Preview

Crossing the Border, Reaching the Light

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1149 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Crossing the Border, Reaching the Light
Crossing the Border, Reaching the Light An illegal immigrant is defined as anyone who migrates to a country for permanent residence without any form of identification. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States was estimated at 11.5 million in 2011, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Of these 11.5 million immigrants, 58 percent came from Mexico, 23 percent from other Latin America countries, 11 percent from Asia, and 8 percent from Africa, Europe, Canada and elsewhere. How do they get in the U.S.? Why do they want to be here? How do they get jobs in the U.S.? Should all of these people be deported back to their native countries? Are illegal immigrants good or bad for the economy? There are several reasons why people want to immigrate to the U.S. People immigrate to other countries for various reasons. Most come for reasons similar to those motivating legal immigrants, such as the desire for a better life, freedom of religion, and speech, a better job, reunifying with relatives, or escaping oppressive conditions at home. Some do not qualify to immigrate legally. They can be disqualified for a variety of reasons, such as criminal background, communicable diseases, and more. Some people do not wish to wait their turn. Some do it simply because it is easier than filling out the paperwork and doing the background checks. Most of the illegal immigrants in the U.S. are Mexican. This is because Mexico and the U.S. are shared a border. Most simply can cross the border where it is not secured. If they get caught, they might come again a few hours or days later. You can see people doing it by just go to YouTube and do a searching for “illegal aliens crossing border”; you will find many videos. According to Public Agenda, only 25 percent of illegal immigrants speak English. On the other hand, those that are smuggled into the country are usually uneducated and poor. They came here because they could not find jobs that paid enough to support them in their


Cited: "Unauthorized Immigrants: Length of Residency, Patterns of Parenthood." Pew Hispanic Center. N.p., 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . TheMETALDOVE. "400 ILLEGAL ALIENS Strolling across the Border." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . "Immigration 2009 Part Three | Public Agenda." Immigration 2009 Part Three | Public Agenda. N.p., 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . Hegeman, Roxana. "Illegal Immigrants Turn to Identity Theft." Msnbc.com. Msnbc Digital Network, 08 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . "Illegal Immigration, Minimum Wage Law, and Morality." Home. N.p., 5 July 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. . Illegal Immigration and Public Health (2009). N.p., n.d. Web. . "Undocumented Immigrants Paid $11.2 Billion In Taxes While GE Paid Nothing."ThinkProgress. Guest Blogger, 23 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Undocumented Students

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Undocumented immigrants are foreign nationals who enter the United States without authorization or enter legally but remain in the United States without authorization. Undocumented youth and students usually have no role in the decision to come to this country; they are usually brought to this country by their parents or relatives. Brought by their parents to the U.S. as minors, many before they had reached their teens, they account for about one sixth of the total undocumented population. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in the year 2000, approximately 2.5 million undocumented youth under the age of eighteen were living in the United States.…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Another important factor which forces people to immigrate to the United States is persecution from a hostile government. One example of this is people fleeing from Cuba to the U.S. Citizens of Cuba are not permitted to leave the country, however many do so unlawfully in hopes of finding a better life in the U.S. Because…

    • 1867 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    * Mae M. Ngai, Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America (Princeton University Press, 2004). ISBN: 9780691124292…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Woods, Lynn "In national immigration war, skirmishes play out locally.” Fairfield County Business Journal 46.26 (2007): 1. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Nov. 2009.…

    • 4864 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Immigrants come from all over the world. They leave their country seeking to fulfill their needs to live. The U.S offers great job opportunities and a pleasant space to live in. some of the illegal immigrants come from countries such as Mexico, Canada and China the majority of immigrants in America are Mexicans. They come to America frequently and in large packs, such as families.…

