My fellow congress men

             As a member of the Congress I know that solving the illegal immigration problem in the United States is a big issue for Americans right now. Many people want illegal immigrants now, they claim that these people don’t deserve the benefits granted by the United States. Citizenship and they are not contributing anything to the country, but increasing the crime rates. In some way it is true, but this can’t lead to discrimination or putting a label on all immigrants in the United Sates. We need to find a completely fair and realistic solution to the illegal immigrant population in the United States without resorting to racism or ignorance.

            Illegal immigrants don’t cross the border just to get deported. They don’t break the law or risk their lives in their way to the United States just to increase crime or damage the United States economy. Most are so desperate of the conditions they are living in, that they put their lives in jeopardy. They even take the jobs nobody wants. Most immigrants work as construction workers and janitors in food industries. They take as little as twenty percent of the construction jobs. It is not fair to say that they all should be kicked out of the United States because they came in illegally. Also it is not an option to change the 14^th amendment to prevent anchor babies, because they are not responsible for their parents’ actions of crossing the border, and most since they have lived their whole lives in the U.S. feel totally American. As confusing as it may sound, the law is making them break it. This is because, the process of becoming a legal immigrant is extremely difficult and slow and it may take years to happen. To become legal there are certain requirements by law. These are: lawful entry as permanent resident; had been resident  in the U.S. for at least five years prior to filing a petition for naturalization and three years for spouse of citizens; physical presence in the U.S. for at least half of the period of continuous residence; to read, write, and speak good English for people who are  not over fifty-five years of age and have lived in the U.S. for at least a total of 15 years; knowledge of U.S. history and understanding the fundamentals of the U.S. government;  good moral character and attachment to the principles of U.S. Constitution; and make the oath of allegiance. Some of these requirements are totally foolish. For example to speak good English, that’s totally racist. People have their language and culture. It’s logical that they should know English, but being it perfect is expecting too much. What illegal immigrants need are opportunities instead of restrictions. In my opinion requirements should be changed, altered and some erased; making citizenship easier and faster. What should be done is sending documents to apply for U.S citizenship in which a family of 5 that wants to be part of the U.S. expresses why they want to be part of the country, why they should be picked, and what they got to offer. Then choosing the best families per month and enforcing the law so it can’t be broken.

            No governments are perfect but striving for it is what makes it the best. Don’t be afraid of change. Everyone deserves a chance. Even people who make mistakes, they want to be part of the American Dream. Let’s make it happen!

Sources:

http://www.usillegalaliens.com/more_realistic_solutions_to_the_illegal_immigration_problem.html

http://www.writework.com/essay/immigration-proposal-solve-its-problems/q/convoluted

http://www.ehow.com/about_5038166_common-jobs-immigrants.html

Change?

·        Change, change in the U.S. for immigrants has been negative. The U.S. is a country formed by immigrants but ironically very little people understand what immigrants go through and that there are human. Yes, they may have gotten to the U.S states illegally, but no one has the right to discriminate against. At least that’s what the constitution states.

·        Little has been done to help this desperate people that dream of a better life in the U.S. The dream act explained on my previously blog post did not pass. This act was the starting point of what could be progress for immigrants. Unfortunately immigrants were not given the opportunity to serve their country and gain benefits from it.

·        The only change that has really happened in the U.S is negative.  The Arizona law was approved saying that officers were going to be trained so this law does not fall on racial profiling; still checking on whether people are legal citizens of the U.S is a very racist law.

·        Now people propose to change the 14^th amendment in order to solve the illegal immigration problem. This is no way of solving the issue of immigrants illegally coming to the U.S and getting benefits without contributing to the country.

·        The 14^th amendment states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”.This has encouraged the immigrant tendency of anchor babies this racist term refers to babies born in the U.S whose parents came in illegally. For many legislators this is the cause of wanting to change the 14^th amendment because of the abuse of it.

·        In my opinion babies don’t have the fault that their parents brought them to the U.S through illegal means. Still they claim that a woman born to the U.S. and her baby is subject to the jurisdiction of the country they lived in, so the baby can’t claim to be a U.S citizen and get the benefits that most immigrants don’t get back in their home countries.

·        Immigrants don’t want to damage the U.S or to break the law system; they want to make the U.S. their home. They go through so much and risk their lives in the journey of coming to America, “the land of freedom”, just to have a better life or sometimes to get away from the horrible conditions they live in. Instead of helping them and creating a system which allows them to become citizens Americans are creating hatred against immigrants based on ethnicity. We shouldn’t go back to the ignorance of racism, we should know better than that.

Sources:

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/campaign/112377-the-big-question-should-the-14th-amendment-be-changed-to-address-immigration-concerns

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm

http://geekpolitics.com/illegal-immigrants-problems-and-solutions/

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-05/politics/legislators.illegal.immigration_1_children-of-illegal-immigrants-legal-immigration-citizenship?_s=PM:POLITICS

Resisting

·        The immigrants had the final straw when the SB 1070 Bill was signed on April 23 by the Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. This law allows officers to ask for papers and prohibits the employment of illegal immigrants.  It permits officials or government agencies to transmit any information of your immigration status to other agencies or officials.

