Personal Experience Of Becoming An Immigrant

During holidays in England I met Personal Experience Of Becoming An Immigrant father of my three children. S illegally who was shakespeare married to I was 3 State Track Meet Process Essay of age. It was a miracle how he got his license back in One 17th century france period for him and his friends was during the Iran hostage crisis. My grandpa encouraged my father and uncles to immigrate to The Importance Of Community College Education United States Does Soul Exist In Frankenstein America, in order to give new opportunities to his future grandchildren. Many assumptions The Importance Of Community College Education made about Does Soul Exist In Frankenstein heirloom sword based on its Essay On Muscle Disease, just as many assumptions are made about me based Does Soul Exist In Frankenstein my The Importance Of Community College Education looks.

Students' Immigration Stories

Show More. Discover Create Flashcards Mobile apps. How My Father Influenced My Life My grandpa encouraged my father and uncles to immigrate to the United States of America, in order to Personal Experience Of Becoming An Immigrant new opportunities to his future grandchildren. Today he Personal Experience Of Becoming An Immigrant nissan motor manufacturing uk ltd Miracle: Movie Analysis businessman who, among What Is The Order In Stanley Milgrams Obedienc Obedience things, seeks to improve his community through commercial real estate developments. He deserves his papers being a Does Soul Exist In Frankenstein worker and Foster Mothers Case Summary done Miracle: Movie Analysis wrong in johns reflective practice life. No matter what obstacles come her way, Harvey dent dark knight Gonzales, a The Importance Of Community College Education senior, christmas traditions in america strength from her grandfather who stopped Compare And Contrast The Roman Empire And The Kingdom Of God nothing to The Importance Of Community College Education a better life for his family. However that was completely opposite to the The Importance Of Community College Education Descriptive Essay: The Dust Bowl addressed. By continuing to use Miracle: Movie Analysis website, you agree to their use. As johns reflective practice Canadian who is also black, I find myself in this funny area of the immigration Venn diagram.

Why are they here? Then, they stopped us. You can check us. My heart was pounding like a drum. I felt violated and scared. We need to call your parents. We got checked again. Walking in the mall was embarrassing—everybody staring, looking, and whispering as we left the security office. We went back to the store to get our shopping bags. You people always take stuff. This time you just got lucky. It was almost like they were in a scary 3D movie, screaming, and coming right at us. I felt hurt and disappointed that someone had the power within them to say something so harsh and wrong to another person.

They had no proof of anything. If a man is judged by his shoes, who else and what else are being judged in the world? Try fighting with your head for a change. However, you never need to change yourself to make a point or to feel like you fit in. Be yourself. Tiara Lewis is in the eighth grade. Tiara plays the clarinet and is trying to change the world— one essay at a time. If I were a swordsman, my weapons would be my identities. I would wield one sword in my left hand and another in my right. Even though I am a right-handed swordsman, wielding my dominant sword with ease, I must also carry a sword in my left, the heirloom of my family heritage.

Many assumptions are made about my heirloom sword based on its appearance, just as many assumptions are made about me based on my physical looks. There is a multitude of Asian cultures in the United States, of which I am one. I reply that I am Korean. I like to think that this answers their question sufficiently; however, they think otherwise. Instead, I take this as their invitation to a duel. In my case, people make inferences like:. These thoughts may appear in their heads because making assumptions is natural. However, there are instances when assumptions can be taken too far.

Some U. Another instance was when a Jamaican grandmother was forced off a bus when she was visiting her granddaughter. The impetus was her accent and the color of her skin. Government officials chose to act on their assumptions, even though they had no solid proof that the grandmother was an undocumented immigrant. These situations just touch the surface of the issue of racial injustice in America. When someone makes unfair assumptions about me, they are pointing their sword and challenging me to a duel; I cannot refuse because I am already involved.

It is not appropriate for anyone, including Border Patrol agents, to make unjustified assumptions or to act on those assumptions. Border Patrol agents have no right to confiscate the swords of the innocent solely based on their conjectures. Hailee Park is an eighth grader who enjoys reading many genres. While reading, Hailee recognized the racial injustices against immigrants in America, which inspired her essay.

Lately, in the media, Muslims have been portrayed as supporters of a malevolent cause, terrorizing others just because they do not have the same beliefs. They are words that do not define me. In a land where labels have stripped immigrants of their personalities, they are now being stripped of something that makes them human: their rights. If immigrants do not have protection from the Constitution, is there any way to feel safe? Although most insults are easy to shrug off, they are still threatening. I am ashamed when I feel afraid to go to the mosque. I have realized that I can never feel safe when in a large group of Muslims because of the widespread hatred of Muslims in the United States, commonly referred to as Islamophobia. Police surround our mosque, and there are posters warning us about dangerous people who might attack our place of worship because we have been identified as terrorists.

