Caitlin Manning
Professor Guajardo
English 3361
4 May 2018
Immigration
In José Angel’s Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant gives the reader a glimpse into what José’s life was like when he crossed the border from Mexico to the United States and how that affected his daily life once he was here. This memoir exposes the reader to situations that are real life for most undocumented immigrants. These situations are living proof that people who come here are trying to gain a better life for themselves or their family. In America there is this agenda that has been pushed about immigrants in general, that they are “taking jobs away from Americans” or they are “sending their worst” and have even gone on to say that they are “using up …show more content…
Though the crises that have encouraged many immigrants to leave may have caused circumstances that prevented them from becoming fully educated or maybe even fully trained for certain positions, most immigrants are motivated to work and contribute to the economy. According to a recent study conducted by the Urban Institute, immigrants are less likely than citizens to access public welfare and government services; for this reason, they represent less of a burden than has typically been believed and which is less than that of the very people who complain about immigration (Fix & Passell 14). In fact, immigrants’ use of welfare and other public benefits has become even less frequent since the introduction of welfare reform laws that made them ineligible for many services, a policy that reflected hostile attitudes towards immigrants and the perceived economic impact they have on the host country (Fix & Passell …show more content…
As Lowry points out, the lack of consideration for human security as a facet of immigration policy may produce the kinds of national security fears that anti-immigration supporters advocate for. These supporters understand that patriotic Americans will do anything to protect their country and pass any types of laws. When they are spewing their arguments about how immigrants pose a threat to the national security without providing any substantial evidence, they are potentially putting innocent immigrants in harms way. As I have argued above, majority of the immigrants who come to the United States mean no harm. In fact, that is what they are trying to escape from. By consistently telling American citizens that immigrants are dangerous, it is increasing the risks of innocent people being
Professor Guajardo
English 3361
4 May 2018
Immigration
In José Angel’s Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant gives the reader a glimpse into what José’s life was like when he crossed the border from Mexico to the United States and how that affected his daily life once he was here. This memoir exposes the reader to situations that are real life for most undocumented immigrants. These situations are living proof that people who come here are trying to gain a better life for themselves or their family. In America there is this agenda that has been pushed about immigrants in general, that they are “taking jobs away from Americans” or they are “sending their worst” and have even gone on to say that they are “using up …show more content…
Though the crises that have encouraged many immigrants to leave may have caused circumstances that prevented them from becoming fully educated or maybe even fully trained for certain positions, most immigrants are motivated to work and contribute to the economy. According to a recent study conducted by the Urban Institute, immigrants are less likely than citizens to access public welfare and government services; for this reason, they represent less of a burden than has typically been believed and which is less than that of the very people who complain about immigration (Fix & Passell 14). In fact, immigrants’ use of welfare and other public benefits has become even less frequent since the introduction of welfare reform laws that made them ineligible for many services, a policy that reflected hostile attitudes towards immigrants and the perceived economic impact they have on the host country (Fix & Passell …show more content…
As Lowry points out, the lack of consideration for human security as a facet of immigration policy may produce the kinds of national security fears that anti-immigration supporters advocate for. These supporters understand that patriotic Americans will do anything to protect their country and pass any types of laws. When they are spewing their arguments about how immigrants pose a threat to the national security without providing any substantial evidence, they are potentially putting innocent immigrants in harms way. As I have argued above, majority of the immigrants who come to the United States mean no harm. In fact, that is what they are trying to escape from. By consistently telling American citizens that immigrants are dangerous, it is increasing the risks of innocent people being