When you think of immigrants coming to America, what image immediately pops into your head? For me, it is the stereotypical picture of the “tired, [the] poor, [the] huddled masses yearning to be free.” However, over the years, this has changed dramatically and is not a reality to many immigrants. Originally, it was the Russian Jews and Italians who first emigrated to the United States. Hispanics and Asians were the next to emerge into the scene. Nowadays, people emigrate from all over the world. There is less of a pattern, and more of a overall spread of diverse ethnic backgrounds in New York City.
While this is probably a benefit of the transformation of immigration waves in New York, there are other issues that have come forth. Illegal immigration is something that has become a big political problem in the United States, while it was not such a prominent occurrence in the past. Present day “limits on the number of available immigrant visas, combined with the continuing desire of many to move to the United States, have created a climate in which undocumented immigration flourishes” (17). Illegal immigration is an issue that needs to be dealt with, but at the same time, it is something that many people don’t understand the complexity of. Not everyone who is an illegal immigrant has “snuck over the borders” as one may typically imagine. In fact, in New York City, “most enter the United States legally on temporary visas and become illegal immigrants… by failing to leave when their visas expire” (17). It is said that 9 out of 10 of New York States illegal immigrants has actually simply overstayed their visas. This leads me to question my original view of illegal immigrants who were underprivileged or uneducated. This actually leads me to question my image of immigrants in New York in general. What do they actually come to New York City for? Are they as poor and desperate as they were in the past? Is New York a city of escape or privilege?
Nancy Foner, author of From Ellis Island, states that today’s immigrants aren’t the same types of people that came many years ago, before the turn of the century. She argue that the reasons for coming have shifted, and that the people that do immigrate here “[come] to the city [and] enter through the more prosaic gates of John F. Kennedy International Airport” (1). The people that enter the United States nowadays are of a different nature. They are people who are for the most part, educated and skilled workers. They are not here as a last resort, to escape their homeland and oppression. They are here for as a “progressive network building” (19). They are here to do business.
Which leaves me to wonder what the people of Corona have come here for and what has changed over time. At the turn of the century, Italian, German Irish and other first and second- generation immigrants crowded the tenements of Corona. The there was a surge of native born whites to Corona. It is important to consider where most of Corona’s residents have come from and why they have moved to this city when we move ahead and research.
How has immigration in Corona changed over the years?
What are some reasons people would move to Corona?
How should authorities deal with illegal immigration? Is there any way for it to be prevented? Should it be prevented at all?
Why is it that people’s reasoning for coming to New York City has changed over the years?
5 Responses to Natasha’s Spark 3/4/12