The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors is a bill first introduced in 2001 and last reintroduced early 2011.

If passed, the bill would provide conditional residency to illegal alien minors who complete at least two years in a bachelor’s or higher degree program or serve in the Armed Forces for at least two years.

In order to qualify, a minor must have arrived in the country before his or her 15th birthday and lived in the United States for at least five years preceding the DREAM’s enactment. The minor must be attending a university or have earned a high school diploma or General Education Development certificate.

The bill has been proposed 13 times in the past 11 years. Politicians and immigrants are still struggling to pass the bill.

Children have no choice when illegally entering the country with their parents. They face the fear of deportation every day from the country they have lived in for more than half their lives.

Crime rates and economic climates in Central-American countries have kept illegal aliens in the United States. Although they are not legal, they feel safer here than in their native country.

A perfect argument for passing the DREAM Act is the case of Daniela Pelaez, a valedictorian at North Miami High who dreams of becoming a heart surgeon. She will graduate this year with a 6.7 GPA, but is uncertain about her college plans because of her immigration status.

Pelaez’s parents brought her and her sister from Colombia to the United States in 1991, when she was four years old. Her parents divorced and Pelaez now lives with her father, who is a resident. She was denied residency and was issued an order of voluntary deportation.

After many court debates, an immigration judge granted her a temporary deferment for two years without fear of deportation.

According to the Immigration Policy Center, only five to 10 percent of undocumented high-school graduates go to college. Without financial aid or in-state tuition, it is extremely difficult for them to attend a university.

The country can benefit from people like Pelaez, who will help the community when she becomes a professional.

Removing the uncertainty of undocumented status, the DREAM Act can provide an opportunity for children of illegal aliens to make a contribution to the U.S. economy and society.

The policy ought to be someone who doesn’t have the right to be in the United States shouldn’t be admitted to the bar, period, said a Washington think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.

This is trying to steal a base. In other words, they’re trying to skip over the debate over whether people in his situation should get legalized. It’s one more way of trying to create legalization.

Cesar Vargas, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has passed the bar exam and is in the process of applying for his law license in New York, has started a group, the Dream Bar Association, to advocate for people in his position. Membership numbers about two dozen, and includes those interested in going to law school to those who have passed the bar.

We’re basically throwing the judicial branch into the immigration debate … through our cases, he said.

In California, Sergio Garcia, 35, an illegal immigrant, has been awaiting a decision since he passed the bar exam in 2009. Because the admissions process is confidential, neither Garcia nor the bar could speak about his application, though a bar spokeswoman said the application for admission doesn’t require citizenship.

The idea of an undocumented immigrant working as a lawyer in the U.S. is preposterous.

The rule of federal immigration law should focus on making themselves legal as opposed to bypassing the law.
Admission should be done on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether a specific applicant has met the moral character test of the application.

Imagine this– I gather 50,000 buddies and we jump over the fence in Southern Arizona and go to Mexico.   We walk to the capital in Mexico City and we DEMAND equal rights!  We demand to be on the ballots, to be given free education, to be given driver’s licenses, to be able to rent or buy anywhere, to force the newspapers and media to
speak English.   We will park where we want, and basically call ourselves legal residents and make every claim that we can.  We will demand jobs, demand social security and demand to be treated equally.  We will be Americans
and act like Americans while we demand things from all Mexican municipalities. We will convince all national transits to the US to not bother.  Jump the fence! Bore through the fence.  Go to jail, fill it up.  Then, protest
for more rights!

Does any of that seem absurd, silly, sad?

How about: Hey undocumented–[no English, thus, ILLEGAL]

You are battling-fighting the wrong people.  YOU are from Mexico –which you supposedly love–and you want more for your family–badly enough to risk prison.  YOUR battle is with the different municipalities and federal government in Mexico; it has nothing to do with the U.S.!   In the US, we have OUR customs and cultures; and the first one is,
we speak English.  We have birth certificates that show a birth in the US.  We attended US schools. We understand American cultures and American values–our values do NOT include ignoring our laws, jumping over national fences, and DEMANDING rights from other nations.  Or ignoring tourist visas…When we visit Mexico, we stop at the border and fill out tourist visa data–I have done so a few times when I visited.  I respected] Mexican law enough to follow Mexican laws.  Why do you, undocumented whatever you are, ignore US laws?  You even
demand services in Spanish!  You demand the right to drive. You demand this and that.  And yet, you consider
yourselves moral, ethical and law abiding.  ARE you on drugs?  Are you betting a friend that you can make
a complete idiot of yourself and then, complain to Americans and demand equality–when you violate dozens of our
laws and NOT care!  

