In Miyares’s piece, I was shocked to find out that the “first U.S.-based transnational president” of the Dominican Republic was from Washington Heights and that his family remained there while he was in office. This idea of an immigrant’s maintenance of ties with his homeland is discussed in Davila’s piece, as well, where she mentions various institutions in the United States that help connect Mexican immigrants with Mexican society. For instance, she states, “These immigrant-friendly economic policies need to be situated as part of greater neoliberal trends fostering market-based economic reforms that ease the pathway to private investments” (163). However, this reminds me of a recent dinner discussion that I had regarding immigration policies in the United States. Should the manner of integrating immigrants into American society come about from new (or improved) legislation which, in a sense, “makes things easier” for immigrants, for lack of better phrasing? On the other hand, perhaps our government needs to correct its immigration policy, making the process much more timely and effective for persons eligible for American citizenship. It seems that the answer to this dilemma is multi-faceted and not easily attainable, leaving me to mull over the various facets facets and viewpoints regarding immigration and the United States.
On a less controversial note, it was interesting to read in both Hum’s and Davila’s pieces that there is hostility within racial groups toward other immigrants groups within the same neighborhoods. Before reaching this point in the texts, I had thought, Wow. It’s pretty amazing that the Asian and Latino immigrants can live side-by-side and make up a majority of Sunset Park’s population. However, I then discovered that there, unfortunately, are serious concerns regarding the integration of the two groups with one another. This seems to be one of the dilemmas of New Yorkers: it is so easy to remain in a somewhat secluded sphere, where the environment can be somewhat controlled; but, when we stay within our own zones, we miss out on the beauty of our city and the experience to learn first-hand about diversity and what it truly means to live in diversified community. After all, we are all human beings.
