In this essay I talked about the idea of The American Dream and the reasons why many immigrants came and are still coming to this country (The United States). I decided first explain What is the american dream according to americans ( I look for information from wikipedia) and I explained it as much as I could and i decided to first explain what it was because that’s what many people from other countries think they are going to get when they come to this country. I know about it because I’m an immigrant and I’m the child of an immigrant and been around immigrants or people who want to come to this country and I know how they think when the conversation is about immigrating to the USA. They think that coming here is the end of the journey and everything is going to be perfect after that but it’s not true. I also wanted to explain to Americans who think that immigrants come to this country to basically take over or destroy it, that the majority of reasons why an immigrant comes to this country is to prosper, to give their kids a better life, to get a better education, better jobs or simply to stay safe. In this essay I tried to explain both sides (Americans and Immigrants) my perspective of the situation by looking for information, opinions and analysis throughout the internet and personal experiences.

The American Dream for Latinos/Hispanics.

What is the American Dream?

          The American dream is the National ethos of the United States. The idea of representative democracy, liberty, rights, equality, and upward mobility. Is the Pursuit of individual prosperity and success for oneself and their next generation. Hard work, sacrifice and risk-taking are the elements to achieve the American dream. This term has changed throughout the times, from the 18th century to the 21st century so, it has many meanings. An idea popularized by James Truslow Adams in 1931 saying that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or conditions of birth.

          Nobody really knows what exactly is the American dream, Nobody is really sure about if it really exists. Immigrants come to this country looking for that thing that they heard before. About a place with a better future for all, with justices, with opportunities for everyone to have a good life and to do what they can’t do in their countries… That idea might not be real, it’s way more complicated than what they have told. The American dream is dierent for every single one and it has too many interpretations that sadly are not talked about enough.

Why Immigrants come to this Country?

          Individuals and families come to this country looking for The American Dream. Dreams of economic success, social mobility and the chance to build a brighter future for themselves and their descendants. The Idea of hard work and determination can lead to prosperity becomes the courage for many immigrants to leave their mother country and embark their journey to a whole dierent country. Many individuals not just immigrate because of those reasons, also they are not safe in their countries

          “The first relates to attaining legal citizenship rights and a peaceful lifestyle away from the perils, personal persecutions, and the arbitrary rule of praetorian regimes” (White, John Kenneth and Sandra Hanson, 2016). The corruption that exists in many countries is also a factor of why immigration is so massive. People who are facing persecution or limited opportunities based on their political or religious beliefs may immigrate to The United States to enjoy the freedom and protections provided by the USA government, the idea of Liberty and equality.

          The search for a better education. They understand that their children deserve a better education and in their country it’s not possible. “Lack of access to quality education is a root cause of poverty and economic hardship which in turn drive people to choose migration as a means of seeking job opportunities and improving their lives” (Kino Border, 2018). To seek job opportunities, improve their lives and provide for their families. Having a degree in Latino-Americans countries is equal to nothing in most cases, the corruption maintains the poor in poverty no matter their educational level. You can finish 4 years of college, working hard to get that goal to end up working your entire life in a supermarket because you couldn’t find a job.

          The strong corruption and inequality in their country. The government is the main factor why individuals and families decide to leave their country and start over in the USA. They see their country as “their playground”. “The abuse of entrusted power for personal gain. This definition incorporates a wealth of behaviors, at various scales from unelected community leader to local ocial to national lawmaker.” (Crystal, 2021). Their desire for power and selfishness have led many countries to economic and social ruins. Stealing from their people, being part of malicious organizations that aect the country, naming unknown people leaders of important companies In order to maintain themselves at the top and untouchable, not giving those who worked hard to have an education the opportunity to social mobilice. All In order to not let their empire fall and to maintain the poor in poverty and the rich to get even more richer.

          The Opportunity to learn a dierent language. Having a good education is an important factor but having a good education and also being bilingual is the top of the top. The dierence between person A-finish college/university and person B-who also finish college/university but knows two or more languages is that person B has more opportunities to find a better job and even faster than person A in The USA “No nation has more speakers of the world’s most-spoken languages than the US, because no nation has more immigrants than the US. This is our secret sauce, and our sustaining strength..” (Leveen,2023) Having the ability to communicate with foreign countries is beneficial for the company looking for employees and for the country. That’s also one of the reasons of immigration mainly for Hispanic people. Spanish and English are the two most common languages but the opportunities of being bilingual apply globally for any language that includes English and any other one.

          Family reunification. Family reunification is a significant factor in immigration to the USA. People often immigrate to join with family members who are already living in the country. Most of the time it’s individuals reuniting with their parents or any other family member ( but most common parents) who haven’t been together for many years or even their children’s entire life “Historically, the emphasis on family reunification in American immigration law began in that act by allotting 74% of all new immigrants allowed into the United States to family reunification visas” (Wikipedia, 2023). Fortunately U.S immigration policies prioritize family reunification, allowing U.S citizens or permanent residents to support family members for immigration status adjustment.

          Cultural exposure and diversity. It’s well known that the United States has a big percentage of people who come from a dierent country with dierent cultures, which makes it a country where they can somehow feel like your mother-land. Also to connect and learn from other countries and to expand your knowledge about the world and its people. That would also give individuals dierent types of opportunities like educational, economic, influential, ect.