YOU do not wish to be compared to murderers, rapists, thieves and more.  If you do not like those comparisons, then, return to Mexico and enter the US LEGALLY.  It is as simple as that.

Imagine if our citizens risked jail and lined up near the lake and small walls and shot at you! Imagine a US citizen shooting even at the border patrol which does not stop the flow.  What if US citizens put land mines
near the fence?  We would not need border patrols–cross where not legal, blown up!

Just wondering.

I just realized that in 5 years, I could become the next president
of the US. Seriously!   It is not that hard.  And I won’t need to become
a senator or member of the House of Representatives
first! 

I will come back to how I can do this at the end of my story!

For over 25 yrs, the US has been in a battle, most of the time
quietly and sometimes, noisily, about illegal immigrants.
Today, April 24, 2012, on the internet, is the story about
two illegal immigrants [their admission, not my accusation]
who have lived in the US long enough to learn English,
go to college, get accepted into law school,
and pass the applicable STATE BAR.

They both admit to still being illegal immigrants.  Of course,
we have HIDING in different parts of the US,
other illegal immigrants; esp Chinese who were
kidnaped from [or sold by] their families and brought to the US for
whatever reasons.

In the law, there is a rule called ‘dirty hands.’  In it,
one cannot go to court and say “please award me this
benefit cause I am a good guy and I paid for it,
or I passed this test, or whatever.  If the person
who is complaining knows that the guy who sold it to him
stole the item, the person demanding
“justice” in court has DIRTY hands.

Let’s say that a rule or law says “this person must be a college graduate
of a US college and to be a college student, one must be a legal
resident of the US–whoever accepted him into school and whoever gave him the test to complete ignored the rules of the test…and cannot
pass the test-or get the diploma/degree.  The
student and the admission department are guilty of “dirty hands”
and other negative things.

A current retort by illegal aliens is that they are
nice people.  That is not relevant.  Nice people
break laws, even laws they do not know exist.

When a person is in secondary school and
learns about English and history, soon, he
realizes that he is an undocumented/illegal
alien [if he-she is]–it is essential for that person
to turn himself into ICE and the applicable
county as not being here legally.  A moral
person may feel stuck–between “narcing” on
a parent–but if the parent was a thief or
drug dealer, he would not hesitate to tell the
police. But when it comes to being here
illegally, most undocumented Mexicans/aliens
feel it is not moral to inform on their parents.
Thus, in law, those children–soon to be adults-
have “dirty hands.”  Some dumb law says
that children of illegals are legal.  If this
second part is correct, then these two students
should have no problem.  But if in fact, there
is no law that says a child of an undocumented
alien/person is a US citizen, then what has all of this
commotion been about?

As of now, over 12,000,000 people are in the US
illegally.  And different laws have been discussed for
25 yrs, to permit undocumented to become legal
if this or that happens and in the mean time,
nothing happens and they are still law breakers.

In Arizona, some dumb blank law permits
the highest population minority creed to have
their language listed on many government
documents or offices.  How would the state
know if a million Germans or Japanese or
other nationalities were living in Arizona and
just did not want to be counted?  It is feasible
that illegal Mexicans might not be our largest
minority.

Now, back to my idea that could guarantee me
the presidency of the US–using the same dumb
laws that are protecting undocumented Mexicans
from being deported.

I know of 100,000,000 persons born outside of the US
who would be glad to learn English and would be glad
to live and work in the US.  I can get the visitors visas easily.  I could transport them to
the US–not easily.  I could house them in the South West [easier than one might think.]
I could feed them and get them educated.  More
complicated but not whatever unfeasible or
impossible.

In 90 days, I could become a mayor of the city
they live in–easily.   During the next county
election, their county supervisor.  During the next governor
election, their and the state’s governor. 

That leaves me just about four years and I am
president of the US–cause I could easily have
95% of their votes.  Do I want to be president?
No.  At least not of the US.  To many “power brokers.”

I would have ICE line up 500 buses and take every
undocumented to Mexico City.  And I would do that
for the next 2 yrs, 2 trips a day for 2 yrs, for each of the
500 buses.  And those who want to drive home,
they would have to have arm court bracelets.

We would, to be fair, have immediate
return tourist visas available for those who
qualify otherwise.  And we would provide tents
for those who have no homes to return to.
But Mexico would have to feed and employ them.
In 6 mo, all Chinese, Mexican and other nationalities
would be returned home and those who are found to have
brought them would be jailed. [maybe for only 1 week before being returned.]
And those employers and landlords who rented to them would be
fined or jailed.  We would CLEAN house of all those
who got away with harboring the undocumented illegals
from all places.

