In the contemporary world, travelling and immigration are two of rather day-to-day happenings. Ever since the beginning of the process of globalization, millions of people all around the world started to move around for various reasons such as work, housing, cultural, economic and political issues, and education among others.
Some countries tend to become preferred destination points more often than others. Logically, sates with well-developed business industries and labor markets, countries with better economies and living conditions are chosen over the ones suffering from economical crises, wars or high rates of unemployment. Immigration carries both benefits and disadvantages for the receiving side. Certain kinds of immigrants are very useful for the economical development of the country as they bring valuable and rare skills.
At the same time, the arrival of immigrant laborers from less developed countries leads to the decrease in average payments in some spheres, causes unemployment among native workers, and disrupts the balance in social care. To a certain degree, immigration is an issue for every well-developed country on the planet.
This paper will explore the problems with immigration faced in Britain nowadays, its statistics, the size of foreign-born population, difficulties that occurred due to immigration, public opinion concerning it, and policies directed at the optimization of the current situation in the UK.
Statistics
As Toni Blair mentioned once, a great country can be defined according to the behavior of people towards it: if the population is trying to get in, the country is great, if it is happy to get out it is not so great (Nelson par. 1). According to this definition, Great Britain has been a great country for quite a while. Its greatness has been growing rapidly over the last twenty years.
Statistically, in the period between 1993 and 2013 the number of immigrants on the territory of the United Kingdom grew by more than 50 percent, this way 3.8 million of foreign-born people gradually turned into 7.8 million over just twenty years (Rienzo and Vargas-Silva par. 2). The same tendency can be observed among foreign citizens living in the UK. Their number grew from 2 to 5 million over the same period. In 1993 the percentage of the foreign-born population in the country accounted for 7 percent, and in 2013 it reached 12.5 percent.
The largest number of immigrants is concentrated mainly in metropolises. For example, London is on the leading position according to the size of its immigrant population which constitutes approximately 2.8 million people in total and estimates 37 percent of the overall population of Inner London (Rienzo and Vargas-Silva par. 3).
In the top ten of the countries of citizenship of the UK immigrants, there are Germany, France, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, Pakistan, and the United States, although the three leading ranks belong to Poland, India, and Ireland accordingly (Rienzo and Vargas-Silva par. 6).
Public Perception of Immigration
Immigration in the United Kingdom today is majorly viewed as one of the largest concerns for the public. Even though the percentage of immigrants on the territory of the country truly has grown over the last couple of decades, the framing of this phenomenon makes the citizens of the UK consider it more serious than it is.
The issue of immigration in many cases is blown out by the press and politicians during the periods of elections mostly because the citizens associate the reduction of immigration with the improvement of their quality of life since there is a common belief that the newcomers take over the jobs of the citizens creating the growth of unemployment and the asylum-seekers use up all the social benefits.
The most recent surveys demonstrate that the population of the United Kingdom is not very well informed about the actual number of immigrants in their country. For example, Ipsos Mori social research facility noted that the rate of misperceptions considering immigration is high since most of the citizens are convinced that the newcomers constitute 24.4 percent of the British population while the actual number is nearly twice smaller (Nardelli and Arnett par. 7).
Besides, the perceived percentage of Muslims on the territory of the UK is 21 percent, while it is only 5 percent (Nardelli and Arnett par. 5). At the same time, the number of Christians is severely underestimated. Such misconceptions lead to the growth of the negative attitude of the public towards immigration. According to the data collected by the British Social Attitudes Survey in 2013, over 56 percent of the British population agrees that the level of immigration should be reduced significantly.
Who the Immigrants Are
Asylum-seekers from poor countries torn up by wars and crises are viewed as one of the major problems for the United Kingdom while by the end of 2013 the actual number of these people in the country constituted only 126055, this way the refugees escaping true horrors of their homelands represented only 0.23 percent of the countrys total population (Colvile par. 5). The number of refugees claiming asylum in the UK is less than that of other European countries such as Germany, France, and Sweden.
This way, the majority of immigrants coming to the United Kingdom are not looking for benefits, they pursue work opportunities. Practically, they might eventually start using medical services as they grow older, or they might have children and create the difficulty for the schools to accept the growing population of children, yet that is not what they initially come for.
Viewing this issue objectively makes it clear that the vast majority of the immigrants in the United Kingdom come there to acquire the jobs British population would not want or be able to do. Most of such immigrants can be divided into two categories. The first ones represent upper-end professionals who fill in the skill gaps of the British workforce.
They mainly work for London-based large corporations which have access to the global labor market and come to the country because the UK is currently unable to train enough professionals for certain fields. The second category of immigrant workers is those who take over the so-called 3D jobs, , which means difficult, dangerous and dirty (Colville par. 8). These are the low-skill workers who obtain unpopular among the native citizens professions.
Finally, there is another large portion of immigrants, which is represented by the foreign students. The country annually obtains at least 250000 of non-EU students. Approximately one-fifth of these students tend to stay in the UK as long term immigrants.
Causes of Immigration
Globalization is frequently named as one of the natural causes of peoples migration all around the world. Yet, this is not the case of Great Britain. The force that pushed the rates of immigration up in the country was the British Government. The major leap of immigration rates occurred while the Labor Party was at power. Most importantly, the leap was inflicted by the political leaders without the awareness of what was happening. Moreover, their opposition was not informed either.
Neither Gordon Brown nor David Cameron was aware of the actual numbers considering, immigration from both EU and non-EU countries. Besides, the issue of immigration was generally unpopular among the British politicians over the last several decades, so the citizens who experienced discomfort living in the areas significantly transformed by high rates of immigration had no political leaders to confide in.
While many of the contemporary politicians of the United Kingdom still support the idea of creating a true multicultural society in the state, the native populations negative attitude towards immigrants is named among one of the most popular reasons of social conflicts (Kern par. 3).
Among the most significant outcomes of the growing rates of immigration in the UK, there are difficulties with education caused by the unusually large number of students and housing shortage. The general perception is that Britain is overcrowded. Besides, it is important to remember that the number of illegal immigrants in the UK estimates approximately 860000 people (Kern par. 1).
Reduction of Immigration
British National Party is one of the political forces openly protesting immigration. To reduce the number of foreign citizens in the UK the party leaders suggest to deport all illegal immigrants and foreign-born criminals, reject asylum-seekers who can find refuge in countries nearer to their homelands, and restrict all immigration apart from exceptional situations. The leaders of BNP are convinced that white Britons have been made second-class citizens (Immigration par. 4).
The current Government of the UK approaches the issue of immigration more seriously now. The immigration from poorer EU countries is among the first happenings to e restricted since it not only reduces the chance of native citizens to find low-skill jobs and reduces the income level in the state, but also robs less progressive EU members of talented workers.
The countries whose citizens are likely to experience restrictions concerning immigration into the UK are Eastern European states and other new EU members. Besides, older members such as Spain might fall under the new policies too, since they are also recognized as popular senders for the immigrants.
Conclusion
Today, Britain can definitely be described as a country of immigration. The current issue of immigration in the United Kingdom can be viewed as both a positive and a negative phenomenon.
First of all, high-skilled immigrant professionals fill in the severe and growing skill shortage in such fields as engineering, the IT, and science. At the same time, a lot of immigrants coming from poorer EU countries take over the low-skill professions and agree to work for lower salaries, and this generally influences the native workers obtaining the same positions.
Overall public opinion considering immigration in the UK is negative as most of the citizens are misinformed about the actual rates of immigration. This creates tension between the native and fore0gn-born communities. The current Government of the UK claims to start dealing with the problem of immigration, yet the practical results, for now, are minor.
The Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has softened his stance on the immigration issue. Romney being the Governor for Massachusetts suggested during the Republican primaries that the millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in America should pack up their belongings and return to their home countries (Youngman par 9).
His remarks had a negative effect on his campaign as it did not go down well with most of American citizens, particularly the minority communities. In an apparent move to woo independent voters, particularly Hispanic voters in the State of Colorado (Youngman par 12), Mitt Romney softened his stance on this issue. The minority vote, particularly the Latino, has been on the increase and could have an effect on the election by providing a margin of victory on some of the states such as Nevada, Colorado and Florida. I believe it is due to the magnitude of votes that he had to ease his stance on immigration.
He now claims that he will not overturn the presidential order to allow those illegal immigrants who were brought into America as children and have now grown up, to continue living in the country as legal citizens. This is seen as an apparent move to woo independent Hispanic voters in the State of Colorado.
Romneys claim to deport immigrants back to their home countries is simply uncalled for. Personally, I believe that immigration has its advantages and disadvantages. Immigration has an important and often unrecognized impact on demographics in economies. Immigration is beneficial to immigrants (House of Lords- select committee on economic affairs 22) However, immigration may put pressure on the infrastructure of the country. This negatively affects the performance of the economy of the nation.
It is good that Romney has softened his stance over this issue. This, I believe, will present him as an empathetic individual to the independent voters, particularly those from minority communities who were affected by his absurd remarks.
Advice from the Labour Party: Spend 4G money for growth
Plans are underway to oversee the sale of spectrum licenses for 4G phones. The bidding phase is scheduled to start in the early 2013 (Kerr par 2). 4G platform facilitates a faster and more superior mobile data transfer rates. This will enable even the most rural areas which experience poor performance with broadband connection (Kerr par 6).
The coalition government led by the Prime Minister David Cameron, has been advised by the Labour Party to effectively utilize the funds to be accrued from the sale of 4G spectrum licenses. The Labour Party believes that the money accrued from this trade off amounting to a staggering $6.5 billion, could be used to purchase new homes (Faulconbridge and Falloon par 1).