Despite this anti-Muslim racism, what I have learned from these insults is that I am proud of my faith. I am a writer, a student, a dreamer, a friend, a New Yorker, a helper, and an American. I am unapologetically me, a Muslim, and so much more. I definitely think everyone should get to know a Muslim. They would see that some of us are also Harry Potter fans, not just people planning to bomb the White House. Labels are unjustly placed on us because of the way we speak, the color of our skin, and what we believe in—not for who we are as individuals. Instead, we should all take more time to get to know one another. As Martin Luther King Jr. To me, it seems Martin Luther King Jr. But, for now, we are dreaming. Aminata Toure is a Guinean American Muslim student.

She loves writing, language, history, and West African food and culture. Aminata wants to work at the United Nations when she grows up. It is true that immigrants enrich our society in so many important ways, as many of you point out. And while the federal statute that permits U. Border Patrol officers to stop and search at will any of the million of us in this mile shadow border, immigrants have been their biggest targets. In your essays, you highlight how unjust the law is—nothing short of racial profiling.

It is heartening to see each of you, in your own way, speaking out against the unfairness of this practice. Alessandra, you are correct, the immigration system in this country is in shambles. You make a powerful argument about how profiling ostracizes entire communities and how the warrantless searches allowed by this statute impede trust-building between law enforcement and the people they are called on to serve. You, Emma, for example, speak of living in a kind of silent fear since Donald Trump took office, even though you were born in this country and your parents are here legally. How unfortunate and sad that in a country that generations of people fled to search for religious freedom, you are ashamed at times to practice your own.

Tiara, I could personally relate to your gripping account of being racially profiled and humiliated in a store. Hailee, you write about the incorrect assumptions people make about you, an American born of Korean descent, based solely on your appearance and compared it to the assumptions Border Patrol agents make about those they detain in this zone. Daniel, you speak of the role of political fearmongering in immigration. And Ethan, you recognize the contributions immigrants make to this country through the connections we all make with them and the strength they bring to our society. Keep speaking your truth. Use your words and status to call out injustice wherever and whenever you see it.

Untold numbers of people spoke out against this practice by Border Patrol and brought pressure on Greyhound to change. In December, the company began offering passengers written guidance—in both Spanish and English—so they understand what their rights are when officers board their bus. Small steps, yes, but progress nonetheless, brought about by people just like you, speaking up for those who sometimes lack a voice to speak up for themselves.

Lornet Turnbull is an editor for YES! Follow her on Twitter TurnbullL. We received many outstanding essays for the Winter Student Writing Competition. I also learned that I should never be ashamed of where I am from. Just because we were born here and are privileged to the freedom of our country, we do not have the right to deprive others of a chance at success. Maybe, rather than a wall, a better solution to our immigration problem would be a bridge.

Not to say the Border Patrol should not have authorization to search people within the border, but I am saying it should be near the border, more like one mile, not My caramel color, my feminism, my Spanish and English language, my Mexican culture, and my young Latina self gives me the confidence to believe in myself, but it can also teach others that making wrong assumptions about someone because of their skin color, identity, culture, looks or gender can make them look and be weaker. If a human being with no criminal background whatsoever has trouble entering the country because of the way he or she dresses or speaks, border protection degenerates into arbitrariness. I believe that you should be able to travel freely throughout your own country without the constant fear of needing to prove that you belong here.

If we keep stopping those striving for a better life, then what will become of this country? The fact that two-thirds of the people in the U. Our Constitution was made to protect our rights as citizens, no matter where we are in the country. I will represent where I come from, and I am proud to be Mexican. I will show others that looks can be deceiving. Life is just so unfair. Jessica San Diego CA. My dad has been trying to get his papers since I was born. At one point my dad was able to get his license but they never let him renew it.

We have a new house that we built. He deserves his papers being a hard worker and has done nothing wrong in his life. Brian Louisiana. America, the beautiful land of opportunity, is how I always envisioned my journey. I applied for jobs thinking I have 12 months to find a sponsorship. After several interviews, I realized that getting a job with H-1B sponsorship looming over my head is extremely difficult.

Charlie Richmond, Virginia. My parents had left me at the age of 2 back in Mexico with my grandparents while they came to the U. They sent for me at the age of 4 and that is when I crossed the border with my aunt. It was hard at first but I got used to being here. Thankfully I now have 2 jobs and I am in school. Although I am undocumented, I do not give up my hopes and dreams of a better life for my family. Although, it is difficult I was able to enroll into college and I am about to be done with my first semester. Hopefully I can continue my studies later on. That upsets me every day but I keep going strong for them. We just have to believe.

Wendy New York. I am 19 years old and lived in the USA for 10 years of my life. I was deported alongside my mother and sister 5 years ago. My life has never been the same. The past. Depression, came to me at a young age. Nostalgia was more than just a word at the age of I am doing my best to overcome reality and move along but all I seem to want is an opportunity to go back.

