Fuzhou City is an interesting city in China in that most of the smuggled aliens have been recruited from Fuzhou. This seems strange that many of the smuggled immigrants have come from a relatively unheard of city in China. Why are these the people who are coming to the country illegally?
The answer to these questions all lie in the strong familial kinship relationship that the people from Fuzhou feel towards one another. As stated in the beginning anecdote by Kwong, coming to America is extremely expensive. It is ever more expensive coming to the United States illegally. The unfortunate Chinese who were smuggled on the “Golden Venture” would have paid the smugglers, commonly called snakeheads, $30,000 for their passage to America. They lived in decrepit conditions and were malnourished. As stated in the opening, many Chinese have to work extremely long hours, while making below minimum wage to afford this journey. This is a daunting process to undertake by oneself, especially as in the opening story, if making it to America is not guaranteed.
The members of Fuzhou City, which is a rural community, have strong kinship bonds towards each other. The familial closeness helps to support the venture of coming to America. The family gathers all of their funds, and sends one person off to America to pay off the debt of travelling. Once this is done, the family member in the United States will begin working to save money to bring other family members over to America. Sometimes, the family will begin a business once enough of the family is brought over, and with the success of the business, the rest of the family that is still is Fuzhou city is brought over.
This is not a new concept for American immigration. Many immigrants have similar stories to the Chinese of Fuzhou city. As we discussed in the beginning of the semester, many Italians and Russian Jews came over with the help of family and friends. Also, like the Filipinos who we read about in the beginning of the year, many families become transnational, and have strong ties to back home. Americans do not generally associate themselves with the incoming immigrant class, because they feel as if the new immigrants are equivalent to “Greenhorns,” to quote David Levinsky, but upon closer inspection to their own family history, the Americans may find they have much in common with the incoming Chinese. Kwong makes a great argument for how immigration is similar across nations. I am not arguing that illegal immigration is laudable, I am merely arguing that it takes much dedication to make the journey, family is important in helping one reach the country, and finally, that immigration has been similar for many different types of people throughout America’s history.
