Despite its economic, military and cultural power and the concept of an American dream, the US is far from the land of hopes it is portrayed to be. It is notably true for immigrants, many of whom come to America from all over the world in search of a better life for themselves and their families. While some programs for legal and even illegal newcomers exist, it is still hard for these people to build themselves up in the new land. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reality of immigrants in the US.
Possibilities for Immigrants
Farming, construction, computer, and science industries are amongst the top industries employing legal immigrants (Becker). Typically, such businesses search for talent outside America and provide work visas for the workers they choose. However, legal immigrants achieving their status through other means can have trouble finding work that will pay at least minimum wage and span no more than the average 8 hours.
Illegal newcomers can face even more problems due to deportation threats. This is a notable issue for undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children and now have a possibility to return to a country the life in which they have never experienced. For such individuals, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program(DACA) was created which allows these people two years during which they should try to receive a green card through an employer if they do not wish to be deported. However, apart from the existing hardships of finding a job for an undocumented immigrant, the current president, Donald Trump, promised to repeal DACA which will force a lot of young people who call the US their home out of the country (Rappaport). Even sanctuary cities that work towards protecting their residents from such a fate cannot stop this process. Another issue is the drug trafficking organizations that tempt illegal newcomers with money, effectively killing any chance they have of becoming legal citizens.
Conclusion
While the US advertises itself as the land of dreams, many immigrants find the reality to be very different from this concept. Apart from industries that actively provide foreign citizens with green cards, many institutions make it hard for a newcomer to receive even minimum wage which results in many immigrants being deported or resulting in illegal activities such as drug trafficking.
References
- Becker, Sam. “25 Jobs Employing the Most Immigrants in America.” Showbiz CheatSheet, 2017. Web.
- Rappaport, Nolan. “Removal of DACA Recipients Has Begun: It Didn’t Take a Crystal Ball to See DACA Would Not End Well.” The Hill, 2019. Web.