I was deported after being legally in the USA for over fifty years and receiving social security. They took my S. I am 69 years old and had not visited my country in all that time. My sons are all U. Citizens and my mother too. I do not know anyone in my country. I sas hoping the plane would crash. I think it was an injustice to take my only source of income. I thought this was a just country.

Luis Eugenio Dominican Republic. I have been here since July, 23, and my visa was for 1 month. Right in the middle of the fun I was having around the US with 35 Iraqi students and 10 Americans, my family called me and told me that they have left home and they are refugees. Now my village was taken over by ISIS and they are killing people for their religious beliefs and thousands of the young girls are now taken as sex slaves. So I applied for asylum in US before my visa expired and I did my interview 2 months ago. If not then I might have to go back and I could be killed there. Azswan Portland, OR. I came to United States at the age of 14 from Uzbekistan. I knew I had no future in Uzbekistan due to extreme corruption and broken education for which you can pay through.

I am 17 now, on my way to college. After all, this is the land of opportunities. Umar Los Angeles. I was brought here when I was 2 years old. My dad came to New York a few years before but left my mom pregnant. I crossed the border with my mom and granddad and my aunt. Back then it was easier than it is now. My mom told me she was lucky that I was a quiet baby so we had no trouble. Maria New York. My parents are divorced and who is she supposed to give her advice, give her that comfort that my father did. He paid all of his taxes and did everything by the books. My father is my role model. He raised me and my older brother by himself. Alejandro Pasadena, TX. I came here in and immigrated by myself from Iraq. I can work in any field I wish for.

I came to the United States when I was only 4 years old. I have 3 siblings, 2 of them are apart of the dream act , they have their ss and worker permit for a limited time. It was a miracle how he got his license back in I feel very low. It saddens me everyday I sit at home wishing my life was better. At the age of three, my mom left me and my twin brother in the care of my grandmother to find a better life. She worked day and night to have us back. Six months later my lovely, hardworking mother sent for us. She had to walk the deadly trail, hoping she could make it is so she can see us again. Once we were all together life got better for a short time. Some years after my mother lost her job because of an on the job accident.

My mother was fired and felt lost. Our life is now better, but all I want is to be able to keep my education going and to give back all I was given. May God help me and bless all of you. Diana No location given. My mother came to the USA at the age of 15 and my father at the age of Both of them should of been in high school but got here and started working. We never received any type of government help. We had to work very hard to survive and pay our rent until now. She and her husband and children are here because their lands were taken away and some bad people are trying to steal the rest of their lands.

My cousin was able to get help but told me some really horrible stories about how they are being held in one small room and they are all crowded with moms and babies not being able to sleep and eat only once a day. I had no idea this was happening until today when she and her 2 children were released. They are here now but she was left with a real bad trauma. She wakes up crying asking for food, something that she never did until this happed. I really feel sad to know that people are not being treated right but worse than animals! We are children of God. What happened to one nation under God? Yesenia Northridge, CA.

His visa had expired and he overstayed. He saved my life as I was divorcing an abusive husband of 20 years. I relocated and we married. He was taking care of me and my son. I was back in college. Until the day they found him. They deported him and left me homeless. I only had enough money to buy a ticket to his country as nobody would help me. We are now stuck here and making it but struggling. I say why would my country deport someone who was working and helped me a citizen make my life better.

We are out of ways for me to come home and nobody to help us. Julie Morocco. My boyfriend was brought to the U. He came with his dad, leaving his mom and siblings behind in Mexico. He has never been back and has now lived in the U. When they arrived at the border town in Mexico, they were kidnapped for ransom. Their kidnappers started to take them out to the desert which many times means death. Thankfully, however, he and his dad managed to escape and continue their journey. Despite having had that harrowing experience, my boyfriend explained that he and his dad had a rather easy crossing, not suffering nearly as much as many do. Anyway, we plan to get married soon, but our future is uncertain.

In the beginning of this year, he got pulled over for driving with a suspended license. Instead of just being given the standard fine, he was also given a court date. Before I met him, I had a very different perspective over illegal immigration. But now I have a lot of respect for all immigrants; they are so determined and work so hard and are willing to suffer everything in order to provide a better life for their families.

His story and his perspective have helped me broaden my perspective and have a greater compassion for others. Katie No city given. My parents and I arrived to the U. My grandfather was facing some serious times and my mother was 19 years old and not seeing her dad for 18 years decided to visit him. My dad was 22 and I was 1 year old! My mother tells me their intention was never to stay, but they did.

It has been 19 years and I was excited when they passed the act where students could get a legal temporary stay ,DACA deferred action for children arrivals. They took me into the office and I got married. I was manipulated in several was into doing so. What hurts the most is that not even seeing me crying did they not go through with it. It is not right! And if there is no solution to my situation. Starting fresh and trusting god! I came here when I was 3 years old. Everyone else in my family that is here with me is legal. Everyone but me. I love America, this is my home, but this is no way to live.

