Though at times very repetitive and mundane with numbers and statistics, Nancy Foner really brings to light some key issues surrounding immigration to New York City. She differentiates between the current (though, out of date at this point, copyrighted in 2000) immigrants and the “old immigrants” (though in history, we consider early 20th century immigrants as the “new immigrants,” but let me not get into that).
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Who
Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, people usually came from Europe. The first wave was from North/Western Europe (England, Ireland – though Catholic and stigmatized, German) and the second from South/Eastern Europe (Italy, Poland, Russia, JEWS). Now, because the world has significantly become more globalized, Europe is not the only place that people emigrate from. A big portion of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean Islands are now finding their way to cities such as New York City.
One thing that I found very interesting about some of the people that come to NYC, is that a lot of them are actually educated and professionals. It is common to believe that immigrants – especially illegal immigrants – are lower class people that seek minimum wage jobs. According to Foner, this is not the picture of all immigrants. She somewhere states that your average street vender or taxi driver might actually be a well educated foreigner, but resorts to lower wage jobs mainly because of discrimination or sometimes because of illegality. It was also mind-boggling that a woman could make more money babysitting in the states, than she could actually working a professional job in Latin America. I must say, we really take for granted what we have!
Why
The main connecting factor between the oldest, the older, and the new immigrants is their desire for a better life. Though they all come for different reasons – political oppression, economic instability, unemployment, etc – their main goal is to find a freer, stabler, and job filled world in New York.
It was also mind-boggling that a woman could make more money babysitting in the states, than she could actually working a professional job in Latin America. I must say, we really take for granted what we have!
How
A common preconception of immigrants – especially illegal ones – is that they walk the Mexican border, or float to Florida on tiny rafts. Though there are some cases where this is true, a lot of immigrants today actually just fly over here from one airport to another. It’s crazy to think about, but any plane your own, might contain many future illegal immigrants, or even people coming here for a legal new life.
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Right before finishing the reading for tomorrow’s class while walking on the treadmill, I was watching CNN and heard about Obama’s new push for immigration reform. One thing that he’s stated is to strengthen border control. My question is, does border control merely mean the Mexican/Canadian border? If that is so, then he might need to read Foner’s book and realize that most illegal immigrants are coming in elsewhere. If “border control” also includes airport customs and official documentation, then I guess I understand. That being said, at least in the NYC area, the amount of illegal immigrants isn’t something to worry about, states Foner.
Marina B. Nebro