Ed Balls, who is the Labours Finance minister-in-waiting, suggests that the government should spend as much as $6.5 billion that are expected from the sale of these licenses to purchase over 100, 000 cheap houses. This is set to benefit the young people who find it quite a challenge to purchase decent homes.
I believe that this is the right move because the country is facing hard financial times and it would be appropriate to invest back into the economy. Currently, Britains finances are not stable (Faulconbridge and Falloon par 15). The sale of these 4G spectrum licenses will provide Britain with the much needed finances to boost growth. Buying cheap homes is an appropriate avenue of spending the money.
Works Cited
Faulconbridge, G. and Falloon, M. 2012. Labour tells government: spend 4G money for growth. Web.
House of Lords- Select committee on economic affairs. Economic impact of immigration: volume 1: report: House of Lords paper 82-1 session 2007-08. The Stationery Office, 2008. Print.
Kerr, R. 2012. The 4G license sell-off plans have been firmed up, but when will you get it and what does it mean to you? Web.
Immigration policy has been one of the most widely discussed issues over the last decades. There is no doubt that the successful integration of immigrants into the current social context is of vital significance for any governmental performance. Therefore, the question arises of how strict the boundaries of should be carried out strategy and who is to be in charge of controlling the immigration process handling. Experience has proven that there is often a noticeable gap between the establishment of the line of the immigration policy and the real performance aimed at its realization. Therefore, the local authorities must be in close cooperation with the law enforcement community so that they can set the directions for its activity, monitor the relevant results, and make the necessary allowances. Nevertheless, the polices involvement in the improvement of the general migration environment is rather problematic. It seems to be well-explicable why immigrants, particularly those who experience certain problems with required legal documents, show reluctance in collaborating with the local policemen. The former, in their turn, do not always possess enough equipment or database supply unlike, for example, the state police agencies. The articles under consideration provide a profound analysis of the police forces engagement in immigration law control. They try to assess the extent of support the representatives of the local police departments can guarantee in the problem-solving process.
The management of immigration policy in the United States has been traditionally the prerogative power of the federal government. However, the urgent need to take under control the numerous cases of illegal or improperly registered immigrants has prompted the government to address the police agencies for their assistance. Whereas some states eagerly welcomed the appeared initiative for enforcing the immigration policy, other states openly expressed their discontent both with the help of local Mass Media means or public protests (Lewis et al., 2013). The offer raised numerous social fears that the polices involvement would lead to the discrimination of the immigrants rights and, thus, would make the current set of things even worse. However, as it later turned out, many of those states, who were against the immigration policy enforcement with the help of the police members, are now applying for the lawmens assistance to settle down the unregistered immigrants problem (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007).
One should point out, that to encourage the polices participation in the immigration processs control the department has obtained a series of powers and authority. First of all, many state governments have authorized the police forces to perform vigorous activity aimed at identifying the causes of illegal immigration. These actions are supposed to be carried out in close collaboration with the immigration authorities at the federation level. Secondly, the laws enacted by Congress, enabling the police to perform arrests of the immigrants who have already been accused of immigration law violating. Due to these legal acts, the police also have the legal right to take into custody any person they presume to be suspicious (Lewis et al., 2013). The key problem is that the acquired empowerment is apt to jeopardize the established relationships between the police and the immigrants. Hence, the police have to face the challenge of keeping the balance between preventing possible immigration law violations and respecting civil rights (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007).
A common misconception exists regarding the sole character of the immigration policy line. Nevertheless, the experience shows that the government can rely on several departments while targeting their regulating activity. Thus, it can integrate both the mayor and the police department is working out the immigration strategy. According to numerous research, police bodies possess vast autonomic rights in the question of working with immigrants (Lewis et al., 2013). Some case studies show that an enforcement measure is sometimes accepted by the police long before it is approved by the higher authorities (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007).
It is crucial to realize that immigration policy is constantly improved and advanced in the interests of a countrys safety and prosperity. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement is an urgent measure that is typically provoked by a series of factors. Thus, Lewis and Provine suggest three conditions they believe to be determinants for immigration policy enforcement. To begin with, the primary reason for turning to some special immigration policy approaches is the extreme change of the indexes in the demographic reports. Moreover, the states geographical position can also present a conditioning factor for reinforcing the current immigration policy. The closer the community is to the border, the more endangered to the immigration influence it is. Besides, policy enforcement can be motivated by the governments pursuing its interests such as maintaining the electorates support and preserving the regions stability (Lewis et al., 2013). The police here play a connecting role of a participant that transforms the reality according to the social demand (Lewis and Ramakrishnan, 2007).
Lewis, Provine, Varsanyi, and Decker have carried out detailed research to estimate the extent of the influence each of the factors mentioned above has over the determination of the immigration policy line and its enforcement. According to the obtained results, the police actions are in a significant connection with the local authorities controlling. Thus, the policy plan and strategy are still set by the government, despite the existing opinion that the police departments are enabled to pursue their line. Moreover, the factor of the regions proximity to the border has proven to be one of the most constituent conditions for the potential enforcements. The curious point about these insights lies in the fact that the presumption is relevant only regarding the Mexican border and is of minimal significance when it comes to the question of the Canadian frontier. The assumption concerning the political contexts impact seems to be rather ambiguous. The research has shown that the character of the dominant party, whether it is a democratic or a republican one, is of little difference to the issue of immigrants policy. Meanwhile, the structure of the representative electorate basis is of considerable importance for the regions performance. Thus, the enforcement of the immigration policy is less likely to take place in those states where the immigrants constitute a considerable part of the electorate; whereas, the regions with the natives oriented electorate tend to show a more aggressive character of the immigration policy. As to the demographic indexes monitoring, this factor turned out to be almost irrelevant. The regions with a high immigrant population level prefer to avoid radical enforcement to maintain the social balance and to preserve the trust between the immigrants and the police departments. The research has also discovered an existing interconnection between the organizational traits of the police department and the enforcement measures taken. Thus, it has turned out that the lowest enforcement level is typical of the regions where a Hispanic police chief is present (Lewis et al., 2013). This fat can be explained by the necessity to fit the immigrants needs and requirements. The presence of Hispanics in the decision-making process is resonating with the mood of those social layers that are represented by the immigrants (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007).
One should also note a great deal of trust some states put in the polices integration in the immigration problem-solving. It is presumed that a wise immigration policy performed by the representatives of the police departments is likely to stabilize the current set of things and to reduce the number of illegal unregistered immigration cases. The law enforcement bodies are assumed to be in closer relation to the social class; thus, their cooperation is apt to be performed less complicatedly than the collaboration with the local authorities that requires a huge number of bureaucratic procedures. Furthermore, the police representatives tend to show a more creative and original approach to the immigrants problem-solving. Due to their awareness of the region and its traits, the policemen can perform a precise estimation of the current social mood environment, and, thus, indicate which measures are likely to work efficiently, and which would be better put off as being too radical or ineffective for the relevant state. It is, moreover, frequently suggested that the government should encourage the police departments to employ immigrant policemen to improve the level of trust between the police and the population. This offer is based on the assumption that an immigrant policeman is sure to know the situation from within and to have a perfect understanding of all the peculiarities and specificities of the relevant process. Such employees can be of significant assistance for performing the immigration policy and providing their colleagues with extra training. Besides, it is logical to suppose, that immigrants are more likely to agree to come into contact with their fellow countrymen, considering the former to be more reliable and trustworthy. The increase of social credence level can encourage the illegal immigrants to start solving their documents problems without being afraid of being misunderstood or severely punished (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007). The described measures, though presumably efficient, have not been widely carried out so far, due to the lack of sufficiently precise policy targeting on the part of the local authorities. Numerous research claims that elected officials tend to avoid giving direct instructions on how the police representatives should act in particular cases. The absence of a put strategy results in the inefficient measures taken to regulate the immigrant environment and, then, provokes a need for urgent enforcement of the relevant policy. For this reason, some states show successful police performance, while others prove to be a complete failure in the question of immigration handling. Whereas society is used to blaming the police departments, experience proves that ineffective police performance is, as a rule, directly connected with poor management on the side of the governmental forces (Lewis et al., 2013).
Another curious insight was offered by Lewis and Ramakrishnans research via which they attempted to dispel the assumption that the policy enforcement leads to the loss of the immigrants trust in the polices forces and make them avoid any kind of contact with the relevant departments representatives. However, the carried-out research has shown that this hypothesis is completely faulty and ungrounded. According to the inquiries, the immigrants do not address the police department on time being unaware of the relevant department and the proper bodies they are to turn to for help. Thus, it is the complicated structure of the current police organization that makes the immigrants fall behind the deadline with the preparation of the required documents and registrations. On the contrary, when the enforcement measures are taken, the situation becomes more understandable and obvious the immigrants are conscious of the relevant individuals that are responsible for providing them with the necessary instructions and assistance (Lewis & Ramakrishnan, 2007). Nevertheless, some police departments prefer not to interfere in the immigration controlling issues for fear of the negative influence this intervention might have on their crime prevention activity. Thus, the police bodies presume that a large number of immigrants will not dutifully report on the committed crime in case they do not have the relevant documents regarding their immigrant status. This assumption seems to be reasonable enough presuming that many people will prefer guarding their interests and security to fulfilling their civic duties. The strict division of the responsibilities allows the police to concentrate on their principal activity and to involve in the necessary cooperation of any representatives of the population regardless of their nationality.