That would bring us millions of new job opportunities,
and no occupants of houses who did not speak
English!!!  And Americans could be proud again
and those Mexicans and Chinese who returned,
could be proud that they went through the system.
No more drop houses.  And no more drug lords in Mexico.  We have a solution for that.
Imagine for a change, no weapons in a person’s home
or place of work in Mexico!  And no other weapons.
And 24/7 airborne x-ray vision systems to spot
weapons.  With entire battalions surrounding
drug lords’ homes, in weeks, all the drug
lords would be jailed.  If no person is allowed to have
weapons, the drug lords would have no way to
assault others.

If the UN has to bring in 25,000 soldiers, so be it!

If I was in charge…..of something.

When I went to China at first, I couldn’t adapt very well. But when I followed their culture and ate their foods, I adapted very fast. So if you follow the new culture, you can adapt quickly.
And if you don’t follow their customs, you will be very lonely. When I came to China, there’s nobody in my surroundings. But now I have many friends and they told me many things about China. I don’t have Chinese friends but when I accept their culture, I think I can make a Chinese friend.

It is not easy to follow their culture. But I think this is the manner of accepting and understanding their culture. And I don’t understand why some people follow their customs only(I used to be the same).I think it’s a foreigner’s duty.
When you follow their culture and communicate with them, you will be a successful foreigner.

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As time goes on, the number of people moving to another country is increasing more and more. Some of them follow their own culture but some others decide to follow their new place’s culture. Each individual opinion differs but I think it is better for migrants to observe their original custom.

First of all, even if migrants decided to leave their own country and adapt to a new place, they are still one nation of their own country. However many people lose their patriotism frequently due to the life environment among people who share other culture for a long time. Therefore, to constantly be reminded of it, migrants should follow the customs at least at home.
Moreover, people who recently moved can easily approach neighbors by introducing their life styles. It might bring a feeling of distance at first because of strange cultures. However when the time passes, it can rather be appealing.

Many people are afraid to talk about this issue incase others think they are being racist but I think something needs to be said. I live in North London and everywhere I go, to the shops, dentist, doctors ect, I can hear the staff speaking in a foreign language. I very rarely see a British person working these days, all friends claim they can not get employment because of all these foreign workers.

My friends are not lazy most have been to college or university and gotten good grades, they try very hard to find work and yet are unsuccessful. They feel employers will not hire them because they are White British and they prefer to hire foreign workers because its cheaper and it makes them look good.

I myself think its because the UK Government are too relaxed with their immigration laws and allow too many people into a small country. Youth unemployment is at an all high, and for the most part its not because the young are lazy and unwilling to work, there simply isn’t nearly enough jobs out there. The ones that are suffering are today’s British youth and they are beginning to get very frustrated by it all.

What should the British Government do? Stop foreigners from coming to Britain? Or create more jobs?

Please leave your comments below I would like to know what people think.

The problem with trying to find your family history is that some families like that of my own are filled with secrets that members knowing of those secrets will lie to keep their dirty little secrets from being known. I was asked if I was going to write a book about my family; someday I might, but this is not that story.

Sometimes it is hard to know right from wrong these days.  I have learned some very important lessons in my life thus far. Unless each respective government and government office takes seriously their base belief working for and with their people they will eventually fall. Also, governments of this world as we know them today cannot be trusted at all; contrary to what my mom believed and what she had taught me to believe.

With that having been said and with a heavy heart I must also say that there are not many church leaders that can be trusted either. There are some very loud religious fanatics (People that still believe in an eye for an eye and stoning of sinners), then there are religious slackers (People that claim one faith or another, talks a  lot but does little or nothing to help their fellow mankind), and then there are people like me caught someplace between the two and standing ground.

I learned a great deal about churches and their leadership over my life time thus far and what I learned isn’t pretty. Many of the churches that spend millions of dollars for television time do not even have food banks or clothes pantries not affiliated with the government subsidies or Thrift stores open and free to their community or even have small busses to help others to get to their churches for services. The congregants however will stare at your vehicle when you enter the parking lot and whisper among them. The congregants will determine your worth also by the clothes that you wear as you exit your vehicle or enter the church. In most cases a person’s worth is not gauged by what they know, but how much income the congregation and leaders think those people are worth. Congregants with money have the same influences within the churches as those with money to give large donations to the government have within the government. So who do you think are calling the shots?