·        Immigrants have protested and made movements against oppression and racism. We Are America Alliance, Border Angels, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and New American Opportunity Campaign and Puente Arizona are some associations.

·         Puente Arizona one fights for immigrant’s human rights and promotes non violence and justice.

·        We Are America Alliance hope to persuade Congress to grant amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants that reside in the United States.

·        Protests have been done but some end up in violence and that’s not what’s been promoted.

·        Another type of protest that was going on was the Arizona boycott. People say the boycott is not only about the SB 1070 is also about policies that repress immigrants.

·        The boycott consists of resisting buying goods from any Arizona-based company and from sending employees to meetings or conferences in Arizona.

·        Cities or counties that approve boycotting Arizona are: Amherst (Mass.); Austin City Council; Berkeley, California; Bloomington, Ind.; Boston; Burlington, Vt.; Columbus, Ohio; Cook County, Ill.; El Paso (city and county).; Gallup, N.M.; Hartford, Conn.; Los Angeles (city and county); Oakland; Richmond, Calif.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Pablo, Calif.; St. Paul, Minn.; Santa Monica, Calif.; San Francisco (non-binding resolution);Seattle and West Hollywood, Calif.

·        The boycott made some serious discussions like the threat of the Arizona governor on cutting the 25% power on Los Angeles if it boycotts Arizona.  

·        Another thing that was done against immigrant oppression was the Act Dream. The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, was a proposed bill that allowed students that had been brought as kids illegally to the U.S to follow a path in order to gain citizenship through education or military services.  Disappointingly this bill failed to pass. It fell 5 votes short from the 60 needed for it to be approved. President Obama called it "an incredibly disappointing vote."

·        Many things have been done these past few days against immigrant oppression but the fight is still on. They got to stand for their rights. Demand equality, here we see how racism history is repeating itself in modern ways.  NO ONE SHOULD BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR THEIR COLOR, RACE OR GENDER. That’s basic human rights.  

Sources:

http://www.puenteaz.org/

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/citizenship.html

http://www.caircoalition.org/

http://dreamact.info/students

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-18/politics/congress.dream.act_1_dream-act-procedural-vote-illegal-immigrants?_s=PM:POLITICS

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/arizona-immigration-bill-sb1070-what-does-it-mean-2609772.html

Oppression

·        Starting the 19^th century almost 25 million Europeans immigrated to the U.S. some came avoiding religious persecution, famine, military abuse, and bad economy.

·        Immigrants who had diseases such as heart problems or hernias did not pass the inspection therefore they were not allowed in.

·        Then as many immigrants entered the country prejudice started. Many claimed that this was because of the occupations with low wages and others because of the Catholic religion many brought.

·        In May 6, 1882 the Chinese exclusion Act signed by President Chester A. Arthur was passed. This was the first significant law restricting immigration. The federal law prohibited this ethnic working group saying it endangered localities. This act and later its extension the “Geary Act” of 1902 let very few Chinese in for 10 years and prevented the Chinese already in to become citizens. Also it added restrictions by requiring each Chinese resident to register and obtain a certificate of residence to prevent deportation. The Chinese in the U.S. sent letters to the president but the law was not repelled until the 1943 almost 20s.

·        On October 11, 1906 the San Francisco Board of education ordered the Chinese and Japanese to attend segregated oriental schools.

·        By 1921 the first quantitave immigration law was made. The Quota Law limited the number of aliens of any nationality who could enter the United States by 3%.

·         Later on the Immigration Act of 1924. This act gave preference in immigration on persons with skill and relatives in the U.S. It also provided that immigrants could apply for citizenship after 5 years of residency. In this year the border patrol is established. By 1940 the Alien Registration Act demands registration and fingerprinting of all aliens.

·        1954: Ellis Island closes; there was no more mass immigration. 

Sources :

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=47
http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2402/Immigration-Almost-Four-Hundred-Years-American-History-RESTRICTIONS-ON-IMMIGRATION-TIGHTEN.html
http://www.ellisislandimmigrants.org/ellis_island_immigrants.htm
http://www.archives.gov/pacific/education/curriculum/4th-grade/chinese-exclusion.html

http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/ 

Immigrant History

      Immigrants have migrated to the U.S since the 19th century.  Like many they came with high hopes for a brighter future, freedom and financial gain .Since then Europeans, Latin Americans, Asians and people from different ethnicities and origin came to the U.S.  Unfortunately these people didn’t always receive the rights expected or the equality. They were discriminated against and treated unfairly.