    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    dying to cross

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The book covers the immigrant tragedy of May, 2003, when a truck-trailer of at least 74 illegal immigrants due to how the truck was abandoned, the true number involved is unknown and will probably remain so was found near Victoria, Texas, bound for Houston 48 customers from Mexico, 16 from Honduras, 8 from El Salvador, 1 from Nicaragua, and at least 1 from the Dominican Republic. Nineteen people were dead. The story and images of the bodies piled one atop another was headline news for weeks, often described as a "human heap of desperation" which it surely was. Much of the attention was focused on the 5-year old boy found among the dead. Ramos retraces some of the border-crossings made, interviews some survivors & the Mexican consul who handled the affairs that followed, as well as covers the legal proceedings that lead to the guilty pleas of several coyotes, including Honduran Karla Chavez who, according to US. Authorities, was the ringleader of the operation, and the one ultimately responsible for the tragedy.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For as long as America can remember, throughout the years, hundreds of thousands illegal and legal immigrants from all over the world come to the United States. Of the thousands of immigrants that come into America, they each have many different reasons and stories. Immigrants come to the United States, some to better their life and to go after opportunity’s that they could not do in their home country. Others are refugees and have no other choice but to flee their home country due to the wars and persecution. Over all immigration has held a major role in shaping our country, it promotes cultural movement of people and positively keeps the economy running in ways like increased employment and student graduating rates.…

    • 1648 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Truth Behind the Border

    • 2316 Words
    • 10 Pages

    10. 8) Rothstein, Richard. "Immigration Dilemmas ." Arguing immigration: the debate over the changing face of America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Print.…

    • 2316 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. Illegal immigration is regarded as the unlawful entry of any foreign national across another national border. It can also be referred to as the process whereby, foreigners gain entry into another national border in the ways that contravenes the immigration laws of the targeted country. The United States has forever been known as the land of the free, and the nation of opportunity. Over a million immigrants take up residency in the United States each year. However, not every immigrant comes into this country through legal procedure, and most of these illegal immigrants are poor and uneducated people. They might be brought here because of human trafficking, smuggling or other methods. The United States welfare system has difficulties supporting the huge numbers of immigrants coming into the country each year. A majority of the immigrants are from poor countries, and come to the United States looking for work. This is especially true of illegal immigration in Texas. Texas has many illegal immigration problems.…

    • 1059 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Immigrants are people that choose to migrate to our country and resettle into a new life. Unfortunately, many of these immigrants are denied legal status and are therefore considered, undocumented. Several of them have no choice but to move here because poverty,violence,drugs, abuse etc. become too much to handle, but moving here gives them an opportunity to improve their future and better it for their families. Studies show that around 484,072 legal people migrate to the United States every year. That may seem like a lot, but shockingly, that does not even include the number of illegal immigrants. It's estimated that about 11.5 million illegal immigrants reside here(reference). After years and years…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I was in high school and I heard the word “immigrant,” I automatically assumed that these people were Hispanics from Mexico. As I grew older, I learned that an immigrant can be anyone that is not from America. The highest immigrant populations that migrate to the United States are Hispanics, Africans, and Asians. The states that these immigrants highly populate are New York, California, and Arizona, which are close to all the U.S. borders.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    These illegal immigrants have different ways of motivating themselves to enter the U.S. wanting to get a chance to better their living life; others are people who are facing wars in their countries (refugees), others are also fleeing from discrimination and wars in their mother country. Many of these people believe the United States is the best place to go. There is more liberty, safety, and aids, which are the most valuable issues to immigrants. The expanse of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has become continuous increasing in recent years after periods of speedy growth. But…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heidy Lopez Lu Ann Thompson English 113, Section 207 September 15, 2016 Undocumented Workers Being an undocumented immigrant in the United States is hard, without the proper identification and legal status, undocumented immigrants have to work harder at being self-sufficient while maintaining a low profile. By being an illegal immigrant their opportunities are limited, work occupations are scarce depending on their location, and their biggest challenge is learning a whole, new language which is English. With the challenges faced ahead of being an undocumented immigrant, it would be reasonable for Hispanics and others to steer away from United States but just like Americans, Hispanics also want the American dream and will risk it all and…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hernandez, Donald J. Demographic Change and the Life of Immigrant Families. Publication. New York: Foundation for Child Development, 2004. Future of Children. Web. .…

    • 1257 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A illegal immigrant is a person who moves to another country and does not have any legal documents to stay in the country. So at the end of the day this is what it means to be an immigrant.…

    • 2459 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays