HDFS 474 Final Project
I have been passionate about immigration law since I was old enough to truly understand what it was. I saw how it affected many of my father's employees and their families. Using my privilege, I try to educate those that are ignorant about the immigration system in place in the U.S. Many people think they understand how the immigration process works and think that immigrants, especially from Mexico, should just "do it the legal way" when in reality, it is an extremely difficult, expensive, and time-consuming process. According to the American Immigration Council, the wait to obtain a employment-based or family-sponsored visa is typically at least 5 years long and many wait decades. This is due to the fact that any given country cannot receive more than 7% of issued visas in a given year ("Why Don't They Just Get In Line?", 2016).
Interviewing three individuals connected to my father's company was unbelievably eye-opening. I thought I knew these people quite well and understood their pasts. However, I didn't realize just how much each person went through to get to where they are today. To think that they walked through the desert for hours or remained silent in the trunk of a car in order to come to this country breaks my heart.
One thing I found to be very surprising that was consistent throughout all of my interviews was that each person said they loved this country and had nothing bad to say about the country itself. They spoke so highly of the opportunities here and how much this country has improved their lives, even though they face discrimination and the possibility of deportation everyday. The Pew Research Center found that when asked if they would do it all over again, 79% of Hispanic immigrants would re-immigrate to the U.S. if given the chance (Taylor, Lopez, Martínez & Velasco, 2012). All three interviewees said they would return to the U.S. again if given the chance as well.
All three interviewees cited economic opportunities as a motivator for immigrating to the U.S. which aligns with the Pew Research Center's findings that more than half (55%) of immigrants come here for economic reasons (Taylor et. al, 2012). A consistent theme I saw throughout my interviews was that each of my interviewees contributed their success in this country to the work they put in. All three of them have worked multiple jobs at once in order to make ends meet and dealt with racism and discrimination in the workplace to make a better life for themselves and their families. Personally, I believe that our generation (and even past generations) have a sense of entitlement where they believe any effort put into something should be met with reward, which is not the case. The Pew Research Center found that 75% of Hispanic immigrants believed that hard work helps a person get ahead in contrast to 58% of the general public (Taylor et. al, 2012).
I am extremely proud of the work that my parents do to ensure our employees and their families are treated with respect and kindness. Both of my parents often accompany those looking to get a state ID or apply for a payday loan as well as attend court dates with those dealing with traffic violations. My stepmom has written countless letters for our employees, speaking to their wonderful qualities in order to help them rent an apartment, obtain reduced day-care rates for their children during the off season, or justify their status in this country. They have seen racism first hand with customers treating our employees like they are unintelligent or illiterate just because they are Mexican, and in many cases, they have terminated service contracts with customers for the mistreatment of our crews. In saying all of this, I am not claiming that my parents are ending racism first-hand, but I am proud to be in a family where immigrants are celebrated and supported.
This project has taught me an enormous amount about the difficulties Hispanic immigrants in this country face as well as their love and appreciation for this country. Interviewing these three individuals allowed me to reflect on my life in the U.S. and realize how lucky I am to have the privileges that I do. I don't have to worry every time I see a police officer and I don't have a plan set in place in case my parents don't come home when they say they will. I am so proud to say I know each of these wonderful individuals and have truly enjoyed learning about their unique lives.
Citations:
Taylor, P., Lopez, M., Martínez, J., & Velasco, G. (2012). When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity. Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views-of-identity/
Why Don’t They Just Get In Line?. (2016). American Immigration Council. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/why-don’t-they-just-get-line