Therefore, the careful analysis of the considered articles allows one to draw several important conclusions. First of all, the immigration policy line is currently determined by several departments, from the Senate to the local authorities. The lack of a common vision of the problem leads to the inequality of the enforcement measures taken throughout the country. Secondly, the integration of the police department in the immigration policy performance proves to be beneficial, despite the concerns and fears expressed by all the layers of the population. The police activity has shown to be rather effective as the representatives of this organ are perfectly aware of the current state of things in the relevant state or region which enables them to determine the proper measures. Moreover, the enforcement of immigration policy is normally motivated by the presence of several factors and conditions. According to the performed research, the principal reason for tightening the policy line is the geographic position of the relevant region and its proximity to the borders. Another important factor is the number of immigrants present within the electorate framework. The inner organizational characteristics of the police departments have also proved to be of huge significance. Thus, the presence of immigrants among police employees raises the level of social trust considerably. On the contrary, such factors as demographical reports and the leading party constituting the local authorities have not proved any difference to the immigration policy determination despite the common expectations. Therefore, the question of immigration policy enforcement is still open and requires further consideration. To improve the current state of things, one will have to straighten the collaboration between the controlling bodies in the interest of working out a sole strategy.
Reference List
Lewis, P., & and Ramakrishnan, K. (2007). Police Practices in Immigrant-Destination Cities Political Control or Bureaucratic Professionalism? Urban Affairs Review, 42(6), 874-900.
Lewis, P., Provine, D.M., Varsanyi, M., & Decker, S. (2013). Why Do (Some) City Police Departments Enforce Federal Immigration Law? Political, Demographic, and Organizational Influences on Local Choices. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 23(1), 1-25.
Moving still by Francisco Jimenez is the story that depicts an immigrant family that aspires for home and normal life. This autobiographic narration runs about the authors childhood experience in California and desperate searching of his family for a better life. Moving from place to place, the family was deported back to Mexico. The mere goal of the family was to find a good job and a real home. The story shows that despite the familys cooperation and mutual effort, still migrated people were not welcome in California.
Family comes first
The Mexican families appreciated labor work so that the authors intended to show the hard life of farmworkers. The fruits and vegetables they planted and cultivated were of great value for them since it was the main sense of their existence. The Tent City, where the family lived reminded a labor camp guided by the migration officers. The atmosphere of fear and poverty forced the families to break the rules and to overcome the frontier in the pursuit of welfare. The lack of money and fathers illness influenced the decision to move illegally to California. Throughout their travel, the author shows the familys enthusiasm and patience in overcoming the borders both material and moral.
The importance of language
A willingness to live in California made the family sacrifice their traditions and forget their roots. The family lived in constant fear to tell a soul that you were born in Mexico (Jimenez, 1997 p. 115). That mortified them and made them feel suspicious. They were forced to lie to gain the right to existence. Still, the members managed to preserve the Mexican tradition of the priority of family relationships. The enormous hope and desire to work were the highest values for the family. Owing to this, not all members were complaining about the conditions they live in California since each one was conscious of responsibility and necessity and dependence for each other. As it can be seen from the story, the author tried to show the mutual love for each other in the family.
The idea of individuality coincides with the idea of community
The story also emphasized the significant role of community in Mexican culture since no matter what individuals do, all their deeds were directed at the well-being of other members. In that regard, the idea of individuality is closely connected with the idea of community and consolidation that was highly appraised by the migrated Mexicans living in insecurity and distrust. In the story, the teachers in Santa Maria did their best to help their pupils families. Hence, Mr. Sims, the principal of Main Street School, helped Roberto in finding a part-time job realizing the calamity his family lived. Due to Roberts conscious feeling of responsibility, the job was a real treasure for him since it allowed him to contribute to the welfare of the family (Jimenez, 1997, p. 125). Consequently, the priority was always left to the family relationships and family virtues. Additionally, the story itself embraces all the family values and learns how to avoid the feeling of inferiority and frustration.
In Moving Still, Francisco Jimenez showed what is like to be a child and hide from the green officers to stay in the country. With no permanent schooling and no hope for a diligent education, the Panchito tried to be involved in the learning process and study his favorite subjects. Besides, apart from school, he was forced to do some farm work and plant carrots and lettuce so that the family could have some additional savings. In school, he tried to fit all the requirements of the teachers and to get better marks. Returning to Santa Maria, Francisco and his brother enjoyed the study in school because it was the only place where they could feel equal. Like all children, Francisco was not deprived of curiosity and was always eager to explore his knowledge by constantly asking numerous questions. However, his rigorous desire to teach was due to his striving for stability since knowledge was the only thing that stayed with him forever. Despite moving from one place to another, knowledge empowered him with a feeling of possessing something that nobody could take from him so that learning and school symbolized the stability that he and his family lacked so much.
The human rights of Mexican immigrants are ignored
Moving Still also discloses a desperate faith of Mexican people in the equality of human rights. In the story, Jimenez tells about the way Panchito was to learn by heart the issues from the American constitution. Overwhelmed with his plans for the future and inspired by the lines from the Declaration of independence, Francisco was confident that their family would finally gain their home. The statements of the American Declaration only emphasized the rigid social superiority of Americans over Mexican farm workers whose children were forced to learn about the inalienable rights for the pursuit of happiness . Those phrases constitute the gap between the two cultures and prove the Mexican calamitous situation. The end of the story shows that these words are not destined for ordinary Mexican workers. Instead, the migrated people feel the alien atmosphere where there was no opportunity to achieve the desired happiness, home.
The conditions of life were one more reason for the migration process. The detailed description of Mexico dwellings make to think over the actual states of living of Latin-Americans:
The barracks were still the same. Mr. Bonnetti, the owner, continued to ignore them. Looking like the victims of war, the dwellings had broken windows, part of the walls missing, and large holes in the roofs. Scattered throughout the ranch were old, rusty pieces of farm machinery (Jimenez, 120).
The writer chose the term dwelling but not home or house for the places the family lived thus showing this miserable existence of Mexican people and approving their need for a real home. The story helped to capture the disastrous conditions of life in Santa Maria. The writer wanted the reader to have a better idea of Mexican family life based on collaboration and fidelity to the home. Therefore, the main goal of the story lied in the depiction of a layer of society that was outrageously ignored.
Conclusion
In general, the migration process in California was framed as the result of the economical instability of the undeveloped countries and the labor market of America. In this respect, the migrated people were considered as effective agricultural labor but not as the people who suffered from pain and humiliation and who were restricted in their human rights (Waldinger et al. p. 231). In particular, the Mexican immigrants were not accepted by the native population and thus were neither heard nor seen. The illegal status of immigrants allowed treating them as subordinates but not as equals that were subjected to the pejorative attitude and constant persecutions.
Reference
Jimenez, F. (1997), Moving Still. The circuit: stories from the life of a migrant child. US: UNM Press.
Waldinger, R. D., and Litcher, M. I. (2003). How the Other half Works: Immigration and Social Organization of Labor US: University of California Press.
The novel, Buddha of Suburbia, was set in a period when the British society was experiencing several social dilemmas regarding how to handle intercultural influences in the post-colonial period. In fact, BBC explains that the novel is as much about Amirs personal experiences (to find his true identity) as it is Britains struggle to accept a multicultural society (BBC 2005, 1).
Several experiences are given to show the cultural and racial struggles of the minority population in Britain. Some of the struggles and challenges faced by Karim have been significantly eroded in todays globalized society but they still mirror the same challenges facing the world today (in terms of racial and social prejudice).
In Britain, the post-colonial period heralded a new period of multicultural dynamism (especially in London). Not many people were open to the prospect of a multicultural society and therefore, many people were not willing to accept other cultures and races. Consequently, there was a lot of racism during the period that Buddha of Surburbia was written.
The novel gives evidence of extreme racism that Karim experienced in the school playground when he was called different names like shit face, curry face, and other derogatory terms (Kureishi 2009). In fact, Karim considered it lucky to go home without any injury. Here, it can be clearly seen that violence was used as a tool to fight multiculturalism and any non-conformance to societal norms was frowned upon, if not punished.
However, Karims personal journey to find his identity is not only defined by racial extremes, there is enough evidence to suggest that Britain was also experiencing a strong exclusivity of class (a secondary phenomenon to the immigration situation at the time) that proved a big hurdle for Karim and other immigrants of his stature to succeed.
From the exclusivity of class experienced in Britain at the time, Karim realized that he was among the disadvantaged people in the society and British natives often had very low expectation of him in this regard (Andersen 2011). Largely, this is a fair representation of the perception immigrants in Britain had at the time. Immigrants were mainly perceived to be disadvantaged and their place in Britain was to serve (BBC 2005, 1).
Karims experience in Britain is cognizant of this fact and there is no better way to show the low expectations of immigrants than through the educational system. Karims schooling experience was characterized by the acquisition of practical skills as opposed to the acquisition of academic skills. Largely, this phenomenon described the expectations of most immigrants. Their disadvantaged status was clearly visible in this regard.
Nonetheless, in the 70s, there was a general restriction of immigrants who could stay in Britain. The changes in immigrant status were partly informed by the growing concern among Britons of an expanding immigrant community. Even in the wake of these legislative changes, immigration did not entirely stop because there was a strong need for workers in the British economy (BBC 2005, 1).
The use of immigrant soldiers to fight for the British during the First World War and the Second World War also increased immigration into the UK. After the war, many people who had a British passport were automatically admitted to the UK. Others gained entry into the UK because of their relations with resident immigrants.
Even though strict regulations were enforced in the UK after the mass migration of workers into Britain, the non-white population still increased because many of the non-white population were children born in Britain (BBC 2005, 1). This immigrant status explains Karims presence in Britain because he was born of an immigrant father.
What is Identity?
The concept of identity has often been ambiguous but it has been applied in many disciplines across the world. However, this concept has mainly been used in political science to explain national, ethnic, racial or gender issues (Fearon 1999, 4). Many researchers have different interpretations to the term and many more have deemed it a social terminology characterizes social membership rules that highlight a specific category of behaviors (Fearon 1999, 4).
