Frans J. Schryer’s thesis in They Never Come Back is to “give readers a good sense of what life is like for those who make it across the border…and to illuminate...the urgent change to the current system of immigration that is just not working” (viii). He seeks to highlight how undocumented workers’ migration affects themselves, America, but specifically the ‘sending communities’ or the communities that the illegal immigrants migrate from and leave behind. Trained as an anthropologist, his research is based upon interviews of over 3,791 Mexican and American workers (9). Schryer spent over four decades traveling rural and urban Mexican communities to achieve a raw, natural perspective of illegal immigration. The majority of his work was concentrated …show more content…
It acknowledges the increase of struggles these individuals face. The forefront problem is the increase of stricter border control that happened in America as a result of 9/11. After the terrorist attacks, the United States increased patrol but also citizen’s unexclusive nature towards immigrants. Because of this, illegal Mexican immigrants experienced a more dangerous and risky trip while migrating across the border. This also encouraged illegal immigrants to permanently stay in the United States after successfully arriving, because it was too dangerous to return back into Mexico. Consequences resulting from this include abandonment of their family still in Mexico, desertion of their native culture/traditions and being in a constant fear of deportation. Because they are unable to travel back home, many experience an identity crisis since they are unable to identify with legally being American and they are miles away from their Mexican community. This identity crisis is found not only in their personal life but also in their professional life. In their American jobs, since they are exploitable, illegal immigrants must be flexible, hardworking and compliant with inhumane treatment. Schyrer highlights the multitude of negative consequences to inform the reader of the struggles illegal immigrants must go through. The does this in order to show the urgent need to reform America’s immigration
In Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz’s book, Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, she allows us to enter the everyday lives of ten undocumented Mexican workers all living in the Chicago area. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz refers to Chuy, Alejandro, Leonardo, Luis, Manuel, Omar, Rene, Roberto, Lalo, and Albert the ten undocumented Mexicans as the “Lions”. This book shares the Lions many stories from, their daily struggle of living as an undocumented immigrant in America, to some of them telling their stories about crossing the border and the effects of living in a different country than their family, and many other struggles and experiences they have encountered. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz’s book delves into
Gomberg-Muñoz’s book provides the reader with an inside prospective of the lives of undocumented Mexicans. It shows what it is like for people working to help forward themselves and their families in Mexico and The United States. Contrary to some Americans belief that Mexicans want to take over the United States, the majority of the Lions just
The book ‘Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network’ by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz explains the hardships that surround the Mexican immigrant network. Over the years the ‘undocumented’ workers coming to America from Mexico has increased which has gained the attention of the American government and the media, as it is ‘illegal behavior’. Gomberg-Munoz attempts to create an understanding of the lives of these workers by telling individual’s personal stories. The author reports the workers undocumented lives rather than reviewing their status as this is already covered in society. The author’s main topic revolves around the principle that undocumented workers strive to improve their quality of life by finding employment in the United States (Gomberg-Munoz 9). Gomberg Munoz also presents the daily struggles the works face daily, and how these struggles “deprives them of meaningful choice and agency” which effects their opportunity and futures (Gomberg-Munoz 9). This ethnography shows their social identities through work, the reasons why their position is illegal and how they live their everyday lives under the circumstances.
Although his research is not fully based in the Mexican immigrants, it is rather based in a small community of immigrants from Tucuani, this is a work that helps people to understand the transnational life of migrants in general. In fact, being an international student and coming from a country market by immigration, this book also provides an explanation of some for some of my personal experience. For example, when he notices how the first generation and second generation is treated differently when returning home. The first generation is well received and praised when the second generation is treated as arrogant. My country was also greatly impacted by civil war which forced a number of people to immigrate. This book analysis presented several explanations for the reason why first generation keeps the image of their country of origin as “home” that they would always come back and the second not so much. Like Julia, many second generation returning to my country feel happy to return home, but they make people unhappy since they would not let go of the values they learned growing up in a foreign country. I didn’t understand much and I confess that before moving to the US I also consider many of them arrogant. In fact, these views may influence how both generations are treated when returning to their home
Immigration is a very dangerous and risky journey. Everyday immigrants try so hard to make it to the United States. This journey involves parents trying to support kids back home, families trying to start over, or kids trying to get to their mom; but some do not make it through this hardship. Those individuals, who make it, try like never before to support themselves and the family they needed to leave behind. Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario is a well written novel that uses many pathos, logos, and ethos examples. Each one of them is used effectively because of the way students are persuaded in believing there true. Elements from the quotes can reveal that Sonia is knowledgeable and
Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz, is a book that explains the difficulty of Mexican immigrant lifestyles, which has gained the attention across the country especially since Donald Trumps’ recent statements against these people, as illegal civilians come from Mexico to work in America. Gomberg-Munoz tries to give us an understanding of the life of these people. Gomberg-Munoz’s thesis is that immigrant workers work endlessly to improve their life by finding employment here in America. Gomberg-Munoz claims that due to these people being “undocumented” or “illegal” it created many struggles in their daily lives, which limits opportunities to achieve the “American Dream” that we previously discussed. During this review I will look through a number chapters, discussing some of Gomberg-Munoz’s points and getting further into them.
