Challenges Faced by Immigrants

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Challenges Faced by Immigrants The changing environments throughout the ages have caused the movement of thousands of families out of their homelands. Whether forced to make such decisions or doing so by their own desires, all immigrants have had to survive the physical and psychological challenges encountered along the way. To speak about the experiences of all these different people using the same ideas and examples would be quite inaccurate. They all, however, had to live through similar situations and deal with similar problems. Many of them succeeded and found the better future they were looking for. Many others found only hardship and experienced the destruction of their hopes and dreams. All of them were transformed. Packing up and leaving one's home is one of the hardest things a person can experience. Unfortunately, there are many instances when people are forced to do so. Alejandro Portes, author of Immigrant America: A Portrait , mentions in his book that although loving and cherishing the homeland, people are sometimes forced to leave because of its disadvantages. The "desperate poverty, squalor, and unemployment" are among the most common reasons that cause immigration out of a country. Hundreds of families in third world countries literally struggle to put bread on the table. There are many people who can't find jobs and therefore aren't able to provide enough food and other everyday necessities for their families. These miserable conditions bring thoughts of moving to other places where a family can survive. The actual days of leaving and traveling to these new and promising places are quite painful. Among the many things immigrants leave behind are family, friends, and favorite ... ... middle of paper ... ...es we face into opportunities for success. What we should all try to remember is that despite the fact that immigrants sometimes look different from the natives or have different cultures and ways of live, they still deserve the same respect as everyone else. America is a free land which offers equal opportunity to all. Let us stick to these principles and lead a peaceful life. Sources Used: Budhos, Marina. Remix. Markham: Fitzherry & Whiteside Ltd, 1999. ;College Board. ; "The New Pioneers." Prairie Public. PBS Online. 8 September 2003 . ; Portes, Alejandro, and Ruben G. Rumbaut. Immigrant America; A Portrait. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990. ;Tracewicz, Elzbieta. "When a Child Emigrates." Voices That Must Be Heard. 2003. Independent Press Association. 14 September 2003 .

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