and resources into the legal residency “green card” program -- the very first step to full citizenship (Monger). The other seven hundred thousand immigrants entered the country illegally, exploiting security failures on the US southern border, and policy failures in Washington, DC (Morgan). While a large proportion of the undocumented population poses no immediate threat
Imagine yourself in a life of poverty. No healthcare, earning low wages in poor working conditions. This is the life of an illegal immigrant, surprisingly, in the United States of America. What, exactly, is an immigrant? According to the World Almanac of U.S. Politics 1997, “Not subject to any numerical limitation, immigrants [are] classified as immediate relatives (spouses, parents, or natural children) of U.S. citizens; returning permanent resident aliens; certain former U.S. citizens; and certain long-term U.S. government employees” (Wagman). The fear stemmed from being caught as an illegal immigrant hinders every decision of his livelihood, from education to employment—their whole lives are affected in a negative manner. No one needs to live that way. The solution, however, is not to simply accept every willing immigrant freely, but to give all foreigners a more fair and reasonable chance of becoming a citizen of the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Strict enforcement of a more streamline verification process by the government in supervising legal immigration is needed to continue America’s evolution culturally and economically with the addition of individuals from foreign nations trying to properly enter the United States of America.
For over ten years, efforts to make changes to the United States immigration system have been put aside due to wars, attacks within our homeland and even worldwide financial crisis but it seems as though this being brought up more and more often. The history of the US immigration policy was more concerned with immigration enforcement over immigration reform. It was not until a few years ago that the US citizens voted they were tired of enforcement-only immigration policies and the pain they caused on immigrant families. So most feel now is the time to draw up new immigration laws that reflect American values and beliefs, and it ne...
Immigration is one of the most trending topics in the presidential campaign, generating furious debate over the situations that America faces. Whether it be deporting illegal immigrations, granting them a form of amnesty, or building a wall between the United States and Mexico, the immigration process is constantly deliberated. A total of 300,000 jobs were created in the December of 2015. However, there is a constant argument about the income distribution, with the amount of jobs that are supposedly being lost to immigrants. At the top of the social classes, wages are increasing. In the middle and bottom strata, wages are stagnate. However, there is more complexity in order to understand how immigrants are truly impacting our economy and our lives.
The United States was established by immigrants and is still dependent among them; the unfairness towards immigrants is not what the United States was established for— “promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty” is what is stated in the constitution— the government is disregarding a central contribution to the economy, rather than accommodating their needs. Since the early years of America, the country has been known as the “land of opportunity”, with the promise of jobs, land and freedom from persecution. In the nineteenth century the English boarded the Mayflower destined to a country where an individual could commence a new life with an equal chance of success or failure, no matter what country he or she came from (Ewig, 2012). The nineteenth century immigrant view of the United States has not changed much in twenty first century; America is still seen as “the land of opportunity”, however entering the country and becoming a citizen has amount to be more difficult now; laws and bills have been enacted to regul...
Throughout American history, flocks of foreigners have immigrated to America in search of the well renowned idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Even before it’s declaration of independence in 1776, the United States was a haven for those seeking a better life. Immigrants came to America by the thousands, journeying to the land of the free in hope to obtain the American dream. With an excessive amount of people entering the country, America has evolved into the ultimate melting pot for all who want to be a part of it. As time has passed, this country has managed to maintain a warm welcome for those venturing into the United States. However, with the increase of people who hope to live in America, entry into the United States
Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.
The current effects of immigration throughout the United States has had a negative impact on its economy. Whether foreigners are legal permanent immigrants or illegal occupants, nations must diligently keep track of all individuals. This is a brief analysis on how immigrants impact the U.S and strategies to minimize their effects on this nation. In addition, the U.S must implement and monitor plans of action to lessen unemployment of citizens and reduce the excessive use of benefits and resources by immigrants.