There are several things that are presumed to be Political that I believe are in reality Moral issues.  The main one I wish to discuss today with you is Immigration. It is really easy for people like me that are born in North America to say “Send them back where they came from.” While I do, as most people; worry about the overpopulation problems of our great nation I have taken the time to review the History of North America. Unless you are one hundred percent Native American Indian your ancestors were Immigrants once upon a time. They lived in fear and in poverty while they worked their way up and out of that mess one generation at a time.

The horrible conditions with which North America was in when our ancestors arrived looking for a better life, which we actually have that better life; even the poorest of the poor in this nation live better than they would have in the middle eighteen hundreds through to about the middle nineteen hundreds.

This next I say in all honesty, but not to stir trouble or to insight fights because I am against violence of any kind. The fault is with the government and the churches of the United States of America not with the influx and outflow of Immigrants within this nation that was built by Immigrants to begin with. The government refuses to help bring back the necessary industries and the churches don’t do the right things according to God’s Will.

Yes this is contradictory to what I had said earlier in the year, but I was not taking into account all of the facts when I had said those things. The arguments against Illegal Immigration sounded logical until you truly research the North American History. If the North American government had done their work properly and within a timely fashion, according to the existing laws than yes the arguments would be logical ones; to some degree. Unfortunately we all know those working within and for the government are lazy, incompetent individuals getting high pay for minimal work. If you don’t believe that just take a good look at what the government has done in the way of work in the decade.

For reasons I will not go into here I have to admit that I am against separating parents from their children. Children need their parents. Children need a solid foundation regardless of what the inept government and their crooked agents have to say because that solid foundation begins within the home with their parents. It is not only immoral, but also hypocritical to place blame on Immigrants, illegal or otherwise; that come to the United States of America in hope of a better life for themselves and their future generations when considering most of us would not be American’s today if our ancestors didn’t come to these very same shores with the very same hopes and dreams.

God said to be an example. What kind of an example has the United States of America been or the Churches have been or even the people of North America for that matter? We have only to study the History of North America from its very first landing of Immigrants upon its shores to the present to answer that question. We have only to study the History of Ancient Empires; study about all of the wars and the “Risings” between England and Ireland; study the wars and skirmishes between England and early North America; study the Civil War between the North and South of North America; study the wars of Hitler of Germany and all of the rest and you will get a very good idea of what the currant government is quickly becoming.

Sure we have better technology, but what good is it if you don’t use it for the greater good of mankind? With the information, medical techniques and greater technology we have today no country should have hungry people within their boundaries. No individual should be without adequate living facilities. No country should be without adequate drinking water for their people; and I could go on.

Churches can send young people into other countries to push their religious beliefs but do nothing to help them learn about proper irrigation systems for their farms; build better housing to live in; make pipes and install indoor plumbing and all the government wants to do is make money from behind the scenes deals like “Fast and Furious” and send young men and women around the world to enforce peace; or so they say. Nobody has matured enough yet to realize that peace has never been, can not now nor ever will be made through violence.

How many more lives of young people must we sacrifice before we grow up? How many more families must be torn apart before we become smart? How are the Citizens of North America any better than anybody else when just like our ancient ancestors of the past pass judgments on others based on race or religious preferences?  The blood of the dead is upon the governments and church leadership of this world and those who encourage such behaviors. Woe unto them for their path is fraught with misery.

Source

Immigrants came to America to get away from their old lives and live the American Dream, but were impeded by discrimination and poverty. Economic conditions in China and Eastern Europe caused many people to emigrate from those places to America, the land of opportunity. People also came from Eastern and Southern Europe to escape military service or religious persecution. The boat ride to Ellis Island was far from luxurious. Irish immigrants were hired to work in tough conditions; harsh weather, temperatures, and under attack from Nativists. Immigrants settled in ethnic regions they recreated their cultures in. Some Americans who were born in America became nativists, or strongly opposed immigration and disliked immigrants. One of the only victories for the nativists was a law passed in 1882 banning poor people, mentally disabled people, and convicts from immigrating to America. The Chinese Exclusion Act was also passed at the same time banning Chinese from immigrating to America and those already in America from becoming citizens.

Source

African Americans in the second half of the 19th century were former, or the children of former, slaves, and started off in a bad position and environment to achieve the American dream. By the second half of the 19th century, the Civil Rights Act, 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment had all been passed. African Americans could legally become citizens, own land, get fair trials, vote, become educated and literate, build churches in their communities, and not become the victims of hate crimes (esp. KKK). African Americans had quickly organized politically and become a part of the US government. However, when the Reconstruction failed, African Americans in the South had to go back to plantations, as poorly paid workers or sharecroppers. Sharecroppers became stuck in an endless cycle of debt, and so were not able to use and enjoy the new rights they had recently acquired.