          All these factors are main reasons why individuals and/ or their families immigrate to The United States, but also all theseThese concepts are derivative from the idea of “The American Dream”. Despite the promises of opportunities, immigrants don’t have an easy journey to achieve their goal of the American Dream. The struggle to secure and stable employment, explore the unfamiliar culture, the struggle of not knowing English (Mainly for adult immigrants) and also the racial and cultural discrimination that still exists in the USA are factors that we also have to take into account.

The Other face of the dream.

          Equality and Justice. Two topics that are connected to the term of “The American Dream” , it reflects the aspirations of opportunity for all, regardless of the factor of race, ethnicity, gender, ect. But that’s not true, It’s not for everyone.

          The United States is an example of social injustice, racial discrimination, gender discrimination and ethnicity discrimination “Many Central Americans from countries like EL Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua as well as Caribbean immigrants from the Dominican Republic tend to have limited educations, high poverty rates, and low median family incomes” (Waters, Mary C., and Karl Eschbach. 1995).

          Starting from the very beginning when the first British colony came to this land and killed the Native American to steal their land or when they started to steal Africans from their continent and enslave them. After slavery they created segregation and Jim Crow colorism laws, and till this day black people are still fighting for equality Women still fight for equal treatment, equal wages, equal job opportunities “When Myrdal published An American Dilemma (1944), the segregationist tolerated by Plessy v. Ferguson was the law of the land, and caste-like barriers separated blacks from whites” (Waters, Mary C., and Karl Eschbach. 1995). Immigrants are also not treated equally and are deported to their countries for no other reason than the fact that White Americans do not want them here.

          Homeownership. Owning a house is considered a cornerstone of the American Dream. It represents security, stability, and a sense of belonging. But in the last few years the price of houses has been increasing in an extreme way, inflation is responsible for the prices to go up, and not just in houses but for everything “However, since home prices were already so high, these declines may not be enough for the average American to aord purchasing a new home” (Huisache,2023). The living expenses are so much higher now than how it was 10 years ago. Inflation increases house values making low class, middle class society dicult the goal of owning a house.

          So many factors that put in doubt the existence of The American dream in the last few years, at least for any other race besides White Native American but also depends on wealth. No matter your race or ethnicity. If an individual is wealthy enough she/he has the opportunity to have the popularized definition of the American Dream.

          The percentages are important to know how races are dierent from each other in society. In 2010, The educational high school percentage of latinos was 62.9, blacks 84.2 and Whites 87.6. 13.9 percent of latinos had at least a BA degree, compared to 19.8 percent of blacks and 30 percent of whites. The latinos household income in The United States was 38,039, compared to 32,584 of black households far below the 51,861 of white households. Unemployment rates for latinos were 10.8 percent, Blacks 13.4 percent and for whites 7.5 percent. The rate of poverty was 25.3 and 25.8 percent for latinos/as and Blacks, but the rate of poverty of whites was 12.3 percent.

          We have to take into consideration that The American Dream is a dynamic concept, Jennifer Wolak and David A. M. Patterson claimed in their book “The dynamic American Dream”. Its meaning changes and varies among dierent individuals and communities. It means that the American dream is simply a name to multiple definitions. It’s the simple way to call dierent experiences. There’s no expecific definition for the term American Dream but something is for sure, Immigrants are better here than in their countries.

Cites

1. “Asylum based on political persecution. J. Sparks Law PLLC” ( Sparks, J., 2023)
2. Drive, Crystal. “Understanding Migration: Corruption, Poor Governance, and Their … – USCRI.” U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, May 2021, refugees.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Understanding-Corruption-Migration-USCRI- brief-May2021.pdf.
3. Initiative, K. B. (2018, September 18). Education: a major reason for migration – Kino Border Initiative. Kino Border Initiative.
4. Huisache, Sam M. “2023 Data: Why Is the Housing Market so High?” Home Bay, 5 Mar. 2023,homebay.com/inflation-housing-market/#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20the%20increase%20in,home%20prices%20along%20with%20it.
5. Leveen, Steve. “The Surprising Truth about American Bilingualism: What the Data TellsUs.” America the Bilingual, America the Bilingual, 2 Feb. 2023, www.americathebilingual.com/the-surprising-truth-about-american-bilingualism-what-th e-data-tells-us/.
6. Waters, Mary C, and Karl Eschbach. “Immigration and Ethnic and Racial Inequality in the United States.” Harvard Library, Digital access to scholarships at Harvard, 1995, dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/3203265/Waters_ImmigrationEthnic.pdf.

7. White, John Kenneth, and Sandra L Hanson. “The Latino/a American Dream.” Cuny Library, 2016,web-s-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/ZTAwM HhuYV9fMjIyMjIwMF9fQU41?sid=c14b3278-689b-40d4-96fe-2d556305596c%40redis &vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_99&rid=0.
8. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. “Family Reunification.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_reunification.
9. Wikipedia, Wikipedia. “American Dream.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream.

Pic: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/627017bc979c4943a2710e0f411c226e