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COMING TO AMERICA: A LATIN AMERICAN JOURNEY
Group 4: Iolanda, Abraham, Zainab, Angela, Ruby, Cynthia, Emmett, Sugam
THE JOURNEY AND CHALLENGES FROM LATIN AMERICA TO THE U.S.
Motives Demand pull factor Supply Push Factor Establish Networks
Journey Risk & Obstacles Mode of Transportation
Challenges Cultural Political Economical
Long Term Effects Assimilation/
Acculturation Immigrants affecting the
U.S.
Con
ten
ts
FACTS ABOUT MIGRATION
Immigration to the U.S. has been an ongoing process for centuries
US restrictions and policies have not stopped illegal immigration
Many flee because of armed conflicts, poverty, environmental degradation, or effects of natural disasters
Many migrants are individuals who are the main economic providers for their families.
Decision to migrate usually depends upon an arrangement within the family
Many have no jobs and no options in their country of origin
Motives for Emigration
I. Demand / Pull Factors
II. Supply / Push Factors
III. Established Networks
AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. ALVARADO- AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
THE JOURNEY
Life on the Train Tracks
Nobody can afford a train ticket, so they ride on the tops.
RISK FACTORS:
Natural Environment Climate Terrain Illness
Illegitimate Transportation Train tops Truck beds
Criminal Activity Robbery Sexual Assaults Kidnapping Murder Gangs
MANY WILL PERISH
Memorial on the Mexico-US border representing the 5000 people that have died on the border since 2000.
MANY WILL BE DETAINED
OSCAR MEDRANO, HONDURAS
Traveling from Honduras to get a better life.
Makes it to Mexico Climbs Fence Falls, Loses Leg
Lies in pain, waiting for help Help arrives, in the form of young gang
members who rob him.
CARLOS, HONDURAN MIGRANT IN TAPACHULA
Cant find a job; decides to move to USA. Pays coyote his savings of 2 whole years-
$1400 Coyote robs him, drops him off in middle
of desert. Attempts to go by himself
Rides train tops. Tragically loses hands.
CHALLENGES FACED ONCE IN THE US
Culture
Housing
Employment
Assimilation
Acculturation
CULTURE
Learning the Language(English)
Low Education
TimeNot Enough Resources
No Guarantee
U.S. President George W. Bush recently said, “Part of the greatness of America is that we've been able to help assimilate people into our society... And part of that assimilation process is English. I believe this: If you learn English, and you're a hard worker, and you have a dream, you have the capacity from going from picking crops to owning the store, or from sweeping office floors to being an office manager.”
HOUSING
Struggles with
Housing
Social Connectio
ns
Unaware of the laws
Crowded Living
Conditions
Hazardous living
conditions
CHALLENGES IN HOUSING
Landlords exploit immigrants.
EMPLOYMENT
Workplace Exploitation
Unwanted jobs
Low Wages
Unsafe Conditions
Harassment
About a quarter of the construction workers rebuilding New Orleans are illegal immigrants, who are getting lower pay, less medical care and less safety equipment than legal workers, according to a new study by professors at Tulane University and the University of California, Berkeley.
CLASSICAL ASSIMILATION
Definition: “ A natural process by which diverse ethnic groups come to share a common culture and to gain equal access to the opportunity structure of society; that this process consists of gradually deserting old cultural and behavioral patterns in favor of new ones; and that, once set in motion, this process moves inevitable and irreversible towards assimilation”
In other words, immigrants overtime need to give up there old ways and “melt” into the mainstream of their host society.
Richard Alba and Victor Nee declared that the process of assimilation starts with “ contact, competition , accommodation and eventual assimilation”
ASSIMILATION
Today, immigrants from Mexico are taking longer to assimilate compared to other foreign immigrants.
A study conducted by the US News reported that
even fourth generation Mexican Americans politically identify themselves as either “Mexican” or “ Mexican American.” in which brings concerns amongst many Americans.
REASONS WHY ASSIMILATION IS SLOWING DOWN
Many minority groups are concentrated in poor inner city communities, therefore they are alienated from the cultural norms of US citizens .
Racism and discrimination: Ideology that whites are the superior race and dark skinned minority groups are economically, socially, and culturally inferior. Therefore, institutions are not accommodating for minority groups who are at a disadvantage when it comes to employment, education, and health.
ACCULTURATION
Euphoria •Excitement enthusiasm and optimism for everything in the host culture
Culture Shock •Negativity ranging from irritability to hostility, from anxiety to outright panic•Similar to the stages of grief
Anomie•Gradual recovery of equilibrium and objectivity•Acknowledge if positive and negative aspects of both cultures•Identity crisis
Assimilation or Adoption •Acceptance of new culture•Recovery of self-confidence and identity
THE “MARGINAL MAN”
The “ Marginal Man” is a term used to describe immigrants who come into a host country but are pulled back by the culture of their origins.
LONG TERM EFFECTS
OR
Assimilation- The process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group
Acculturation- the results of contact between two or more different cultures; a new, composite culture emerges, in which some existing cultural features are combined, some are lost, and new features are generated. Usually one culture is dominant.
Children are the ones that mix in and bring American culture into the household.
Most immigrant families try to keep their culture within and not leave their heritage/culture.
As generations pass the culture of immigrant descendants fade away; such as language, knowledge, values…etc
LATIN INFLUENCES ON AMERICA
FOOD
MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT
THE AMALGAM OF LATIN AND AMERICAN CULTURES
ALFREDO QUIÑONES-HINOJOSA, M.D.