Source

Laborers in the second half of the 19th century pursued the American Dream, but were not always lucky or were unable to because of big business. Miners in the West set off with hopes of striking it rich every time new sources of valuable ore were discovered. Some became rich, and some kept chasing around the boomtowns, leaving each one deserted. Cattle ranchers brought the Texas Longhorn breed of cattle into the Great Plains and set up ranches there, this breed could survive the conditions, and the government provided an area of land for them to graze called the open range. Transporting the cattle East became practical after beef prices soared when the civil war ended and railroads were built, which reached within 200 miles of the Great Plains in the 1860’s. A huge profit could be made with this transfer. The Cowboy’s stories also provided profit for writers of dime novels. With price drops, cold winters, and the invention of barbed wire to fence in and protect cattle, the excitement of cowboys’ jobs decreased. Homesteads and advancements in agricultural technologies allowed Americans to settle, living under harsh conditions, and start farms. If their farms became successful they could bring over their families as well.

Source

Successful miners, cattle ranchers, and farmers began mini big businesses (companies with paid workers), this was especially true for the miners which later formed huge companies and were no longer part of the working class. The invention of the automatic loom and new shoe-making technologies created new jobs mass producing standard sized clothes. With machines replacing skilled labor, workers began to be hired to perform specific tasks operating the machines, repetitively. These jobs required little skill, so the workers had little to be proud of, and so did not enjoy their professions. Industrial workers usually worked long hours for small salaries, which were relatively large compared to earlier decades, and in unhealthy environments inhaling a variety of toxic chemicals on a daily basis. These workers formed Unions to protect them from the greed fueled actions of their employers. Craft workers had more specialized skills and so were paid slightly higher wages and had slightly more personalized work. They formed trade unions. Unions called industrial unions formed, consisting both of unskilled workers and craft workers. Employers fought back against unions and strikes with lockouts and scabs. Scabs were often immigrants, which is one of the reasons nativists did not like them.

Source

In the second half of the 19th century some people achieved the American dream, and some people did not. This depends not only on what people achieved, but what they wished to achieve. The American Dream for immigrants was to come to America, and increase their own standard of living. I think that in current times the American dream remains the same for immigrants from worse condition, but is the idea of becoming a rockstar or national sports star among the youth. The American Dream is different and unique depending on who’s dream it is, especially so among young people. Many people lead lives they consider to not have turned out well, with conditions they consider unbearable. These same lifestyles some people consider to be so horrible, are the “American Dream” of potential immigrants, or even more so those who do not have the choice to immigrate here. 

It is sad to know that over 40 million people in our country cannot read above the eighth grade level. Additionally, a little under half that amount cannot read above the fifth grade level. These people are considered to be illiterate.

Build on skills 

Our children are educated from elementary, to middle and then into high school. At each grade level they are suppose to master new and different skills and build on the ones that they have previously learned. Take reading, easy words are learned and formed into sentences. Then, with advancement of each grade level thereafter, that skill is further strengthened. Building on these skills is essential, year after year during their school years.

If reading is not properly taught to a student or for some reason, the student has not mastered that level, then an illiteracy problem can arise if the child is continually advanced into a higher grade. Not only illiteracy, but many times behind that comes failure in math, science and history. The student has a higher rate of dropping out of school.

Not all students drop out because they cannot read. There are other reasons. But, with statistics so high on the amount of Americans who cannot read and who are classified as being illiterate, this seems like one of the most prominent reasons for their illiteracy. Somehow, during the young years of school, it seems that these Americans did not learn what they needed too to be able to function in a literate capacity in our society when they became adults.

Everyday, some 7,000 of our own children become high school drop outs. Out of the students who stay in school until they are seniors, 20% of them cannot read. So, would it be a surprise to know that 85% of juveniles who break the law are at some level illiterate? It shouldn’t be.

Immigrants

In 2008, illegal immigrants and legal immigrants cost our country 346 billion dollars a year for social programs. It is now 2011. Many of them cannot read English and are at the level of impoverishment.

Financial Poverty

Every year, the budgets for all of the social programs in our country, such as welfare, social services and free school lunches just seems to grow larger and larger. Children continue to grow up in poverty. Why? Because within many of these households, their parents cannot make enough money to financially support them. Millions of these Americans and or immigrants are functionally illiterate. They cannot even read this article nor can they fill out a simple job application. What employer is going to hire someone who cannot read the company’s own job description? Most likely, not many.