Other researchers have perceived the concept to be a set of socially distinguishing features that people take pride in (Fearon 1999, 4). Homi Bhabha and Stuart Halls definition of identity have not differed much from the common definition of identity, although their definitions are heavily contextualized to the post-colonial period (Drake 2003).
Homi Bhabha is of the opinion that a lot of racial identities and racial conflicts witnessed today draw their roots from the colonial era. Hall also perceives the concept of identity to be largely defined by historical and cultural ideals that have been passed on from generation to generation.
Through this analysis, Hall believes that identity is more than a discipline to study or even critic, it is still an ongoing process that its end cannot be easily established. Indeed, like his counterpart, Bhabha, Hall believes that the concept of identity is an ongoing production (Drake 2003).
Bhabha is also of the opinion that within the realm of identity, there are unique gaps that support the notion of hybridity. The possibility of cultural hybridity is hereby assumed to lack a basis for imposed hierarchy. This gap in identity forms the groundwork for Bhabhas further assertion that identity can also be perceived as a product of two ethnicities. For example, Karim was born from a Hindu father but he was predominantly raised in Britain (within the English culture).
Here, we can see that his identity is a product of two ethnic backgrounds (Andersen 2011). By avoiding the risk of essentialism, Bhabha explains that negative people are always the ones behind a unified definition of identity to mobilize support for their personal pursuits (Drake 2003). Therefore, any issue that may be perceived to be contrary to the idea of unified culture is perceived to be radical.
The concept of hybridity (as a platform to explain personal identity) has been firmly supported by Bhabha and Hall but by a long shot, it was used as a fearful discourse of racial mixing that characterized a large part of the 18th century.
The common notion characterizing this period was firmly entrenched in scientific ideals which perpetrated the assumption that Africans, Asians and other ethnic minorities were mainly inferior to the white race (and the fear of miscegenation that followed the popularity of this ideology suggested that hybrid identities were going to neutralize the European race). In fact, hybrid identities were perceived to be more inferior to the minority traces (blacks, Asians, pacific islanders and the likes) (Drake 2003).
Therefore, according to Bhabha, the notion of colonial hybridity altered the state of power because it produced colonial ambivalence among colonial masters. Bhabha gives the example of how cohesive groups in the society have expressed their dominance over other groups (based on group identities) and proposes that this perception of identity is not factual because of its insensitivity to the awareness of subject positions (Drake 2003).
In other words, Bhabha proposes that identity should move beyond the singularities of individual ownership to the processes that create these cultural differences. Similarly, if two groups were to clash because of their cultural differences, the basis for the conflict should be assumed to be the identity space between the two different groups. The conflict zone can similarly be perceived to be the hybrid culture.
Bhabha and Hall therefore perceive identity from the in between spaces existing between two divergent cultural groups that profess different identities.
When we use Bhabha and Halls understanding of identity (in the cultural context), we can easily understand Karims personal journey to find his identity. Born in a post-colonial Indian culture and a post-imperialist English society, Karims identity should not be perceived from any of the two extremes.
This is Bhabhas argument and basis for criticism against the individualistic perception of identity. Instead, he proposes the cultural divide between the Indian and British cultures as the new paradigm for analyzing personal identities (Drake 2003). Therefore, in Karims situation, we would understand his identity from the cultural space between the Indian and British cultures. This is the hybrid identity that characterizes the definition of identity in the post-colonial world.
The idea of a nation being uniquely pure and holistic is therefore flawed, according to Bhabha and Halls perception of culture. This view has been expressed in different pieces of literature written by the two cultural theorists. Bhabhas works have mainly been borrowed from the narrative, the Location of Culture while Halls works have mainly been cited from Cultural Studies and Its Theoretical Legacies. Bhabhas assertions have also been supported by the commitment theory.
Female/male development of identity
The development of identity among males or females has been largely guided by Eriksons theory (Streitmatter 1993). However, researchers have often criticized Eriksons theory for failing to conceptualize the female experience in identity development. Through such criticisms, different authors have analyzed the gender differences between male and female identity development but few have come up with any meaningful differences in identity development between the different genders.
In further studies aimed at investigating whether the process of identity formation differed across the genders and whether the domains across the two genders differ, it was observed that males and females had the same experiences in identity development, except for the foreclosure stage (Streitmatter 1993). Males are more foreclosed that females (especially referring to political ideologies). Similarly, moratorium and identity achievement is more profound in females (when it comes to family-related issues) (Streitmatter 1993).
Principally, when we analyze Karims search for personal identity, we see a strong inclination to political and class identity as opposed to his quest for family identity. The quest from family identity would mainly denote a female-centered identity development model (according to Erikson) (Streitmatter 1993). The concept of male socialization therefore greatly defines Karims quest to establish an acceptable identity for himself.
Indeed, Eriksons identity theory can be used to explain Karims personal journey to acquire a unique identity. In light of the different identity development processes between the sexes, it is therefore clearly visible that Eriksons theory on identity development process is mainly skewed towards explaining the masculine development model.
Karims identity development process therefore transcends the concepts of intimacy and generalization to take a more political understanding of the cultural differences existing within different societies.
Development of identity and its differences between 1st and 2nd generation immigrants
Many studies have identified the differences between first generation immigrants and second generation immigrants in Europe and other developed nations. Indeed, these two groups have different identity development processes. Among the most prominent differences in the development of identity among first and second generation immigrants is that second generation immigrants develop a strong personal identity during childhood as opposed to later stages in life (Hardison 2007).
Second generation immigrants have a stronger sense of ethnic identity as opposed to first generation immigrants and therefore, they tend to preferably associate with people from their ethnic groups. In addition, second generation immigrants do not have a strong sense of racial prejudice because they are good at interacting with people from other cultures. This phenomenon has contradicted previous studies which show that developing a strong ethnic identity in early years is an indicator for developing future racial prejudice (Hardison 2007).
However, first generation immigrants have a stronger sense of racial prejudice as opposed to second generation immigrants. Their sense of identity development is therefore exclusionary because they do not freely associate with people from other races or ethnicities.
When we analyze the differences in identity development between first generation and second generation immigrants, we see that Karims ability to easily integrate with other communities is representative of the ability of second generation immigrants to freely interact with people from other ethnicities.
Concisely, Karim was able to fit into the New York social scene because he did not have strong racial prejudices. However, undoubtedly, Karims father (Haroon) would experience more difficulty (coming from a Hindu background and living in a British society) to adapt to the same situation as Karim would.
Postcolonial influences on the individuals identity in Britain
In his book, Asian adolescents in the West, Paul A. Singh Ghuman explains that Asian immigrants living in western countries are often confronted by different cultural dynamics that affect their belief and value systems (Ghuman 2001, 3). He further explains that these cultural dynamics may have different implications on a persons well-being, including the roles in the society and the observation of cultural or religious obligations.
Other conflicts are far-stretched. For example, focusing on the Asian societal values, we can see that there is a lot of emphasis on kinship and family relationships. However, the British society fosters principles of individualism. Such clashes only highlight the postcolonial influences on an individuals identity in Britain.
However, after digging deep into the above issue, we can see that postcolonial influences on an individuals identity transcend value intrusion; it fosters a dual identity among individuals where a person cannot purely associate with a specific cultural identity. This principle has been explained in earlier sections of this paper but it is a predominant post colonial influence on individual identities in the postcolonial period.
Here, individuals can be seen to speak two languages or possess dynamic linguistic skills that express their biculturalism. Concisely, individuals living in this setup express their identities in a hyphenated way even though they still respect the values and ideals of their paternal cultures (Ghuman 2001, 3). Often, the adaptation to the host culture is nothing more than a functional adaptation.
Studies by Ghuman show that many Asian adolescents living in the west do not want to lose their cultural identities (such as names) by adopting western cultural ideals (Ghuman 2001, 3). For example, the Punjabi community has been referred by the white majority as Indians but few Punjabis identify themselves this way. Comprehensively, we can see that the post-colonial influence on identity is significantly limited to functional adaptation.
The development/changes of Haroon and Anwar
There are many parallels that have been drawn between first generation immigrants and second generation immigrants. These parallels can easily be used to draw the distinction between Karim and his father Haroon (plus Anwar). The latter represents the first generation group of immigrants. Indeed, the changes witnessed in Haroon and Anwar mainly stem from their status as first generation immigrants.
Like second generation immigrants, first generation immigrants are mainly motivated by the dream to pursue a fulfilling life (Andersen 2011). This ambition is shared between Karim and his father. Like his son, Haaron feels stuck by the Suburban life and because of his frustrations, he seeks a better life by seeking acceptance in the British society. Haaron also exhibits signs of having interest in the modern life (fueled by the fear to fail) (Kureishi 2009).
Haarons need to prove himself as a recognized and successful member of the society comes as no surprise (as can be seen when he wants his wife to be present for his first performance at eastern Mystique so she can see that he is not a failure but a successful and respected man of the society).
Haroons pursuit of success forces him to adopt the exotic characteristics branded to him by the British natives. Bhabha and Hall refer to this quest for identity as unsatisfactory because he disputes previous views on identity which were propagated by philosophers such as Edward Said (Fleming 2001, 146).
Instead, Bhabha suggests that colonial power and discourse is not entirely possessed by the colonizer because the colonialists are constructed in a repertoire of conflicting positions (Fleming 2001, 146). However, Haroons quest to seek approval by the British is explained by Bhabha as emanating from the fact that he renders them a site of fixity and fantasy.