In The Land of Open Graves, Anthropologist Jason De León provides semi fictionalize personal stories of how US immigration policy effects the lives of border crossers. De León focuses on “Prevention through Deterrence”, the strategy of guiding border crossers towards the Sonoran Desert in order to let the hostile conditions discourage potential crossers and punish those who follow through. De León humanizes his ethnography in order to illustrate the pain and suffering that “Prevention through Deterrence” has caused.
A spiral of events lead Mr. Jose Vargas to unrightfully apologize to former bosses and employers regarding his immigration status. Many undocumented citizens, Vargas states approximately, “11 million undocumented immigrants” have endured a battle to gain their citizenship. Obtaining proper documents, Green Cards, social security numbers and drivers licenses is undesirably long and difficult. Mr. Vargas, a college graduate and acclaimed author for major newspapers was denied of jobs, opportunities and scholarships despite the numerous accomplishments he gained.
De Leon’s purpose of this book is to enhance our understanding of the process of undocumented desert migration. Intending to challenge preconceived notions about what a holistic anthropology can look like and how it can be deployed in a politically hostile terrain. He does this by showing how productive it can be to sneak back and forth across the border between “accepted” discourse and excluded discourse in the name of generating new knowledge and new forms of cultural understanding. He goes over almost every aspect about how hard it is for the millions of Mexicans attempting to cross undocumented.
Immigrants face many difficulties while trying to better their lives. In the article “Illegal immigrants in greece” by it shows how many immigrants lost their lives trying to travel to america in hopes of bettering their lives. In enrique’s journey many immigrants faced being tortured, killed, and having to deal with starvation. Immigrants end up dying when they go on
Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz’s, Labor and Legality is a book written on the Mexican immigrant network in the U.S. She centers it on the Lions, a group of Mexican men from Leon, Mexico that all share their lives and help explain the many networks and strategies that are used in order to excel and gain happiness. There have been many different sorts of misconceptions about immigrants, and in recent years about undocumented immigrants from Mexico. The U.S. has made a sort of war on illegal immigrants and has made it a seemingly high priority in the media and in politics. Therefore, many Americans have been mislead and ill-informed about the history of immigrants/undocumented immigrants. Gomberg-Muñoz’s Labor and Legality helps set us straight. She unveils undocumented immigrants for the people that they are instead of the criminals that the media leads many to believe. Although she doesn’t have a wide range of participants for her study, I believe that she addresses many of the misconceptions and just plain ignorance that American people have of people that are undocumented; why stereotypes are supported by the people themselves, why politicians include stronger illegal immigration laws, and everything in between. Many of her topics reveal a sort of colonialism that the U.S. practices on Mexico; the exploitation of undocumented peoples to the benefit of the U.S. through economics, hypocritical laws and campaigns, and the racist and prejudice consequences.
Immigration, a very popular topic, but most people only think about one side. The U.S citizen side is common knowledge, but what about the immigrant’s side? In the novel, The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henríquez, and in the article "Sick and Afraid, Some Immigrants Forgo Medical Care”, by Jan Hoffman, the major theme is immigrants and their fear. As shown in the novel and the article, immigrants have feelings and families, hopes and dreams. Immigration is a very controversial issue in the United States, but it should not be, since immigrants are people too, according to both of theses sources. Medical issues, the fear of harm, and unfair treatment, are the major things that both of these sources have in common and agree on. Immigrants are struggling in America, in more ways than one, and many are wondering if coming to America was the right choice.
There are many vulnerable populations within the United States. One of the many vulnerable populations are undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants also known as illegal immigrants according to Wikipedia (2016) is defined as “the migration of people across national boarders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country” (para 1). The United States of America has one of the largest population of immigrants. In this paper, I will be discussing the multiple stressors related to undocumented immigrants as well as the programs that can be used to help alleviate those stressors.
Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, shares his life-long journey as an undocumented immigrant in his text, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” As the title suggests, Vargas attempts to convey to his audience, who likely never has and never will experience anything similar to what he has, what it is like to live as an immigrant in the United States of America. Skillfully, Vargas details the perfect number of personal stories to reach the emotional side of his audience, which is anyone who is not an immigrant. Through the use of his personal accounts Vargas is able to effectively communicate that immigrants are humans too while simultaneously proving his credibility, as he has experience and a vast amount of knowledge
Here in the Rio Grande Valley immigration has become the hit. An immigrant in my own words is someone from a different country that travels to an alternative country permanently for a better life. I belief they are many unlike reasons why people live in their country but cross to another country. Actually, I’m not in immigrant, I’m a US citizen but I have experienced many stories and seen families struggle from this situation. Nevertheless, to my own experience, some people move to the US to find better jobs, but some move to different counties to look forward not only to better their education but their children’s as well. In this research paper I will be pointing out the important factors and expectations of illegal immigrants in the US,