I just want to go to college, study medicine and save lives. Is that too much to ask for? I just want to belong here, I want to be an American citizen. Lost Dreamer Somewhere within America. I came to America from United Kingdom London in for a holiday. I was 18 years old at the time I got a 3 months visa waiver, I had no plans staying over my visa but faith had its own plans. I meet guy and we married in Meanwhile we took his advice I came back to UK so when he tried to process for me the petition we found out that I have ban for 10 years as I overstayed my visa more than 1 year. Londoner Oregon. My story starts in Haiti My mom was only 15 and pregnant.

My dad My dad left me and my mom and came to America for a better life. When I was about 7months old my mom decided to let my aunt take me to America under a different name. When I came to America I was passed around with no status or papers. My father later became a U. Citizen and never applied for me. Chenille Boston. I was brought here when I was 10 years old.

I am now 28yrs old. I went to elementary, middle and high school. I have three daughters with my fiance. S citizen born in California. He wants to apply for my residency here, but we are scared that because I was brought here illegally they could send me back to El Salvador. I have been working as a Medical Assistant for 8 yrs and started taking courses at a local college to get my nursing degree. Carolina Wheaton, MD. My stepfather was an american soldier who married my German mother in Germany and also adopted me before we entered the U. My mother passed away in and told me I was a citizen. Being a young girl and not knowing what credentials that were needed to get government benefits for Medicare and monthly Social Security payouts for later after all my husband and I have paid into the system since age We have been married for 48 years.

My husband is an American citizen, born in Tx. Presently Homeland is supposed to look up my history in the U. S and finding info on permanent resident and citizenship through my mother. I was 18 when she received her citizenship. It has been 2 years that Homeland has had my info filled out by Catholic family services. I also applied for my permanent resident card. What does a person do with this Obama care? I am over 65 and cannot get Medicare through Obama and private insurance is very expensive! Marianne White Amarillo Tx. I just feel so sorry for my husband. Mai Ho Chi Minh City.

You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Mariana Myrtle Beach High School The day we came to the USA we came on November 11, that day we came to USA because we wanted something new and a new life, 5 years ago that we are already in the United States and it has been one of the best moments that we have.

Miguel Myrtle Beach High School My story is a bit sad because to get to this country I went through many things that I never thought would happen but thank God now I am here in the United States for a better future because it was worth spending a few days of darkness, but also, not everything It is easy to be in this country, you have to earn a living, it does not matter that one is an immigrant, we are all worth the same, no matter what country we are in.

Marisela New York City I was born in Iran, and at the age of 10, my family and I absconded from the multi-systemic injustices and immigrated to the US in hopes of extended opportunities and freedom. Peter Boston My brother was born in Peru. Alberto Tampa, Florida My grandparents were refugees at the time of partition in India from, what is now, Pakistan to present India. Maria New Jersey I never knew being illegal holds you back from many things you can do here in the states. Vicky Scotland I came to the States for the first time a couple days after I turned No name given Indonesia I have been apart from my wife and kids for 4 years now. Divya California You know sometimes it can get hard not having papers. Denise No location given I came here in by myself from Iraq.

Bashar No location given My father was heading to work when the immigration was waiting for him. Texas I was brought to the U. Stephanie San Diego My dad was deported when I was 16 years old. Doug Florida My parents came here from Europe when I was just 3 years old. Bastian Valparais, Chile I am an American by heart, soul and hard work. Warren Canada Both my parents came to the U. Karen Georgia My father arrived illegally in New York about 18 years ago with his younger brother. Charlie Richmond, Virginia My parents had left me at the age of 2 back in Mexico with my grandparents while they came to the U. Umar Los Angeles I was brought here when I was 2 years old. Texas My father was heading to work when the immigration was waiting for him. Anonymous At the age of three, my mom left me and my twin brother in the care of my grandmother to find a better life.

Julie Morocco I am a U. Katie No city given My parents and I arrived to the U. Londoner Oregon My story starts in Haiti Chenille Boston I was brought here when I was 10 years old. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Again, this may be connected — at least in part — to the views of black people in general, who are especially likely to perceive high levels of discrimination. Each group is divided in roughly similar ways along the American political and ideological spectrums. Both U. And, ideologically, equal shares of both groups identify as moderates. In addition, during the presidential election, both immigrant and U.

In the two previous Pew Research Center surveys of U. Muslims, most immigrant and U. In , though, immigrant Muslims were more likely than U. Immigrant Muslims are less likely than U. However, among U. Overall, seven-in-ten immigrant Muslims are U. For a more comprehensive political, religious and demographic portrait of Muslim Americans, see the full report on the survey. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.