Immigration has been a constant topic of conflict among Americans. Most people have a set notion in their minds that immigrants come for money and jobs and give minimal thought to what they have left behind or what they have sacrificed to come to America. Nancy Foner sets forth several great points about their circumstances in just one chapter of her book
The ideas, which I found most striking, that she described, were the life and family most immigrants left behind and the quality of their journeys. She gave several examples of fathers arriving before bringing the rest of their families to establish a foundation for a new life. She continued to explain that it was, at times, difficult to enter and there were risks for each person. She also clarified how much some immigrants had to pay just to get here. They had no guarantee of a stable or “better” lifestyle but they were blinded by dreams of America. Once they arrived here, immigrants have to start over on their own especially if they didn’t come through a network. Throughout reading the chapter I constantly thought to myself, “Was it worth it?” As I read the appalling descriptions of some of the voyages immigrants underwent, I remembered my own trip here. I recall being six, sitting comfortably in an airplane and not having a care in the world. I could not imagine facing the adversities some immigrants encountered and those that others will encounter. Was being shipped like an ordinary object or traveling for days with fear of being caught worth the new life? I understand that for some, such as those with no freedom or those living in great poverty in their countries of origin, it was. Still, I wonder if life as an illegal immigrant in hiding without assurance of citizenship or a “green card” outweighs the life some people of these “skilled” people, as the author described them, would have been living at home.
I continued to question: What is the role of an “American” in terms of immigration? How can we help, if at all, in this developing situation? Most importantly, is it possible to control it anymore?
