Question: 

What problems/issues do immigrants face when migrating to new countries?

Introduction:

Have you ever gone out in public, whether it was to the store or out with friends, and felt that people treated you differently because of your appearance or race? Well, you are not alone immigrants face being discriminated against all the time. Immigration is an issue that affects a wide range of people, commonly found in the United States. These people face many challenges because of their status including restrictions on their civil liberties, civil rights, and discrimination. This question caught my attention because the United States has had so many protests and laws in the past about everyone being treated as an equal and receiving the same rights however immigrants face such problems today with being treated differently. For a majority of immigrants they come here to seek a better life and future for their family and I believe they should be looked and treated equally as the rest of us. In my research I hope to find different problems that immigrants face when moving to new countries. I also hope to find out what actions some people have made to helping immigrants who face discrimination and how they are fight for immigrant rights. 

Reflective Entries:

Vélez, V., Huber, L. P., Lopez, C. B., Luz, A. de la, & Solórzano, D. G. (2008). Battling for Human Rights and Social Justice: A Latina/o Critical Race Media Analysis of Latina/o Student Youth Activism in the Wake of 2006 Anti-immigrant Sentiment. Social Justice, 35(1), 7–27.

-In a specific section of this Peer review article a Bill was proposed called Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. This bill suggested that anyone assisting an undocumented imigrant in the United States could be charged with a felony. Any school official, member of the clergy, immigrant advocate group, or individual participating in an organization that assisted undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. could be charged with a felony.

-I do not agree with this bill because it made it a illegal for people to help undocumented immigrants which just isn’t right in my eyes. Especially if these immigrants are seeking help because they are from a foreign land and do not speak our language or have access to resources, making it illegal for people to help makes life a lot harder for them. Some questions I do have is why would someone want to make a law against helping people? Why would we not treat immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and family as equals? I believe that the intended audience would be immigrants rights advocates to show them the government has tried to make it a law against helping the people they want to help.

– “Had this bill been implemented, it would have affected undocumented immigrants and their families, communities, and anyone aware of their status who had not reported them to authorities’’

Chomsky, A. (2017). Immigrants’ Rights Are Workers’ Rights. NACLA Report on the Americas, 49(2), 206–211. 

-Throughout history immigrant workers helped to build many of the country’s labor unions to what they are today, often doing the jobs that no one else wanted to do for very minimum pay. However unions today do not allow immigrants to work for them even after how much they have helped to build the country.

-Some questions that i do have in mind are why wouldn’t they want to hire immigrants after all they have done for unions in the past? Why not return the favor to the immigrants by hiring them to work in the union? I believe that the intended audience could be labor unions themselves. This is because when he gives facts about how the immigrants have helped build the unions in the past I believe he is trying to get them to change their minds about not wanting to hire immigrant workers. He’s trying to show them how immigrants have helped them. In terms of my research this tells me that being discriminated against for work is another problem immigrants face.

-“Though immigrant workers formed many of the country’s first labor unions, unions frequently looked askance at new immigrants”

What it’s like to be the child of immigrants | Michael Rain -TedTalk Click here to view: watch

-Micheal is a first generation immigrant and he talks about his experience growing up in New York City as an immigrant. He speaks about an experience he faced when sitting in the lunchroom with his friends. His mom cooked him a dish from their home country and when the kids from his school smelt it they reacted differently to it. It was not some they were used to or knew about. Micheal also talks about how many of the things we think we know about immigrants are incorrect.

-I agree with Micheal and the stories that he tells about growing us as a first generation immigrant. Even though it is common for kids to act the way they do it shows how even they can discriminate against immigrants even though they may know now that they are doing it. It is important for us to know the truth about immigrants before we start to treat them differently. The way Micheals friends reacted to the food his mom cooked him made him lose his appetite. They treated his meal differently because it was not something they themselves knew about. 

-“We’re walking melting pots of culture,” Rain says. “If something in that pot smells new or different to you, don’t turn up your nose. Ask us to share.” To me this quote means instead of turning away and judging something that seems different to you, you should get to know more about it first. I believe that people should be the same way with immigrants and that they should get to know more about different cultures first before they start to judge them.