Immigration In America Pros And Cons

Immigration in America and other countries is a very popular subject to talk about. It seems as though no one has the same point of view, and no one can agree which is the best way to integrate immigrants into society. Three writers, Andrew Cohen, Ruben Martinez, and Nell Irvin Painter, have all weighed in on this debate of immigration and given their opinion. While the participants in the debate about immigration share common ground over matters of fact and definition, they have not achieved consensus whether assimilation is still a requirement for cultural inclusion. As a result, rhetors that want to intervene in this debate should come in and explain the quality of immigration. Cohen, Martinez, and Painter all agree that immigration is …show more content…
Martinez’s main point contradicts with Cohen’s main point. He describes the Latin American Experience and how they navigate in the United States. Martinez defines Latin Americans as “the virtuosos of the in-between” (Martinez) meaning that immigrants in America can in fact keep their native culture while also being apart of American culture as well. Martinez does make an effort to point out that the “in-between” really means immigrants are “simultaneously in the center and on the margins” (Martinez) because no Latin American has run for major public office in recent years. He points out how in some places in America it is easier to be an immigrant than others. He also points out that Latinos are often used only when they are needed, like in elections, but there is no Latino expert making any major …show more content…
Painter starts out by describing the quality of African immigration and then goes on to explaining the quality of Irish and Latino immigration. She describes initial African immigration as “involuntary” and how they inhibit the “margins of American Society” (Painter) today because of the way they emigrated from Africa. Painter then goes on to describe how Irish immigration was much easier because the Irish are white, which guaranteed inclusion in the US at this point. She explains the immigration of Latino workers as a smoother transition because the wave came after the civil rights, and she explains how Latinos are making great strides today “from the margins into the center of Americanness” (Painter). Painter also defines inclusion, which includes “voting… and economic mobility into the respectable working class” (Painter). Painter also defines inclusion in her article, and that whiteness guarantees inclusion in the United States. She makes the argument that because these immigrants could not vote on policies and had no voice in politics, they could not vote on laws that would benefit them; leaving them as second-class citizens. As Painter puts it in