Nonetheless, Haarons efforts to seek recognition in the society can be best represented when he wears a caricature mask to conform to the British perception of the Indian culture. In fact, Anderson suggests that Haaron exaggerates his image so that he can win favor from the British and accomplish whatever goals he had for himself.
It is through such commitments that Anwar criticizes Haroon for being pro-western. Haroons pursuit for a better life is also expressed in his commitment to change his immigrant status when he goes to live with Eva. Even though he pursues this strategy with utmost resilience, his quest to attain recognition still remains questionable at the end of the novel.
Living in a period of economic suppression and extensive racial prejudice, Anwar decides to make a better living for himself by setting up a shop and operating a market in Britain. Largely, this venture characterizes Anwars economic development in a country that immigrants and minority population groups are not fully accepted.
Anwars opposition to the western culture is depicted as a strong motivation for his idealistic and traditional Indian prejudice. He is portrayed as a shrewd Indian and a shrewd conservative in the midst of a society characterized by conformity. As opposed to Haroon, Anwar does not conform to British stereotypes and remains true to his cultural heritage. It is through this conviction that Anwars character seems contravenes everything that Haroon stands for.
It is equally through Anwars conviction to stay authentic to his Indian roots that he lives his life according to the expectations of his Indian culture. Indeed, like a respectable Indian father, Anwar strives to dictate the destiny of his daughter (Jamila) by picking a husband for her. When Jamila refuses to be married to the preferred suitor, Anwal goes on a hunger strike. This action shows the extent that Anwal is willing to go to preserve his cultural identity.
He fights any attempt to conform to the British way of life where daughters choose who to marry. In his perception, succumbing to such cultural ambiguities is a mockery of the Indian culture and he would rather stick to his Indian identity rather than support his daughters decision to marry someone of her choice.
As first generation immigrants, Haroon and Anwar have a strong need to survive in their new environment, (as opposed to living a fulfilling life by finding happiness in the society). After coming to Britain in their twenties, Haroon and Anwar are mainly motivated by the will to make a good living for themselves. Haroon however becomes more liberal by pursuing non-conventional ways of making money but Anwar stays true to his Indian ways.
As observed in earlier sections of this paper, Anwar sets up a shop and strives to make it successful by requesting the support of his family members in running the shop. This continuity is very important to him, such that, he bases his reservation to accept his son in law from his contribution to the shop. From this understanding, we can see that Anwars main preoccupation was making a living for himself. In a snapshot, his pursuit for success is mainly motivated by survival.
On the other hand, Haroon pursues an unconventional way to make a living for himself, but like Anwar, he is mainly preoccupied to survive in a harsh environment. Haroon plays the role of a guru where he ostensibly dawns Indian regalia to match his role (as a guru). Like many Indian immigrants in Britain, Haroon was small. He used his exotic characteristics to stand out and gain recognition among other immigrants.
He wore a red and gold waist coat and Indian pajamas to suit his new role as an exotic guru but still, he could not wash away the immigrant stature. Karim refers to the fact that his father could not efficiently find his way along the streets because he acted like an Indian, just off the boat (Andersen 2011).
Haroons complaint of the workplace environment also exposes how important it would be for him to be promoted in his workplace. Haroon is quoted by Kureishi as saying The whites will never promote us. (&) Not an Indian while there is a white man left on the earth (Kureishi 2009, 98).
This statement manifests the racist environment Haroon and other immigrants were living in, but by extension, it also shows how important it was for Haroon (and other first generation immigrants) to make a good living for themselves and their families. In other words, Haroons statement was a somewhat desperate concern for their socio-economic status and how they felt they were doomed to a specific social class for the rest of their immigrant stay in Britain.
However, in the midst of all the desperation and hopelessness surrounding his immigrant status and the lack of hope therewith, Haroon still strives to change his life by longing for recognition and acceptance. Haroon tries to change his social status by seeking recognition and desiring to gain acceptance from those around him. For example, he brings a dictionary to the train so that he can learn a new word to impress the Englishman (Yousaf 2002).
Like Anwar, the wellbeing of Haroons child is as important as their need to survive in Britains harsh reality. Already, we have seen that Anwar wanted his daughter to marry someone of his choice someone whom he believed would be profitable not only to his daughter but also to him (especially in the shop).
Like other first generation immigrants, Haroon also stressed the importance of success to his son. He struggled so much to help his son get a good education, such that, it became almost too obvious that he cared more for his sons education than his wellbeing. Haroon pushed his son to become either a doctor or a lawyer because he believed this was the most important hallmark of success not only for his son but also for himself and his family.
Kureishi quotes Karim when he said that Someone else pissed over my shoes, and all that my Dad thought about was me becoming a doctor (Kureishi 2009, 63). Anderson explains that Haroons wish to see his son succeed was partly motivated by his failures and personal quest for success (through his son) (Anderson 2011). However, the dream to see his son succeed in education turns out to be a failure too.
The loss of this dream is not only depicted as a failure for Karim but once again, a failure of his father too (Kureishi 2009). To a first generation immigrant, the failure of a childs educational pursuit is heartbreaking. Indeed, referring to his decision to leave education, Karim explains that telling his dad about his choice to leave education would break his immigrant heart (Kureishi 2009, 94).
Through the failure of his son, Karim loses all the possibilities of gaining respect through his children and all he is left with is the possibility of redeeming himself through his spiritual works. He achieves a significant degree of success in this regard.
Haroons metamorphosis as a first generation immigrant is also conceptualized by his desire to redeem himself and change the perception that he cannot succeed. Through his relationship with Eva, Haroon changes his method of seeking recognition by focusing on his differences with the Britons and abandoning all efforts to be like the British.
He takes advantage of the stereotypes leveled against him by acting them out to the satisfaction of the British. In fact, he transforms and harnesses these stereotypes into tools that will fuel his ambition to gain recognition and acceptance in the British society (as opposed to being a victim of stereotypes). The process to gain the new identity as a guru is termed by Anderson as an exaggerated process of self authentication (which largely works well for Haroon) (Andersen 2011).
Bhabha explains that through the divide created by two cultural extremes, there is a designated space which can be taken advantage of to create a unique form of hybrid culture. He further explains that this space entertains cultural differences but rarely manifests in hierarchical differentiation between the cultures involved (Fleming 2001). Precisely, Haroon not only shows the British what it is to be Indian but goes overboard and exaggerates his cultural identities to the amusement of the British.
Karim admires Haroons new attitude but he is repulsed by the fact that after about two decades of assimilation, his fathers return to his Indian roots is exaggerated (and does not truly represent his real values, beliefs or ideals). Furthermore, he faults his Dad for not raising him up to appreciate his Indian ancestry. Karim says (&) looking at these strange creatures now the Indians (&) I felt ashamed and incomplete at the same time, as if half of me were missing (&). Partly, I blamed Dad for this (Kureishi 2009, 212).
Moving from India and settling into the British landscape, Haroon faces a lot of social stigma and criticism which motivates his personal pursuits as an immigrant in Britain. For example, following his decision to marry Eva, Haroon receives a lot of criticism from his colleagues and other people of influence.
From these criticisms, clearly, marrying a Briton and abandoning ones cultural roots is considered an act of failure in the Indian culture. From both sides of the divide (Indian and British societies), Haroon is treated as an outcast and a failure. These sentiments make Haroon feel bad and contempt with his life (Yousaf 2002).
The criticisms Haroon receives from his Indian and British families are mainly informed by his immigrant status and the fact that he abandoned his family for a British woman. The latter is mainly perceived as the sole reason for the Indian people to look down upon him but Haroons immigrant status (and the fact that he lived in the suburbs) is used as the main basis of criticism by his British family.
When we analyze these criticisms, we can easily draw a comparison between Haroons status and the insights regarding identity status by Bhabha and Hall. Particularly, Bhabha explains that identity should not be perceived from only one angle but from the dual characteristics that birth a specific identity status in the postcolonial society.
Therefore, if we were to identify Haroons identity in the context of Bhabhas framework we would arrive at a hybrid identity which cannot be described by either his Indian culture or his British association. Indeed, Haroon seems like a reject of both cultures because his way of life is not pure to any of the cultures or expectations describe above.
However, the Indian and British critics pursue a pure form of identity which is used as an exclusionary basis to criticize anyone that does not conform to their pure identity. These characteristics highlight the personal journey of first generation immigrants in Britain.
Bibliography
Andersen, Morten. 2011. The Buddha of Suburbia: Cultural Identity in a Multicultural Society. Roskilde University. Web.
Richard Nisbetts book The Geography of thought illustrates how communities differ in norms, values, power distance and intercultural communication among other aspects. The common practices visible from many societies include enculturation, ethnocentrism, Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. China and Greece are used to explain the difference between Eastern and Western cultures (Nisbett, 18). A philosopher once argued that the difference between the two cultures is because the West had Aristotles influence while the East had Confucius influence.
Scholars argue that ancient Greece and China had cultural and social differences because of their environment, ecology, economic practices and political system differences (Nisbett, 20). Greeces contemporary civilizations featured individuality, personal freedom and objective thought. Their political system influenced these qualities because it was a city-state. Their politics encouraged assembly and persuasion but discouraged rational debate and arguments. Greeces lucrative occupation was trading boosted by its maritime location at crossroads. Unlike China who believed education was a route to power and wealth, the mercantile class in Greece educated their sons out of curiosity and belief that knowledge had value (Nisbett, 38).
Greeks mixed with all types of people, beliefs and customs who practiced diverse religions, politics and ethnicity. Due to their location, they developed logic and formal cognitive procedures that helped them deal with dissonance during assembly and marketplace. China on the other hand has an ethnic group known as Han, which approximately 95% of its population belongs to (Nisbett, 48). The country has ethnic homogeneity and centralized political control thus Chinese population is not exposed to different beliefs, values, religions and practices. Therefore, since they had little difference in opinions they had few procedures in solving conflicts.