Education Secretary wants personal finance taught as early as kindergarten　

Education Secretary Arne Duncan feels that personal finance should be taught in our public school system as early as a child enters kindergarten.

Does this make any sense?

Considering the levels of illiteracy, does implementing such a program right now even make sense? Why not make sure that all the aspects of what is causing our country’s illiteracy be aggressively tackled and defeated first? If an illiterate person cannot read, how can he or she figure out his or her financial status?

As a nation, we need to gain control over our illiteracy problem. Without doing so, our great nation is going to continue to suffer. With all of the wealth within our country, illiteracy causes our society so much pain and hardship through poverty and or criminal behavior. As Americans, we deserve for our government to tackle the most pressing and most fundamental problem first, illiteracy.

The factory workers were exploited because of their age, gender and ethnic background. The factory workers were men, women, and children, usually of Eastern European descent. William Moran discusses the atrocities that happened within the mills at the time in his book, The Belles of New England: the Women of the Textile Mills and the Families Whose Wealth They Wove, when he describes what happened to Camella Teoli. Camella was a child worker who had her scalp torn off while working in the mill as a child (Moran 182). The mill was not a safe place to be, especially for a child. Children were forced into work at a young age. Many dropped out of school, sometimes due to pressure from their family to help make money for the family and sometimes by the factory owners. The factory workers were working long hours for low pay, living in cramped tenement housing during their few hours off, and dying at young ages, a lot of the time from diseases they got while working. Moran discusses the struggles of the female Eastern European factory workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts specifically in the strike of 1912. The women were told that they were going to have a pay cut and got up and began to protest which started the largest textile strike in America. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back and the women were leading the revolution against the injustices that many other Americans also faced. Moran says that the, “workers… were falling behind as cost of living [rose] and… [their rents rose]. Every penny counted” (Moran 171). Immigrant workers were faced daily with their own versions of The Depression. They were not paid very well and they struggled very hard to make ends meet. They could not afford to lose any bit of their hard earned money by this pay cut. The Eastern Europeans were also discriminated against because of their ethnic background. Eastern Europeans were still considered non-white at the time and did not have the privileges of whiteness. Though today we would consider Eastern Europeans to be white, at that time the distinction of whiteness had more privileges and not just anyone could obtain such a title. All of these factors were against them and added to the ease of employers to treat them as less than they were worth and to exploit them for cheap labor.

Mexican Nationals were exploited because of their lack of citizenship and their fear of deportation. Even the Mexican Americans discriminated against the Mexican Nationals, though they were from the same country and shared the same struggles. In Matt Garcia’s book, Race, Nation, and Empire in American History, he states that, “most physical assaults had been perpetrated against, not by, [Mexican Nationals]” (Garcia 193). Mexican nationals faced discrimination even from the Mexican Americans. The Mexican Americans saw the Mexican Nationals as a threat to their job security and as blocking them from rising in pay and within the social structure of the workplace. The cause of this hatred towards Mexican Nationals was partly based on the differences in the pay of Mexican Americans and Mexican Nationals. Though the Mexican Nationals actually, “earned less than what their contracts promised” (Garcia 194), they did not have as many expenses as the Mexican Americans and so comparatively it made their pay seem even greater than the Mexican Americans pay. Mexican Nationals were seen as a threat, in regards to the job market and in regards to women, and often were attacked and assaulted though the attacks were unprovoked. The Mexican American had developed the American mentality of fighting for what’s yours rather than the Mexican ideals of helping one another and rising together through society with the brothers of their homeland.

African Americans were exploited because although they were citizens they did not have all of the rights that citizens had. In Clare Corbould’s piece, Africa the Motherland, she quotes Garvey as saying, “black Americans [are] not and [will] never be accepted in the United States” (Corbould 18). What Garvey said affected many African Americans at the time as most of them felt the same way. Their struggles for freedoms from the time of slavery up to that point didn’t seem to advance them that much further and did not help them incorporate themselves into American society. Though they had achieved their goal of freedom and citizenship, they were still disallowed to vote by stipulations. One of those stipulations is voiced in Clare Corbould’s piece by citing that, “until 1915… black[s]… were prevented from voting by the… ‘grandfather clause’” (Corbould 20). African Americans faced social injustices within the country that they were brought to when they were enslaved and were still facing certain shackles of society. They could say they were citizens but to what avail if they did not have the rights that citizen’s had?

