The Back of a Nonexistent Line In the film Documented and The New York Times article “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Jose Antonio Vargas describes his experience as an undocumented immigrant in the United States and provides a passionate argument for creating a pathway to citizenship for others like Vargas, who are undocumented as well. Although both the film and article give the viewers and readers an insight into Vargas’ difficult journey, a particular scene in the film sends an unspoken message about the United States as a whole. In Documented, the scene in which Jose Antonio Vargas attends a Mitt Romney campaign rally is detrimental to the immigration debate because it demonstrates the need for Americans to be educated about undocumented …show more content…
It has specific requirements that many undocumented immigrants cannot meet. The most difficult requirement for undocumented immigrants to bypass to be considered for citizenship is that one must be a legal permanent resident (green card holder) for at least five years. There are only three ways to become a legal permanent resident: be admitted as a refugee, be sponsored by an eligible employer, or be sponsored by a close family member such as one’s parents or children. Undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States since they were children cannot be admitted as refugees, many of their employers do not offer sponsorships, nor do many have close family members that can sponsor them. In the case that they can be sponsored by an employer or family member, undocumented immigrants can wait up to a decade or two before their application is even considered. Many Americans are uneducated about the process of legalization which is why they find it easy to say things like “Are you in line?” The truth is, there is no line and undocumented immigrants like Vargas are fighting every single day for a “line” to be
Chavez examines the assumptions made by the media and the public by drawing in sources like magazine articles and illustrations to provide the audience with exactly how these accusations are made and shared with the public. Chavez questions what it means and what it takes to be considered an American citizen and how Latinos, particularly Mexicans, have many things stacked up against. There are no doubts that the number of undocumented immigrants has steadily increased each year. Leo R. Chavez argues that because of the rise in the numbers, it makes it easier for the media to assume that undocumented immigrants, particularly Mexicans, are a threat to our nation through an invasion. Chavez’s idea of a Mexican reconquest is developed through something he calls the Quebec model.
One important reason that undocumented immigrants should be given a path to citizenship is that it is an American tradition to let other people into our country just like our ancestors did. According to (Upfront Magazine,Charles Schumer,2016) “We need to modernize and fix our immigration system to ensure that the door to America remains as open to future generations as it was to our ancestors.” What Senator Schumer is saying here is that America always let in immigrants and has formed off of immigrants and has also been where people go to be free and have a safe haven not where they get
The most obvious reason is when illegal immigrants come over and give birth to their now American child it does not make them a citizen. This fact starts a roar of issues between conservatives, liberals, humanitarians, and is morally more restrictive for the parents to be deported. When the parents are deported that leaves the child in child protection services jumping from one foster home to another; while their hoping for their parents to come back to the United states, or to be adopted. This is all while costing tax dollars because their parents came over illegally and gave birth with most of them fully expecting for that to happen. Another reason is because the surrounding countries such as Canada and Mexico have much more restrictive laws on citizenship making the United states an even bigger target for birthing tourism.
In the process of working toward the American Dream, people struggle to fit in, to belong, to be accepted. For many of them, an important part of the American Dream is the chance to reinvent themselves—the opportunity to become someone different, someone better. In “Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant”, Jose Antonio Vargas is an “undocumented immigrant” who has been living illegally in the U.S. since he was twelve years old. To chase his American dreams, he embodied a lie until it became unbearable and he expose his truth and let the masks crumble onto the ground. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King Jr. broke unjust laws and engaged in nonviolence direct action in order to pursue his American dream of equality and freedom.
As media constructions shape peoples views on Mexican immigration, and form viewers beliefs for years politics also have great influence. This appears especially true, as recent political campaigns and voter initiatives indicate, in the case of Mexican
In this section, I asked several children of immigrants what they perceived to be their identity and if they felt that their status as undocumented or their heritage played a major role in who they saw themselves as. According to Kevin, an undocumented immigrant whose family moved here from Mexico when he was just 6 years old, he considers himself more American than Mexican as he has lived the vast majority of his life
Being a child of immigrant parents is not easy. You are constantly living in the fear that one day you’ll wake up and you parents won’t be there with you anymore. Specially now that we have a new president, things are getting more challenging. But don’t get me wrong, I live a happy life. I am proud to call myself a Latina.