      Until the 1960s, U.S. immigration laws reflected the racism. White Americans simply stated that some races were inferior and thus acts restricting the immigration of these people were made. These laws determined who might enter, how long they could stay and when they had to leave. The Civil Rights movement in the U.S caused a big change. Now people felt that they could protest and fight for equality, after all the13^th amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that all men are created equal. Then why people from other places shouldn’t be given equal rights? Today immigrants are still fighting for their rights and citizenship, but they are not a really strong group. According to the Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey, the US immigrant population was 38,517,234, or 12.5 percent of the total US population.

      Thus a century has passed and many immigrants still suffer many hardships from the past. Some might even say we're taking a step back due to racist laws and profiling done by such states as Arizona while others may say that Americans are improving due to California liberal and protection rights. Improving or not Immigrants still are yet to be treated such as their white counterparts in present day and there is only hope for a brighter future for these people.

Sources :

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=47
http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2402/Immigration-Almost-Four-Hundred-Years-American-History-RESTRICTIONS-ON-IMMIGRATION-TIGHTEN.html

BLOGS i read!

Jenny's blog had a point. She supported well the opinion that Native Americans were treated bad. She stated that Whites forced Native Americans to move, assimilate and in sort of way wanted to exterminate them. Her essay was one that could persuade anyone inmature about the topic. :D thumbs up !

Kathy's essay said that assimilation was a hard and cruel procees that Indians needed to go through in order to be with whites. I don't agree very much on the fact that Indians did things as Whites said because we learned that some refused to do what Whites demanded. For example Sitting Bull, he refused to hunt and accept resources from them.

I really like the way Mariah's blog protrays what Whites did to Indians. She really knows how to blame Whites using facts.

Randy's essay was good, however it had some errors that made it difficult to read. It said that Whites didn't have respect for Native Americans. I dissagree; they didnt have respect with each other. To fight two are needed.

Shae's essay basically talked of how bad was for Indians to change the way they were, but i have a question for her: could you imagine what life would be like in the U.S today if assimilation had not occured? The U.S would be a complete chaos between these grous and it couldn't have been as sucessful as it is now. So yeah in a way assimilation was cruel but it brought many benefits to future Americans.

Who's fault was it?

            Native Americans and whites faced many struggles with each other in the United States from the beginning of the1860s. Treaties were made and broken, wars were fought, innocent people suffered and injustice took place all because of land. This all led to a terrible outcome known as the Wounded Knee Massacre. It has always been thought that Indians were responsible for the terrible events that took place on American Land. The truth is that both the Sioux and whites contributed to the ending of the story. Whites intended to help the "uncivilized" Native Americans the wrong way, not being compassionate and pushing assimilation to the limit and Indians were stubborn and incomprehensive to progress.

 
          Whites always seemed as if they wanted to help another culture; be peaceful and nice but it really wasn’t that way. We can see this in the Treaty of Traverse de Sioux made in July 23, 1851. It was made in exchange for money and goods. Indians gave away their land, but they never saw the money; whites broke the treaty. Another way in which whites made it seem as if they wanted to help was the Little Big Horn Battle in which General Custer and 261 men went to attack and drive out Indians for gold. This battle surprisingly was one of the few victories that Native Americans had therefore whites used the event to portray themselves as the good guys. They published in newspapers that Native Americans massacred Gen. Custer and his men. They didn’t mention the intentions that Gen. Custer had because they knew that Indians killed them to protect themselves. It was kill or die, they went for defense. If Whites really wanted to "help" as they said they should have showed them the benefits of being American and finding ways to agree. This was not how it happened; forcefully whites took Native American land and sold it.

          Indians were not angels either. They were stuck in the past, didn't want progress and couldn't accept American ways. We could see this portrayed on Sitting Bull, one of the greatest tribe leaders. He was one of the Indian chiefs that resisted the most. After he and General Sherman met at Cedar Creek valley in October 1876 he couldn't go anymore against whites and instead of moving to reservations he moved his tribe to Canada, were they were warmly welcomed. Sitting Bull was so stubborn that even in the harsh conditions of Canada he didn't let his people leave. They starved, got sick from cold, and many died. After a while his people rebelled against him and decided to give in and move to the Indian reservations. Still he stayed, it was not until his grandson died that he decided to move to the reservations and even there he resisted accepting food and hunting. 

          At reservations whites intended to assimilate Indians. These people had to convert to Christianity. They had to dress in the American way, change their hair and names, learn English and couldn't dance. Conflicts aroused in these reservations were Indians were pushed to the limit. Diseases broke and alcoholism followed by depression aroused. All the tension building up led to the Wounded Knee Massacre. In this event a tribe was completely wiped out by white soldiers after they took their weapons away and outnumbered them. About 150 Indians were killed including women and children. 

          I can’t tell whether what these people did to each other was good or bad, but it obviously was done the wrong way. They both used violence and it created chaos; more problems instead of benefits. It’s sad the outcome of the story because it could have been prevented. For this we record history, so mistakes like these won’t happen again.