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.