Introduction
The United States has been built on the principles of high social mobility that lie in the core of the country – its constitution. However, what has been promised as a feasible goal that everyone in the United States could achieve became a trap for many people who did not have any roots in the country. Nowadays, social and political constructs in the U.S. effectively prevent the vast majority of immigrants from achieving the American Dream. This essay will analyze what barriers prevent people from achieving the American dream when they start from scratch.
The American Dream
As with many other issues related to opportunities within the country, the path to the American Dream was hindered for outsiders due to past policies with long-lasting impacts. The status of an immigrant has been criminalized and is now associated with shame and deprivation of basic human necessities (McCann et al. 561). Its stigma carries additional financial and social burdens that guarantee severe repercussions to newcomers, putting their lives at constant risk of deportation and injustice from law enforcement (McCann et al. 561). Jean-Charles argues that immigration policies and mass incarceration practices that are rampant in the United States create a “New Jim Crow for non-citizen bodies” (46). The American Dream is made what it is — a dream — due to these two factors.
The criminalization of immigration plays a critical role in prohibiting people from achieving the American Dream. The very identity of an immigrant has been criminalized through the destabilization of South American countries, which led to severe spikes in crime rates in these areas (Linn). Moreover, punishment for immigrants who commit crimes is significantly more drastic, and they are suspected of such activities more often (McCann et al. 561). Perceptions of immigrants in social change in accordance with these factors, leading to a more negative view of immigration in general. This systemic hostility is related directly to immigrants’ ability to assimilate into the country’s culture, which is a vital part of becoming a middle-class citizen (McCann et al. 562). Although the country was founded by immigrants, it is no longer a space that allows a fresh start with new opportunities for everyone who seeks them.
The gradual shift from the initial vision of a common immigrant has made it virtually impossible for outsiders with no roots in the country to live the dream that has been promised. Not only do they have issues with law enforcement and governmental structures, but also with other residents and governmental structures of the United States. For example, the experience of a person coming to the United States from Haiti is one of poverty, under-resourced communities, and a complete disillusion with the promise of a good life (Jean-Charles 45). The lack of assimilation is common among immigrants, who tend to create communities that only perpetuate the lack of access to the American Dream.
Nonetheless, people continue to come to the United States in hopes of a better life. Their attempts to achieve the American Dream are filled with challenges that often lead to disappointment, issues with the law, exhaustion of financial resources, and a lack of understanding from U.S. citizens. A significant portion of dissonance may come from high-skilled workers achieving great social mobility when they come to the United States. A culture of richness and consumerism creates an alluring picture for the outside eye (Jean-Charles 45). The search for a better place to live drives people to immigrate to this country, yet they are met with a dire reality rather than a promising new beginning.
Capitalism plays a critical role in the issues described above. In the chase for the betterment of the country’s financial situation, the United States has effectively alienated the neighboring countries through dehumanization and exploitation to the brink of an economic collapse in some countries (Linn). After the eventual receding of the imperialistic tendencies, these nations were left with an image of a perfect culture that was created by the lasting impression of the United States. For example, neoliberalism in Latin America led to the creation of numerous malls, supermarkets, and similar business ventures that imitated the United States’ practices, and consumerism became rampant (Linn). The issue afflicts people’s intentions to immigrate since they perceive the benefits of a well-developed country and seek to achieve a better life in accordance with American values. However, immigrants often do not achieve the desired goals in the form of the American Dream, as their levels of comfort rarely reach those who were born in the United States.
A resident’s legal status is not the only reason behind the impossibility of progressing beyond living necessities by those with no initial boost to their wealth. In the United States, it is challenging for a person to achieve a sustainable, legal business without significant investments in education, insurance, and familial support (Kleinbard 24). The private investments required to become successful in the United States out shadow any other rich country, making it virtually impossible to escape the borders of poverty without financial support (Kleinbard 46). Being born in a family that lacks the required wealth is a factor that makes the American Dream almost unachievable. Children are raised with severely limited opportunities in life due to the lower quality of education and higher financial burden, which often comes from previous generations who were born in similar conditions. In comparison with peer countries, economic and social mobility in the United States is a challenge yet to be overcome by its government (Kleinbard 73). As long as a family is a deciding factor in one’s ability to achieve the American Dream, it is impossible to state that the country is open for everyone to try and reach the top.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the American Dream, as people imagine it, is no longer accessible for those starting from scratch due to laws that cemented the social mobility of immigrants and financial constraints that only promote inequality. There is systemic oppression that is encoded deep in the United States laws, making it impossible to access tools necessary for one’s success in the country. These core flaws are slowly choking the ideas of freedom this country was built on. These issues stem from a long-lasting process of dehumanization of immigrants, starting with the influx of slaves and their status in society back in the eighteenth century. Due to the deeply-seated conflict with people from nations previously subjected to the United States hegemony, there is resentment toward each other’s culture and roots. Exported capitalism became a lure for those who are able to observe it yet unable to achieve it. The American Dream is a concept that remains a prerogative of those with the initial wealth and connection within the country.
Works Cited
Jean-Charles, Marsha. “Decolonial Migration, Crimmigration, and the American Dream Nightmare in Ibi Zoboi’s Spirit Worlds.” The Black Scholar, vol. 51, no. 2, 2021, pp. 40-50.
Kleinbard, Edward D. What’s Luck Got to Do with It?: How Smarter Government Can Rescue the American Dream. Oxford University Publishing, 2021.
Linn, Madeline. Immigrant Identities: U.S. Intervention and the American Dream in Central America. 2018. University of San Francisco, MA thesis.
McCann, Wesley S., et al. “Immigrants, Crime, and the American Dream: Testing a Segmented Assimilation Theory of Crime.” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, vol. 66, no. 5, 2021, pp. 560-586.