Advanced Essay #2 Immigration Then vs Now

Change is a natural part of life. If happens to everyone. Little do they know this family’s life is about to change forever. The family above is standing with their backs to the camera. The people, a man and a woman with two young children. They are all standing on a marshy landing, with water to the right of them, and the front. There is a young boy maybe aged 3. He is wearing a jumpsuit with a sailor-like flap on the neck. It has a black square with a thick white stripe on the edges. He is gripping the hand of a broad-shouldered man. He [the man] is wearing an all-black suit and a hat. In his other hand is a tattered briefcase. Next to him stands a woman wearing a dark-colored dress and a hat, she has a jacket draped on her arm. Next to her is a wicker basket with leather handles. Next to her is a boy around 10 years old. He is wearing a tailored jacket and a hat. They are all staring out across the water. They see buildings and cloudy sky. The buildings are tall and short wide, and thin. It is the New York City skyline. The immigrant hub of the 20th century. The family will now have to learn how to adapt to this new and strange American world.

Immigration has changed so much over the past 100 years. For Central American immigrants, they often have to come here illegally. Many of them are minors. They have to traverse the dangerous journey to America, then they have to learn how to assimilate into American society. They have to learn how to speak English and hide their culture. If they don’t if, they seem at all like they don’t belong then they could risk deportation. In Sonia Navereo’s book Enrique’s Journey, she says; “For if he were deported a migration saga that began with Enrique’s mother departing from Honduras will begin anew.” This shows the day to day fear undocumented immigrants feel. It shows how many people come for a better life only to be greeted by fear. If we call America the land of opportunities then who are these opportunities for? Since immigrants are not always given the wealth and prosperity the metaphorical immigration brochures promise. She later talks about how Enrique’s undocumented daughter has to learn how to hide behind cars when police are near to prevent deportation. This is crazy; no child should have to live with this fear. Kids, especially undocumented kids should not have to worry about being deported. They should be able to play with friends and go to school. They should not be concerned with being deported. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a child to be living this way, fearing that the only home they have ever known will be taken from them.

This contrasts from immigration at the turn of the century. At this time the country needed workers, so they wanted immigrants. This meant it was way less scary to be undocumented. Citizenship was also different back then in the 1800’s citizenship was tied to your marriage this meant that if someone married a U.S. citizenship they were granted citizenship as well. I know that in my family my father’s great aunt tried to enter this country but was barred because she was a single woman with children; the United States was worried she would be a public charge. Immigration was not anywhere as close to as monitored as it today. The first time there was any moderation was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. This act prohibited Chinese Immigrants from entering the United States for ten years and prevent those already in America from being naturalized. Before the 1960s there were a lot of restrictions on who could come to this country. These include quotas that stated how many people of each nationality would be allowed in the United States. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 changed this, this act removed the quotas and allowed relatives to sponsor their loved ones’ admission into the U.S.

These two immigration experiences are vastly different from one another. Eastern European Immigrants were and to an extent are still welcomed into the country with open arms. On the other hand, Central American Immigrants who come here now without documentation are greeted with fear and discrimination. A lot of this has to do with how our government treats these people. In 2003 an organization called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was founded as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its main priority is to remove or deport immigrants living in this country without documentation. Under the Obama administration, their priority was to deport undocumented immigrants who had committed serious crimes. Now under our current administration, they are targeting any undocumented people regardless of criminal status. This instills fear in so many people living here. Some undocumented people came here as young children. America is the only home they know. Under the Obama administration, there was a program called DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) put in place to protect these people. This prevents them from deportation and gives them a work permit. On September 5, 2017, our president, Donald Trump announced he was going to end DACA this put many undocumented people in fear. As of now those who have DACA can still have it renewed. This leaves the question of; what happens when this program is terminated will it’s beneficiaries be forced to live in the shadows? This is not the only thing this administration has done to hurt immigrants on the campaign trail President Trump threatened and eventually was able to build a physical separation between the United States and Mexico. Even threatening to do this promotes xenophobic ideals. It allows those who feel the same thing to use these ideas to hurt others.

How our country treats immigrants is not okay. Immigrants should not have to live in the shadows. They should be welcomed into our country with open arms. We should be building bridges, not walls. As Emma Lazarus said “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Let’s make this ring true as it did when it was put on a plaque below the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

These two immigration experiences are vastly different from one another. Eastern European Immigrants were and to an extent are still welcomed into the country with open arms. On the other hand, Central American Immigrants who come here now without documentation are greeted with fear and discrimination. A lot of this has to do with how our government treats these people. In 2003 an organization called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was founded as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its main priority is to remove or deport immigrants living in this country without documentation. Under the Obama administration, their priority was to deport undocumented immigrants who had committed serious crimes. Now under our current administration, they are targeting any undocumented people regardless of criminal status. This instills fear in so many people living here. Some undocumented people came here as young children. America is the only home they know. Under the Obama administration, there was a program called DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) put in place to protect these people. This prevents them from deportation and gives them a work permit. On September 5, 2017, our president, Donald Trump announced he was going to end DACA this put many undocumented people in fear. As of now those who have DACA can still have it renewed. This leaves the question of; what happens when this program is terminated will it’s beneficiaries be forced to live in the shadows? This is not the only thing this administration has done to hurt immigrants on the campaign trail President Trump threatened and eventually was able to build a physical separation between the United States and Mexico. Even threatening to do this promotes xenophobic ideals. It allows those who feel the same thing to use these ideas to hurt others. How our country treats immigrants is not okay. Immigrants should not have to live in the shadows. They should be welcomed into our country with open arms. We should be building bridges, not walls. As Emma Lazarus said “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Let’s make this ring true as it did when it was put on a plaque below the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

Works Cited Nixon, R., & Qiu, L. (2018, July 3). What Is ICE and Why Do Critics Want to Abolish It? Retrieved January 10, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/fact-check-ice-immigration-abolish.html.

Nazario, S. (2014). Enriques journey. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.