Hispanic Americans, or Latinos, are a very large and diverse ethnic group in the U.S. Altogether, they make up about 44 million people or 15% of America’s population. Individuals who make up this category can identify with various nationalities and backgrounds. However, the 2010 U.S Census – as stated in the textbook -- reported that 75% of its total Latino respondents identified being of Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban origin. According to the lecture notes, 65% of Hispanics claim to be Mexican Americans, while 8.5% are Puerto Ricans and another 3.5% are Cuban Americans.
Argumentative Writing Undocumented immigrants are getting deported and they can’t have an experience they wanted to have when they came to america. But, because of the us government they can’t have this experience some get this experience but they still have to be very careful. They all also fear because some of them have kids then they fear for themselves and then there kids because it’s their family. Do you want to live in a community where you see mexican and people on the streets because of crossing the border. This is why i think that the government shouldn’t deport undocumented immigrants because then they don't get a chance to have an american experience.
The first of two essay questions focuses on Leo Chavez’s book , “The Latino Threat”. The questions and statements that will be answered include “ What is the Latino threat?, ‘How does he define citizenship?” ,“Identify and discuss two examples of the Latino threat” and “ Identify one policy recommendation and discuss whether you think it is achievable”. Leo Chavez’s book focuses on the guise of Latinos threatening the American way of life. He defines this as “The Latino Threat” , He states that the Latino threat narrative positions Latinos as not sharing similarities with any previous migrant groups into the U.S. and that they are unwilling and incapable of integrating and becoming part of the national community (Chavez,3).
I was born in the capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My family was native to the land having lived there for decades, but we were soon refugees due to famine and war between ethnic groups who had laid claim to the land we inherited from our ancestors. In leaving, my mother left behind her family, knowing that she may never see them again, so that we; her children, could have a better chance at life. She understood that we were susceptible to becoming victims of war, that it was impossible to foster a home during war. Ultimately, with the war progressing, we moved to the shacks of Nairobi, Kenya in an effort to seek asylum.
Not every immigrant get into the country using the legal means. There are those who get into the country on student visas and start working contrary to the visas they hold. There are others who get into the country illegally with no genuine United States visa. The immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 focusses on the matter of illegal immigration through placing major fines on the employers of those immigrants who hire them. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 allowed a number of barriers to immigration.
An immigrant family wants the best for everyone lives, however moving to a new country brings struggles. There struggles include finding a home, a good paying job, avoiding to be deported, being separated ,and continuing their education. Immigrants expect a better life because their old home and country did have much benefits as the new country gives them. The advantage of an immigrant family is family values which tends them to be closer. Disadvantages of an immigrant family are the struggles that were first mentioned and including that they face other people calling them a threat.
Immigration and The American Dream Immigrants from the mid 19th century and early 20th century consisted of mainly Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Immigrants motivations, experiences, and impacts shaped what an immigrant had to go through being a different person from another country. Although Americans dislike foreigners who came to the United States, immigrants had a role in political, economic, cultural, and social aspects of immigrants because of their motivations, experiences, and impacts in America. New Immigrants did not have it easy and went through obstacles natives, political figures, bosses and others had thrown at them.
An illegal immigrant, who works for their keep, pays taxes, doesn't get into trouble, and just wants a better life in a country, should be granted citizenship. An illegal immigrant is a person who migrates to a different country in a way that is in violation of the immigrant laws. Immigration has been a tough topic to bring up for many years in America. Illegal immigrants are seen as a bad thing for America, but some see them as an economic savior. There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.