Ben Hamilton Week Nine: Rethinking Immigration

The United States is a country formed largely by the inflow of outcasts. The colonization process began when people were not satisfied with the lives they were being forced to lead elsewhere. These dissatisfied groups realized that there was a fresh start awaiting them in the Americas. They abandoned what was at home and started new lives, requiring that they struggle almost constantly before they became successful. This tradition has continued during the following four centuries.  People come here to find better lives. They work hard to succeed, and add a great deal to our society.

My father explores the streets of
Ecuador alone. He gets a sense of the
alienation immigrants must feel when
they leave what is familiar and enter
the unknown.

            Considering our nation’s past, I find our attitudes towards new waves of immigrants very strange. The Suarez-Orozcos explain that our country generally regards immigrants of the past more favorably than those of the current era. This is evident when the Irish immigrants of the 1840’s and 50’s are considered. These new citizens were never regarded as valuable members of society. The “No Irish Need Apply” signs illustrate this clearly. Currently, however, the Irish are not stigmatized at all. I am sure that one day Mexican immigrants will not be seen in such an unfavorable light as they are today, but why is the hatred required in the first place?

            Jose does not seem to express any feelings of discrimination, but I do sense a feeling of inferiority in him. This is sad because he is an amazing young boy who relates to adults extremely well and receives great grades. His grades actually earned him a trip to King’s Island this year. Despite all of this, he tells me that he does not like to learn English. If he were from the United States, he explains, he would like to read and write and speak the language; he is from Mexico, however, and therefore does not like English. This feeling of separation is unfortunate and is no doubt an affect of the anti-immigration sentiments and alienated feeling he experiences in the states.

            The Suarez-Orozco text also speaks about the duality of immigration views held in America. One such view expresses our belief that people come here to work hard, gain a better life, and eventually become one of us, assimilated completely and losing all traces of their former identity. The other views them as s problematic, lazy, crime ridden group that only depreciates our national value. These views are sad, because they either deny immigrants their previous identities or deny them a place in our society.