The History of Immigration in America
The United States of America, a nation of immigrants, has endured large influx of new comers at any point of history even before the country came to existence. It is always the country in which the most percentage of foreigners settle. What attracts them to come? Certainly it contains countless domestic and external problems itself, but this fact does not seem to block people from establishing their homes here.
The only factor that did stop them was the legislation, a cause that is totally beyond the consequence of their willing decision. The law of exclusion against immigrants started in late 19th century, anticipating to eliminate people from certain parts of the world from coming –– in the context of what Americans fear at the time. The first of those laws, for example, was the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) ratified to despise Chinese immigrant laborers. Another conspicuous law in the series was the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which was approved in fear of the expansion of Communism. Legislation regarding immigration issues in America tended to restrict Asians and Africans but to give preference to northern and western Europeans to come.
Immigrants from the past largely consisted of Italians, Jews, and Irish. Then, the immigrant population became mostly Latinos. Immigration to America finally also appealed to Asians. Different groups of people came for different sorts of reasons. For the most part, they saw job opportunity as the major reason. (“Better quality of life,” though many has mistaken, is not the answer to immigrants’ motive to come.) Despite the racial shifts throughout American immigration history, one thing persists –– the challenges and hardship.
Besides the law as a hindering factor, immigrants do not seem to let hardship and poor living conditions prevent them from settling here. In the past there was the tenement, in the present there is discrimination. The tenement 97 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East side, now a museum, embraces stories of thousands of immigrants. No lights at the entrance. Nine family members in a room. Little to no ventilation. Thousands of immigrants lived under such circumstances from 1863 to 1988. They probably used to live in a more spacious house with better social connections prior to coming. But they perceived that their hardship right then was the price they must pay for better earnings and opportunities that would come. So they stayed, endured, and tried to thrive. As generations have gone by, their descendants probably are now promising young citizens.
And discrimination is an incessant issue, needless to say. Immigrants are foreigners; They don’t belong here, many natives would say. In other words, foreign-born Americans were excluded not only by the legislation, but also by the unwelcoming people in their neighborhoods. Therefore, they form closer bonding with themselves as a community in defense and support. They might be from different states or provinces of their native country. They might be of ethnic groups that were at odds there. And they might be speaking different dialects in their native tongues. But as long as they are in another country trying to make a better life, they naturally come together. There forms assisting associations and also ethnic enclaves. New York City has Little Italy, Chinatown, and so on. Race-based organizations are countless. They have the same goal to make good fortune, so they are willing to help each other in-group, which also benefits themselves in a long run.
America was seen as a promised land with abundant job opportunities and guaranteed good earnings for anyone who was willing to work hard enough. Immigrants embraced the American Dream. They looked far into prosperity, upward social mobility, and life here. With these in mind, many are fearless and determined to come disregarding safety and the law. The number of undocumented immigrants in the country is at a newer high every year. Right now almost 15% of the United States population is comprised of illegal residents. Every day of their lives is at risk of deportation. Enforcement is even tougher in recent years under Obama administration, which is ironic because he advocated to address problems for the undocumented population during his presidency campaign speech. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) even adopts unconstitutional techniques to seek out illegal immigrants and deport them.
Fortunately, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) provided ample opportunities for eligible unauthorized immigrants to naturalize as citizens. They avoided many cases of family separation and young fellows’ identity crises.
However, the future of immigration in the country is not as hopeful as it sounds. More and more people from all over the world are coming into this country. This brings burden to the government and to the economy. Since new comers are mostly poor, many of them rely on benefits and welfare from the government. For such a large population of them, expenses in these fields could most possibly overwhelm the economy. All in all, for foreign-born immigrants and natives to reside harmoniously in the country, reformation to the immigration policies is a must. The flawed system is very much in need of a change. Many citizens demand address to this issue in the next president administration.