In summary, China is a Gemeinschaft society mostly due to the homogeneity in their values, norms and practices. China is a one ethnic group society making intercultural communication easy. Chinas economic activity was farming which brought people together because of irrigation and other joint activities that required cooperation. Greece, on the other hand, is a Gesellschaft, its main focus is mainly on individualism due to the multiple ethnic groups, mixed practices, religion and norms. Their economic activity being hunting, fishing encouraged them because they did not need cooperation.
The question that Nisbett raised in this chapter was why the East and West have developed different habits of thought (Nisbett, 29). In the answer, Nisbett uses an illustration of two countries China and Greece to find out what factors cause the difference in terms of political, economic and social arrangement. In the chapter, Nisbett explains some of the factors to include ecology, economy, social structure, attention, metaphysics and epistemology and cognitive processes (Nisbett, 33).
Nisbett expresses that the ecology of a community influences the economic activity that the community practices. Economic activity on the other hand influences the social structure of the given community. For example, China practices agriculture because they have relatively fertile plains, navigable rivers and low mountains (Nisbett, 34). People that practice agriculture due to the nature of their activity need to get along with one another harmoniously. For example, people growing rice through irrigation need to live together because of the centralized control. Despots (Nisbett, 83) ruled ancient agricultural societies including Chinas irrigation systems. Another factor making Chinese people live along well was the fact that village elders and regional magistrates ruled the peasants.
Greeces ecology, however, factors economic activities such as herding, hunting, fishing and trade because it was mostly a mountainous landscape that descended to the sea. These activities did not require cooperation with others except trading. When Greece began farming, their climate and soil could only allow olive oil and wine farming which they highly commercialized (Nisbett, 78). Therefore harmony was not developed and could be heard arguing at the marketplace when trading.
According to Nisbett, individualism and collectivism are the two aspects that explain the difference between the Easts high culture and the Wests low culture. Westerners believe in individualism, they believe that every person should control their own behavior and be oriented towards achieving their own goals. When it comes to personal relations, westerners prefer equality and prefer superior positions when relationships are hierarchical. Easterners however condone individuality and are less concerned with self-aggrandizement and personal goals (Nisbett, 48). Easterners get more concerned with acting collectively and maintaining harmonious social relations. They are concerned with group goals success as opposed to personal goals success. For example, In Europe when someone cleans your car, you say Thank You to thank the person for the favor. However, in Asia, the gesture is not appreciated because it is a collective duty to help each other (Nisbett, 49).
The fascinating point in the second chapter that influences the outlook of the East is the fact that in China the word individualism is not recognized (p 51). The I word is not in existence and the closest word that expresses individualism is selfish. This shows that even when a child is small he/she grows up not knowing how to act on his own (Nisbett, 108). This is the reason why Eastern people are dependent due to the fact that they have to rely on the decision of a group. Another fascinating point is the fact that instead of teachers teaching children self-esteem and self-actualization as common in Western communities, Eastern teachers teach the students self-criticism so they can live in harmony with others (Nisbett, 115)
From the two chapters, the most preferred question that relates to them would be, Which of the two cultures West or East is richer? Chapter 1 expresses the main differences between the behavior of two cultures while chapter two expresses the influence the collective and individualistic characters have on the involved parties. From the two chapters, none of the cultures is richer than the other. Each cultures beliefs are positive and negative in some way. While it is positive for Easterners to encourage harmony their children have low self-esteem and are dependent on other people. Westerners on the other hand believe in individualism so much that they forget that harmonious living is important for personal and societys development.
Factory Girls
Leslie T. Changs book, Factory Girls shows how young girls have migrated from their rural villages to the Cities to look for a better life. The book discusses culture shock, immigration, assimilation and diffusion. The Factory girls believed that their villages had nothing to offer them. Most of them said that There was nothing to do at home, so I went out (Nisbett, 11). The city life was not simple to them either as most of them had to work in factories that paid them poorly and deducted them fines for no good reason. In the book, the story of one factory girl Lu Qingmin is illustrated. Her search for a good job despite her unaccomplished education was hard for her (Nisbett, 18). She works in a place that she cannot tell her friends because she is ashamed. Her parents expect her to send money home, which she cannot send like the other girls.
Despite all the problems Min adjusts to her poor life as a factory girl. She gets a boyfriend who only reached middle school who her sisters and friend think is not good enough for her. They find her an educated boyfriend, which they say is polite and well behaved. The relationship does not last. After a long struggle, Min gets a good-paying job and her life and that one of her families changes. She can now afford to send enough money to her parents who start business and can educate her sisters (Nisbett, 48).
Hofstedes value of culture dimension demonstrates that power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance Index, Masculinity and Long-Term Orientation are the five culture value dimensions. Factory girls demonstrate the five value dimensions very well. The power distance is demonstrated by the fact that the Factory managers believed their culture was superior (Nisbett, 58). In spite of the factory girls working, so hard they were mistreated and were not well paid. Their salaries were deducted in case they were minutes late when they took off when they went to the bathroom many times among others. They were not allowed to quit their job despite the mistreatment. Individualism is expressed where everyone had to work hard in order to succeed. Min did not believe in following her peers advice but in personal goals. She quit jobs despite her parents protection because she wanted to prosper.
The value of masculinity comes in place whereby Mins boyfriend Ah Jie was supposed to be more educated than her in order to be accepted by Mins friends and family. A more educated man who earned more than her was more preferred. Uncertainty Avoidance Index is evident throughout the book where the girls had to lead a bad life with the hope that it would improve (Nisbett, 68). Min had the Long-Term Orientation that her determination, honesty and hard work would make her a successful person in the end.
The new population Bomb suggested that food production and other critical resources would outpace world population growth causing mass starvation. If this were the case, I would recommend the Chinese government to encourage rural development. Factory girls illustrate that a large number of young people leave their rural homes due to unemployment and search for a better life. If rural industrialization and farming were boosted, the young people would not migrate. Since the largest population will participate in food production, the problem might be solved.
China has been known to be Gemeinschaft society mostly due to agriculture, which attracts harmony. Globalization will change it to be a technological culture and with time, the individualism attached to the technological development might change it to a Gesellschaft society (Nisbett, 73). Globalization and change in values over time might change the city life to be individualism while the rural life, which might comprise of elderly people and children remain collective.
What has impressed me most from the three chapters of Factory Girls? is the fact that despite the changing culture the girls go through from the village life to the city life they have the ability to react to the culture shock and the immigration problems and lead a normal life. Min comfortably adapts to city life with courage and does not get afraid of anything. She clearly adopts individualism although she had been brought up in a society that condones it. Her adopted individualism earns her a well-paying job, which in the long run boosts her family and society.
Works Cited
Nisbett, Richard. The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently and Why. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble, 2004. P16 264
The National Response Framework (NRF): Primary Functions
Preventing terrorist activities
Protecting people, infrastructure, and other critical resources
Responding to and recovering from emergencies that do happen
Improving and strengthening the foundation of homeland security structures to ensure long-term stability
Figure 1. Functions of the National Response Framework (NRF)
The National Incident Management System (NIMS): Main Components
Preparedness
Communications and Information Management
Resource Management
Command and Management
Ongoing Management and Maintenance (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d., p. 1)
Figure 2. Components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
The Incident Command System (ICS): Functional Components
Command
Operations
Planning
Logistics
Finance
Figure 3. Functional Components of the Incident Command System (ICS)
Out of the functions described in the table focusing on the NRF, the most useful and important one is definitely prevention of terrorist attacks and associated incidents. The Homelands main priority lies in protecting its people, which means that eradicating the possibility of endangering American citizens is the most crucial element of activities aimed at developing and maintaining emergency preparedness. The most safe way to ensure security and stability in the nation is not to respond to incidents, however efficient the response might be, but not to let terrorists enter the country or start their operations domestically in the first place. Thus, it is imperative that the United States government keeps investing the majority of financial resources and experts on gathering intelligence and creating emergency frameworks for assessing and preventing potential incidents. For instance, after the tragic events of 9/11, American authorities decided to issue an updated National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008). It included sections on preventing the rise in numbers of new radicalized recruits by Islamic terrorist groups as well as disrupting the flow of terrorist-related materials and weapons across borders.
The most useful component of the National Incident Management System is preparedness. It is an essential aspect of efficient emergency management, which involves a cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action to achieve and maintain readiness (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d., p. 2). Preparedness provides a foundation, which then ties all of the other NIMS concepts together. It implies massive collective effort and cooperation between the government, various agencies, as well as privately held organizations.
As for the Incident Command System, the most important functional area is Command. The organizational structure of ICS is modular, which means that emergency management and responsibility start with Command (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Then, if there is a need, Command creates the other four sections with more specific tasks. Thus, it is evident that Command is the component, which ties the entirety of emergency response and recovery operations together by creating and directing communication and collaboration channels.
As for the most difficult function of the NRF, it is undoubtedly improving and strengthening the foundation of homeland security structures and procedures. On the one hand, an effective national response implies strict frameworks aimed at emergency assessment, response, stabilization, and recovery. On the other hand, however, the system has to remain flexible enough to use the intelligence collected and experience acquired to make improvements and crucial changes. Agencies have to evaluate their efficiency and performance constantly to ensure their strategies, processes, and regulations reflect their current environment.
