American Dream Essay

Roseanna Singletary
ENC 1102-Warren
February 25, 2013
Trials and Tribulations of the Modern Immigrant
Immigrants have always faced an uphill battle. Regardless of the country of the point of
origin, immigrants have to make a cultural adjustment to survive and potentially thrive.
Individuals from all across the globe come to the United States in order to seek out the American
dream. Their goals of seeking a better life, to provide for their family and to earn the economic
stability they didn’t have access to in their home land. The United States has a very strict
immigration process one of the strictest in the world, yet even after passage to the States,
immigrants face more than just the trials of finding a job, receiving an education and fitting in.
Immigrants coming to America may have more obstacles to overcome now than at any other
time in the history of the country, and only the strong, passionate, and persistent individuals are
able to make it and thrive.
The most serious issues and battles immigrants face are when they are undocumented.
This is a growing issue with immigrants coming from Mexico, the Caribbean or other South
American nations in which they don’t go through the standard immigration practice in order to
gain access to the United States. The problem escalates for children who are undocumented
immigrants (William Harris 2012). Many of these children end up attending school and
eventually look to receive a driver’s license, obtain a job or apply to college, only to either to be
denied or, worse, deported as an undocumented immigrant.
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To combat the issue, many are looking to change the law, although until substantial immigration
reform takes place, many of these undocumented immigrants searching for a better life have just
as high of a chance of being deported.
Outside of the children of immigrants, adult’s crossing over into the United States face
significant struggles right off the bat. These all revolve around their basic survival (Steve
Norman 2009). From securing a job to locating somewhere to live, as soon as an immigrant
makes their way into the United States, it is necessary for them to hit the pavement running.
Although this has always been an issue for immigrants coming to the United States, fewer and
fewer immigrants come to America with the basic knowledge to obtain these necessary tasks:
namely knowing the language. Twenty nine percent of all immigrants who live in California, a
state heavily populated with Latino immigrants, are in households where nobody over the age of
thirteen speaks English well (Laura Hill 2007). This makes enrolling in public school and finding
a suitable job incredibly difficult for these individuals, knowing the language is essential. This
doesn’t mean that immigrants don’t think learning the language isn’t important. In the same
study, ninety six percent of all foreign born Latinos believe it is important to teach English to
children, in order to ensure the children are able to survive and prosper in the United States.
Knowing the language has a direct correlation with further success down the road. In fact,
seventy one percent of immigrants who have a college degree speak English very well or
exclusively. Realizing at a young age that knowing and understanding the language proved
essential when it came to future success.
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At the conclusion of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, more individuals immigrating
during this time period than any other time throughout the history of the United States. However,
at the time a college education wasn’t necessary in order to find a well paying job and provide
for a family. Now, individuals must have some sort of college education in order to thrive in
America. An individual with a bachelor’s degree earns, on average, $55,700 a year, while
someone with just a high school diploma earned, on average $21,900 (Misty Mix, 2009). With
the increased demand for educated individuals, immigrants are faced with the need to learn the
language and master it quickly, to allow for a better life for not only themselves, but their
children.
Immigrants face an uphill battle as soon as they cross into the United States. Whether it is
the fear of deportation when applying for right-of-passage items such as a driver’s license or
enrollment in college, or simply learning to speak English, immigrants face more difficult tasks
and situations now than they ever have in the history of the country. Only the strong survive, but
on the top of these immigrants must possess determination greater than many of their national
counterparts, as there are more hurdles to leap over in order to obtain the American Dream.
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Works Cited
Harns, William. Undocumented, young immigrants face obstacles, uncertain future.
University of Chicago News, May 11, 2012.
Hill, Laura, English Proficiency of immigrants, Public Policy Institute of California.
May, 2007. Web. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from
<http//www.ppic.org/main/publication show.asp>
Mix, Misty. Study shows those with college degrees earn more money. You University.
Web. Retrieved on February 23, 2013 from
http://www.you university.com/news- trendy/4956-study-shows-those-
with-college-degrees-earn-more-money.
Norman, Steve, US Immigrants Face New Challenges, Voice of America. November 2,
2009. Web. Retrieved on February 23, 2013 from
<http:// www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2009-08-11-voa5-
68705437/356573.html>.