What struck me the most about the first chapter in Nancy Foner’s book was the disappointing realization that until very recently I had shared some of these misguided sentiments, which Nancy Foner proves to be both inaccurate and biased.  One of the sections explored by the first chapter discusses the sheer magnitude of the diversity within New York City’s immigrant population, which was previously unbeknownst to me.  Each of the different categories, subcategories and sub-subcategories that exist among the different groups of people who have transplanted themselves to our shores carry with them a unique story, culture and identity that too often goes overlooked or thrown together with larger ethnic groups out of either ignorance or apathy.

The other misconception that I was happy to have corrected was in regards to the status of the arriving immigrants.  Like so many others, I was guilty of assuming that the only reason people would uproot themselves so drastically and move to another country would be as a last resort.  Foner shows that this is not the case in most scenarios.  Immigrants come to the United States for a multiplicity of reasons, but no matter the motivation, all share the common goal of bettering their situation in whatever way that means.

One of the main problems with the reputation that is undeservedly bestowed upon new immigrants is the stigma attached to the word “immigrant” itself.  When I think of an immigrant, the last thing that comes to mind is a financially secure mid-level executive with a college degree.  That’s not xenophobia or racism – it is just my unfamiliarity with the situation that most immigrants face coming into this country.  I think that the best remedy for the unfair comparisons between the two waves of immigration would be to spotlight achievements of recent immigrants to show the rest of the country that immigrants are not here to siphon off resources and take handouts.  Immigrants can have a work ethic at least as good as anyone from America and we should show them the same respect we show “natives.”