Continuing to strengthen the foundation is a key function, which contributes to the development of a sustainable, long-term path to support the States prevention, response, and recovery efforts. The recent cyberbreach the United States has suffered at the hands of Russian, state-sponsored hackers has been unprecedented (Schneier, 2020). It has demonstrated that the U.S.s cybersecurity protocols need updates. Schneier (2020) reported that hackers working for the Russian SVR had made alterations into Orions new software update, which was downloaded by more than 17,000 of the companys customers. The list of organizations using Orions services include all five branches of the US military, the state department, the White House, the NSA, 425 of the Fortune 500 companies, all five of the top five accounting firms, and many others (Schneier, 2020, para. 5). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has to put more emphasis on commissions tasked specifically with cyber-threat assessment and prevention in order to set up efficient frameworks, which would eliminate any opportunities for hackers to launch supply-chain attacks.
The NIMS component, which is the most difficult and requires changes, is resource management. For instance, American Immigration Council reports that the government has spent over $330 billion on immigration enforcement since 2003. Based on the statistics provided by the Pew Research Center in 2017, the fraction of unauthorized immigrants residing in the United States was 3.2%, which accounted for almost 11 million people (Budiman, 2020). With the number of illegal immigrants from Central America and Asia growing rapidly, it is apparent that the federal authorities waste billions. Thus, there is a larger issue of inefficient resource allocation. While border security is undoubtedly an important part of preventing terrorist attacks and maintains peace, the Department has to create a commission responsible specifically for tracking resource allocation and its return-on-investment across various agencies. This group of experts should be tasked to oversee how efficiently finances and critical infrastructure are used.
The least useful and rather difficult area is Finance because of the unpredictability of the emergencies that occur. Once responders actually arrive on the scene, they may find that there is no need for a separate finance unit due to the incident being small in scale. For instance, Command officers can direct the financial responsibility to the planning unit. On the other hand, the emergency accident can develop and lead to more destruction, subsequently resulting in more costs, which would require the Finance unit immediate deployment. The solution is in prior assessment of the scene by the Command staff before setting up the Finance Section.
References
American Immigration Council. (2021). The cost of immigration enforcement and border security. Web.
Budiman, A. (2020). Key findings about U.S. immigrants. Pew Research Center. Web.
Scneier, R. (2020). The US has suffered a massive cyberbreach. Its hard to overstate how bad it is. The Guardian. Web.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Emergency management and the Incident Command System. PHE. Web.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). NIMS: Frequently asked questions. FEMA. Web.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2008). National Response Framework. FEMA. Web.
Organization of states, countries and nations is characterized with boarder rules that govern movements; such movements include the transfer of people, goods as well as services across the territories. Immigration refers to the movement of people from their country into another with the aim of staying in that country permanently. Such immigrations are said to be illegal if they contravene the established laws of the country they are moving into.
Complications over implementation of laws on immigration on the other hand arise due to full acquisitions of rights in the country into which a person has moved to. This paper seeks to argue that parents who are illegal immigrants should be deported to their own countries even if their children are citizens of the United States because they (parents) should follow the legal process. This paper will look into the history of immigration in the United States, legal provisions over illegal immigrants and their impact.
History of Immigration in the United States
The history of immigration into the United States coincides with the history of the states. It is for example hard to consider who the true natives of America are owing to the fact that most of the American races trace their origins of ancestry to other countries.
One of the first races of people to have been reported in the United States for example were a group from Asia that is reported to have moved into the region about twenty thousand years ago. This group has been accredited for the ancestry of the United States current considered native population.
The instance of significant immigration into the land is associated with movements of Europeans and Asians into the region in the seventeenth century. The information and perception that had spread over the United States vast resources for instance attracted Europeans who were interested in exploiting the resources.
Consequently, there was immigration of people from other continents that were in most cases forced so as to help in supplying labor for the Europeans investments. Such were the historic movements of slaves from regions such as Africa, the Caribbean and parts of Asia (Rapid, 2008).
According to Anderson (2010), there was an overwhelming immigration into America in the seventeenth century with respect to the then population in America as well as the populations in the countries from which the people came from. He argued that about seven hundred thousand people had moved to settle in the United States by the year 1760.
It is also estimated that America received more than two hundred thousand immigrants from the then United Kingdom in a span of thirty years that ended in the year 1660, about seventy five thousand immigrants from Germany were also realized in the same time frame a century later with more than a hundred thousand Irish people being realized in the country in the same period as the Germans.
This sequence of settlements established a trend that is still being realized as people moved into the United States in search for greener pasture. These movements were spread over to the nineteenth century with Germans and Irish populations forming the majority of immigrants.
The attractive environment that was portrayed in America together with unfavorable conditions in other parts of the world has however been the major reason for such experienced immigration. The immigration has over time been diverse to realize global representation of global populations in the United States (Anderson, 2010).
The move towards restricting
Restrictions of immigration into the United States have been in existence for centuries now. It started with discriminatory moves that were meant to discourage immigrants and further legislations that were made to restrict the movements into the United States.
A legislation made in the year 1882 in the name of the Chinese exclusion act (Anderson, 2010, p. 8) for example provided for measures to restrict Chinese people from becoming American citizens and established the ground for deportation of any Chinese who would be found in the American land without constitutional certification. Subsequent legislations followed in the twentieth century with enactment of bills that were established for the sole purpose of controlling immigration.
Legislations such as quarter laws of the year 1921, immigration act of 1924, displaced persons act enacted in the year 1948 and immigrations and nationality act of the year 1952 among others are some of the provisions that have been made to restrict immigration into the United States and the legislations further made it clear that such moves are illegal.
The movements however persists with foreigners streaming to the United States without proper validated documents and with the intention of settling in the country so as to enjoy the benefits of the celebrated economy against the fact that such moves are illegal and carry judicial penalties (Anderson, 2010).
Arguments for strict measures against illegal immigrants
The fact that people continue streaming into America and yet they clearly know that the acts are illegal presents the burden of forcing the authorities to implement the established laws on these individuals. There are a number of reasons as to why such immigrations should be restricted even apart from the evident fact that the American constitution restricts some manner of influx across its borders.
Impacts of Immigration
The truth is that immigration has a lot of impacts on America and the people of the United States in general. Whenever a significant movement of people is realized into the nation, there is a resultant impact that range from economic to social factors. One of the reasons for immigration which is the level of hardship in other regions, causing citizens to move for better economic situations has been a factor that draws attention of individuals globally towards America.
According to Sari and Ker of Harvard University, such individuals will be motivated towards countries that have better or even best conditions for their needs. They also express the fact that once individuals have been driven by economic strains in their countries and they move into the United States, they cause an economic impact in the American economy. One of the economic impacts that are caused by these immigrations is the level of competition that natives of the United States are subjected to in the job market.
The inflow of immigrants into the states that are in most cases driven by the search for better paying jobs has seen an absorption of these immigrants into the job markets in the states. Though a level of discrimination is occasionally realized when the immigrants get into the country with respect to the salaries offered to them on their arrival as compared to those offered to Americans on the same jobs, these discrepancies are corrected to convergence with time.
It is actually reported that immigrants are accorded similar treatments as the natives after about a decade and a half of their stay within the United States (Sari and Ker, 2011).
With an assumption of a fixed economy, this gradual assimilation of the foreigners into the job market has the implication of displacing Americans from their jobs or even instigating lowering of wages as they are normally willing to work for wages that are lower that what the natives demand.
This competition is a disadvantage to natives as employers would opt for the cheaper labor as long as the legal systems allows them the freedom to exercise market forces in the labor market. This costs the American people and as a result calls for governments protection that includes elimination of the immigrants by deportation (Cair, n.d.).
Another cause for deportation is the increased responsibility on the government over immigrants. In the bid to fulfill its responsibility to its citizens, the government of the United States undertakes expenses that provide free services to people. Services such as free education, employment opportunities and healthcare for example form a significant percentage of the federal government funds.
Tolerance over immigrants who are at the same time not accounted for in the statistics and planning thus establishes strains on the governments estimates and provisions. Adjustments onto the increased needs for services provided by the government also imply an increased level of expenditure by both federal and state governments as they offer services to these immigrants.
Though the United States is an economically stable territory, the federal budget is still yearly faced with deficits that can be avoided if the government was able to cut on some of its expenditure. Deportation of these individuals will provide an avenue for reducing the federal expenditure that is being channeled to these immigrants either directly or indirectly, knowingly or ignorantly (Porter, n.d.).
The Role of Legislation
Though legislations were formerly enacted in order to restrict immigration into the United States, further laws have again been enacted that have significantly been promoting illegal entry into the states. Acts of parliament have been witnessed that offers amnesty to a number of groups thus promoting illegal entry of people. As a result of the amnesties, the federal government has been forced to even advance assistance to illegal immigrants instead of taking actions against them.
The available set of amnesty is being blamed for the current estimate of about eight hundred thousand people moving into the country illegally on a yearly basis with the aim of eventually finding a final settlement. Such favors and leniencies are also blamed encouraging foreigners to illegally stream and settle in the United States.
Amnesty that was constitutionally offered in the year 1994 to individuals who had entered the country illegally and those whose entry validity had been revoked is one of the moves that are seen to be attracting more illegal immigrants.
There is a high chance that individuals will continue to illegally stream into the United States with the hope that they will one day be granted a similar amnesty into being citizens. There have also been a number of amnesties that have been based on a number of factors such as political interest, region of origin and even social factors like humanitarian crisis.
The NACARA amnesty that was granted in the year 1997 for instance allowed people such as Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Eastern Europeans (Porter, n.d., 67) to unrestrictedly settle in the United States.
Another amnesty that was granted with respect to people of Haiti for instance allowed all of them who had been staying in the United States and who had previously applied for citizenship to be legalized. Further legislations have since then been enacted so as to allow for not just the illegal immigration, but also the legalization of these immigrants into the American system. This means that the constraints that are associated with these immigrations are being promoted at the expense of the natives.