Victor Berger says, “workers ‘of any nationality will endure a certain degree of slavery, but no more’” (Moran 181). The African Americans rise up against their unfair treatment is seen from the very beginning through to the Civil Rights movement. The factory workers rise up against their unfair treatment is seen through their strikes and eventually through child labor laws as well. Women rise up against their unfair treatment from the end of the 1800’s up to the women’s suffrage movement. All these fights for freedom against acts of discrimination had reached a threshold where they would no longer tolerate the injustices thrust upon them. This threshold is “a certain degree of slavery, but no more”.

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Works Cited

Garcia, Matt. Cain Contra Abel: Courtship, Masculinities, and Citizenship in Southern California farming Communities, 1942-1964. Brown University, 2007. Race, Nation, and Empire in American History. 180-200. Print.

Corbould, Clare. Becoming African Americans, Black Public Life In Harlem, 1919-1939. Harvard Univ Pr, 2010. 18-39. Print.

Moran, William. The Belles Of New England, The Women Of The Textile Mills And The Families Whose Wealth They Wove. Thomas Dunne Books, 2003. 171-223. Print.

Today in the United States everyone is legally equal, blacks and whites, men and women, minorities and majorities, Hindus, Catholics, Taoists, Muslims, followers of any religion, belonging to any social or economic group, they are all equal— except immigrants. Immigrants to the United States without passports or visas or “papers” are treated and viewed as a social group that does not belong and that is less important or less deserving than the social group of people who were born in the United States, or who went through the proper channels to be legally allowed to live in the United States.

Legally allowed to live in the United States? To most everyone this is normal, if you want to come to the States from some other country you have to get permission, and if you want to stay, you need even more permission. But everyone who was born here can stay for as long as they like, they have the right to live here and pursue happiness. As the founders of the United States wrote, pursuing happiness is an inalienable right that every man, woman, and child has because they are a man, woman, or child, not because they were born some place, or because they are a certain color, speak a certain language, worship a certain god, but because they are people. Why is it then that people who are not from here, people who have a different social background than us, ​are not freely allowed to pursue happiness in what most Americans will tell you is the greatest country on Earth?

There are a lot of people who want to come to the United States, and some would argue that we cannot possibly let them all in, but why? Someone seeking a better life in the United States has just as much of a right to do so than anyone legally in the country has the right to buy a nicer house. What is the difference between an immigrant seeking a better life here and a citizen seeking a better life across town? Unlike all of my other questions, I will answer this one for you—they are not like us. Someone from another country belongs to a different social group; we do not share a culture with them. That is why people rally for stricter border control while they complain about the wait at US Customs. The United States has a long history of segregating people for being different, and it also has a long history of later realizing its mistake and granting equal rights to those people, but it has always overlooked immigrants.

However, America is not the only country to overlook immigrants. In June of 2009 some Kurds living in Japan were seeking to be granted the legal status of Refugee. The Japanese government was not cooperating and the Kurds staged a 72 day sit-in protest, which ended when they were forcibly removed.  In Japan  “citizens possess an exclusive right to political speech and action. Protests by refugees undoubtedly question citizens’ monopoly of this right” (Shindo).

The protesters were human, and the people who removed them were human, yet they were separated into the two mutually exclusive groups of “Citizen” and “Non-Citizen.” Even though Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “Everyone has the right to a nationality,” and “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.” Non-Citizens were denied basic human rights. As refugees without ​legal Refugee status these Kurds had no nationality, and were being denied the right to stay in Japan. On top of this it was popular opinion that, “in retaliation for the sit-in, the Kurd refugees might not only be denied recognition as ‘refugees’, but also be detained for a longer period than others” (Shindo). Because these people were not citizens, it was widely believed that they would receive punishment for doing something which all citizens of the country have the right to do.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document made by the United Nations, of which both Japan and the United States are members. By being members they agree to the rights granted by this document, yet because there is no United Nations enforcement agency, the rights are free to be trampled upon. In some regions of Mexico, living conditions could hardly be called “living” conditions, where necessities such as food, water, and shelter, are not met. People experiencing these conditions often pursue happiness in the United States, and are subsequently expelled. This occurs despite article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”

It is easy for a powerful country like the United States to deny Non-Citizens basic human rights, such as those from Article 13 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights concerning the freedom of movement, which is elaborated on by Human Rights Education Associates.

The right to free movement affects economic migrants, those who have fled their homes not in fear of persecution but in search of a higher standard of living, which would bring increased job and educational opportunities.

Immigrants are directly affected by this freedom due to the fact that ​they have entered a new nation intending to settle there. If they are not allowed into that nation, or the government in any way restricts movement within their new society, then clearly this is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

All people have the right to be exempt from expulsion from their country of origin or nationality as well as countries they have immigrated to. This right applies to individuals as well as large groups of people.