Leniency
The leniency that has in the past been offered to illegal immigrants such as amnesty being offered to individuals as long as their relatives are citizens has also been promoting the illegal inflow with the immigrants hopping that they will one time be granted citizenship on the basis of their relatives being citizens of the United States.
Legislations that have been passed with respect to education of illegal immigrants and aliens such as the DREAM act that was approved by the senate in the year 2005 have also been promoting entry with the aim of gaining favor though the education system.
According to the legislation, there should be some moderation to these categories of students and further opportunities are offered on completion of their schooling that could lead to them being legalized as citizens of the United States. It can therefore be agreed upon that some attachments acquired in the United States can grant illegal immigrant legality into the citizenry of the states.
Such opportunities thus form the basis of immigrants who will take advantage of any such available attachment so as to gain legality in the country and exploit the opportunities which are available.
Consequently, it can also be agreed upon that a move to control illegal immigration in the United States should be strictly applied without considerations to such attachment.
The fact that a person is an illegal immigrant should be enough to call for prosecution of the individual without consideration of the existence of a relative in the states or even any acquired attachment such as education among others (Porter, n.d.).
The fact that the United States is itself facing strains in its budget and the responsibility that is put upon the government to make provisions for people under its territory also calls for measures to regulate the number of people who are moving to further strain the federal budget and expenditure.
Courts in the United States have for example reiterated that the federal government has the responsibility of making provision to the people of America. Interpretations of sections of the United States constitutions have also been made to cover any person living in the United States under this category to be provided for.
This means that once an individual has gained entry into the United States, he or she is entitled to all benefits that Native Americans are entitled to. Further interpretations of the same would mean that the federal government does not have a grip over its budget since its estimations are subject to unpredictable needs that arise from illegal immigration.
The same strain is as well registered in the governments expenditures in two ways. The first impact is the continually budgeted expenditure due to increasing population inflated by immigrants. Similarly, significant level of immigration can cause an unnecessary strain in the budget that might call for reconsideration of the budget. The only solution to these is the total elimination of the illegal immigrations (Carabelli, n.d.).
Review of census of the American population has also been a clear indicator that there is a problem worth discussion with the issue of illegal entry into the united stated. According to the census of the year 1980, more than two million people were realized, in Columbia alone, as undocumented aliens. This also calls for measure to counter the crossing of American boarders (Passel & Woodrow, 2011).
Arguments against strict measures
There are however views that human beings deserves to be accorded rights and freedom whenever they are, whether citizens or illegal immigrants. Human rights activists have for instance called for proper treatments to illegal immigrants based on ethical values (Dwyer, 2004).
Conclusion
Though social responsibility may require the government to make provisions for illegal immigrants, the fact that they contravene the laws and get into the United States illegally calls for their prosecution. The loopholes of the laws that attract immigrants on the hope of gaining legality should also be sealed by taking strict measures over the issue.
Banning of illegal immigration will stand to benefit the US in a great way. Federal and state budgets will become more predictable and this makes it possible for better budgeting.
The solid way that remains is to discourage such immigration by offering strict measures like deportation of the immigrants contrary to their attaching hopes. This will reduce the number of immigrants and at the same time discourage further illegal immigration. I thus support the argument that even parents who are illegal immigrants should be deported to their home country even if their children are citizen of the US because they should follow the legal process.
References
Anderson, S. (2010). Immigration. California, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Carabelli, M. (n.d.). Whose children are these? A rational approach to educating illegal- alien school children. International Social science Review. 84(3&4) p. 115-134.
Dwyer, J. (2004). Illegal immigrants, health care and social responsibility. Hastings Centre Report. 34 (5) pp. 34-41.
Passel, J & Woodrow, K. (2011). Geographic distribution of undocumented immigrants: estimated aliens counted in the 1980 census by states. IMR. 18(3) pp. 642-571.
Porter, L. (n.d.). Illegal immigrants should not receive social services. International Social science Review. 81 (1&2) pp. 66-72.
The Chinese began migrating into the United States mainly from the 1850s. The migration was propelled by drought and floods on the Opium trade between the Chinese and the British. As a result, the lower-class Chinese workers moved out in search of better opportunities in different regions. The Chinese were attracted by the discovery of gold in California in 1848. Others got employed as laborers in American farms, including the booming textile trade in San Francisco and the ongoing railway expansion. However, their influx and admiration from the white employers attracted envy from white workers who saw them as a threat to their livelihood (Rotondi, 2021). Hence, the white Americans formed an anti-Chinese movement to tarnish their image as dirty and disease-ridden.
The initial resistance against the Chinese started in 1875 with the enactment of the Page Act. The legislation was targeted against the immigration of Chinese women who worked as prostitutes. However, a few government officials took advantage of the law to bar all Asian women from entering America. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted to bar laborers from entering the U.S. It was renewed in 1892 and made permanent in 1904. Rotondi (2021) states that the barring of the Chinese paved the way for more Japanese migrants. The Americans also regrouped to oppose the influx of Japanese migrants leading to the Gentlemans agreement between the U.S. and China to limit their number. The same fate met immigrants from Korea and India.
The opposition against Asian immigrants gave rise to Orientalism. As a result, the Asians were labeled Orientals, and the whites were labeled Occident. The Orientals were regarded as weak, immoral, and irrational. At that time, the Americans perceived Asians as people who could not be assimilated into the American culture, nor could they rise to be good American citizens Rotondi, 2021). The U.S. Immigration law also grouped the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Indians into a group of Orientals or aliens who could not become useful citizens or be naturalized.
The Asians who had already entered the U.S. had to grapple with difficult moments. They faced discrimination from many quarters, including housing, education, employment, pay, use of public facilities, and union membership, among others. The Asians came together to resist the discrimination against them due to frustration and took inspiration from the Black Liberation Movement. The Asian Movement was based on the united yellow peoples power and was mainly pushed by students who desired that ethnic studies be included in the school curriculum (Wallace, 2020). The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the Vietnam War also inspired the growth of the Asian Movement. The movement started to take shape in the 1960s.
Orientalism and the Yellow Power involved the Asians who had immigrated to the U.S.; however, they differed in several ways. Orientalism emanated from the actions of the U.S. administration through the U.S. Immigration law. It targeted Asians who intended to migrate into the country. On the other hand, Yellow Power and the Asian American consciousness were started by the Asian Americans who needed to fight racism and discrimination inside the U.S. (Wallace, 2020). Furthermore, Orientalism was supported by law, while the Yellow Power had no legal foundation. The white Americans started Orientalism, and the Yellow Power was started by the Asians living in the United States. Orientalism sought to oppress the Asians, but the Yellow Power sought to redeem the Asian Americans against social injustices in the country.
The immigration stations of Ellis Island and Angel Island are sites with great historical significance. Until this day, these places keep stories of millions of immigrants that passed through the doors of the stations between 1880 and 1930. In this period, Ellis Island was the largest and the busiest immigration station for people coming to the USA, mostly from Europe. It was interesting for me to learn that many women were detained by the Ellis Island officials, as before World War II, women were not allowed to enter the country without men. It was also interesting to learn that since 1907 children under 16 were not allowed to enter the country without a parent. Those who arrived at Ellis Island alone were sent back to their home countries. People who did not pass medical inspection were also sent back home from the station.
It seems astonishing to me that the station officials managed to inspect so many immigrants daily. The photos and video footages that have been preserved in the archives of the station show that the number of people passing through was incredibly high. Another fact that seemed interesting to me is that the station officials could separate children from their parents if they did not believe that they were, in fact, related. For example, when Lucy Attarian recalls the day she and her family were passing the inspection at Ellis Island, the official did not believe that she was related to her parents.1 Her hair and general appearance were different from theirs, and the official told them to leave without Lucy. However, when she started crying after them, he believed that she was their daughter. The officials were cautious because there were many orphans coming to the country with other peoples families.
Although the Angel Island Immigration Station was often referred to as the Ellis Island of the West, the conditions in these sites were very different, and so was the treatment of the arriving immigrants. This was due to the fact that people passing through the Angel Island station were mainly from China, and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had introduced strict regulations for immigrants of Asian origin. Many of them had to face detention, quarantine, interrogation, and even deportation .2 Detention barracks for men and women were overcrowded and unsanitary, which often caused diseases to spread.
The walls of the barracks are full of cravings, which are mostly Chinese poems. People expressed their fears, dreams, and hopes for the future in those poems, and this seems to me an extraordinary example of how art can raise a persons hopes even in the darkest of times. For most people in the barracks, those were the darkest times: they lived in uncertainty and fear of deportation, separated from their families, not knowing when they were going to see their loved ones again. The Angel Island officials could only allow individuals with certain occupations and those with relatives in America to enter the country. To ensure that an immigrant was, in fact, related to some established Chinese nationals in the country, they had to be subjected to detailed interrogations. The things that the officials asked about were often unreasonably and excessively detailed and too specific even for family members to know about each other. The documents in which these family histories were stored and structured were called Coaching Papers .3 This is where the term Paper Sons and Daughters comes from it was a name for those who managed to pass the extremely challenging interrogations, although their relation to the already established immigrants was fictitious.
References
Angel Island, Angel Island Project: Journeys to the Past. Web.
Coaching Papers Angel Island Project: Journeys to the Past. Web.
Welcome to Immigration, Journey to the Past: Bridging East to West. Web.
Footnotes
Welcome to Immigration, Journey to the Past: Bridging East to West. Web.
Angel Island, Angel Island Project: Journeys to the Past. Web.
Coaching Papers Angel Island Project: Journeys to the Past. Web.