It could be argued that merely putting up a fence between the United States and Mexico is denying passage between the two to those who seek it. And because there is no agency or military body to enforce the United Nations’ declaration the United States frequently ignores it.

If illegal immigrants manage to find work in the United States, it is often low paying work that legal residents and citizens do not wish to perform. Food harvesting is often done by illegal immigrants, at wages below state minimum, and it is because of this that the food can be sold so cheaply. Under article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sub-standard payment is forbidden.

Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

But because this group of people is segregated by the Citizen/Non-Citizen line,​ citizens feel that they can treat the illegal immigrants in this manner. That because they belong to this other group they are inferior people. This is very similar, if not identical, to the views that were held about women and African Americans in the United States until they were legally defined as being equal to all others.

In the United States it is a well established more that immigrants apply for citizenship and not stay illegally. This more is so strong that it is even fashioned into a law, becoming a formal norm. It is from this law that the term “illegal immigrant” derives. A very interesting term, as it labels a person as illegal. It is not their actions or their possessions that are illegal, but their presence. Treating a group differently for demographics they cannot change is discrimination. The only thing that these people have done wrong is having been born in another country, much like African Americans were discriminated against for merely the color of their skin decades ago.

One thing that is very different between immigrants and African Americans however is the law, the formal norm that allows others to inhumanly treat this group of people. African Americans have all the same legal rights as every other citizen, but illegal immigrants are not citizens, and do not have any of the rights of citizens. By keeping this group of people legally distinct from others, it only enforces the more that keeps them from being welcomed into the country.

Referencing back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights yet again, Article 5 states that, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Often the first part of this article is cited in cases of prisoners of war, or suspects of treason being tortured and dehumanized into revealing some information that their captors seek. But all too often the rest of this article is left out. It is a human right to be treated as ​human, something that is easily derived. Yet what it means to be treated as human has gray areas, which is why the article adds that no one should be subjected to degrading treatment or punishment. Degrading, while not of perfect diction itself, is a much more defined term. Few people would argue that being deported is not degrading, or that performing labor for a lower wage than a citizen would be given is not degrading, yet the United States government and its citizens continue these practices.

A functionalist approach to this situation would state that the lower earning illegal immigrants are crucial for the economic development of the country, as they enable the cheap production of raw goods. An extended look at this could include the goods produced from the immigrant-harvested food. Something simple and seemingly insignificant can play a large role in the functioning of society. Non-Citizens produce food for the Citizens, and in return the Citizens offer a stable job and some financial compensation, though the two groups often do not interact directly, they rely on each other intensely. Citizens and Non-Citizens are far more likely to be around people of their own group, and it is because of this that Citizens may never know someone who does work for a degrading sum, which brings us to the interactionalist perspective.

Interactionalists would see this as a separation. The two groups hardly interact with each other, a Citizen may only see a Non-Citizen if they are the person who hires them. Often, it is the case that the two groups will not speak the same language, so their interactions would be even more limited. Hand gestures and facial expressions would have to go a long way for these communications. Approval and disapproval may only be expressed as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. On top of this the Citizen group interacting with the Non-Citizen group may very well view themselves as superior, leading in to the ​feminist view.

Not only are the illegal immigrants treated poorly because they belong to the Non-Citizen group, but also because some of them are women. When it comes to picking oranges, anyone can do it, but employers will often view jobs as suitable for certain genders and selectively hire employees based on that view. This is something which is illegal in the United States, gender discrimination is not allowed in the work place, but when an employer is hiring someone who is an undocumented illegal immigrant, they can be as discriminating  as they want. Feminists would view this as an inequality between genders, as the males pick oranges, their female counter parts clean houses, and without an equal balance of genders doing both jobs it certainly is an inequality. The Non-Citizen group struggles to find work, and is even faced with gender discrimination if work is found. The Citizens and Non-Citizens conflict, taking us to the Conflict view.

From the Conflict perspective, the Citizens are the Haves, and the Non-Citizens are the Have-Nots. The Non-Citizens struggle to increase their quality of life, while the Citizens take advantage of their cheap labor.

Historically, conflict always leads to rebellion, and perhaps one day the illegal immigrants will rebel in large enough numbers with a loud enough voice that the Citizens may feel their plight and realize the extreme discrimination and violation of human rights.

​Works Cited

Shindo, Reiko. “Struggle for Citizenship: Interaction between Political Society and Civil Society at a Kurd Refugee Protest in Tokyo.” Citizenship Studies 13.3 (2009): 219-37. Print.

Gees, Sarah. “Freedom of Movement.” Hrea.org. Human Rights Education Associates, 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.