It can be hard leaving one's country in the pursuit of seeking economic benefits/ escaping from a regime. Nevertheless, people leave their homeland to improve the situation that ails them.
In the essay, "Refugees or Economic Immigrants? Immigration from Latin America and the Politics of US Refugee Policy," written by Maria Christina Garcia, Garcia explores immigrants from various Latin American countries coming into the United States in order to find opportunity and improve their overall circumstance.
For instance, Garia mentions that several Latin American groups such as Brazilians, Uruguayans, Argentinians, and Chileans left their countries and "took refuge in other countries to escape the authoritarian military governments in their homelands." Despite needing help, most of these groups did not fit into the large majority of refugees during this period of time because they were not escaping from a communist regime. However, the Cubans differed from these groups since large numbers of Cubans were allowed entry into the United States. This was solely for the benefit of the U.S since they were clashing with communism during this era of tension. In my opinion, all groups should have been accommodated by the U.S in a way that would benefit all parties.
I wanted to make the connection on how a majority of non-European immigrants aren't treated equally when they leave their country for any betterment of their lives. Groups that come from European countries have a much easier time finding opportunities than those who come from Latin American/Asian/African countries; why does this have to be the case? Why do these non-European immigrants have to struggle for stability and take jobs that no one else is willing to take; the bigger question of this statement is why some Americans claim that immigrants are coming into this country and taking jobs from them? It's unfortunate this country, known as the country of immigrants, has continually stigmatized a large portion of foreign immigrants, thereby denying them the plethora of opportunity that awaits them in this nation. We need to recognize and respect all individuals of this nation and treat them justly.
The seventh chapter of A Companion to Latina/O Studies presents the essay “Latina/o Cultural Expressions: A View of US Society Through the Eyes of the Subaltern,” by Edna Acosta-Belén. Acosta-Belén’s essay begins with the discussion of Latinx community asserting their national identities. Through this assertion of their culture, many diverse groups have been able to have their culture, literature, music, and art recognized by the United States; this period was from 1970 all the way to 2006 and these many cultures attempt to remain present in our society. However, the influence that the United States has essentially marginalized all of these diverse groups of people into one large group; this gives less recognition to those who have been treated as such. For instance, many associate the Latinx community with Mexicans because they are deemed a more prominent group from the perspective of the United States, and the same can be said about Afro-Caribbeans being called African Americans, but the culture of the two are completely different. Personally, I feel that proper representation should be given to these groups because each culture is special in its own way.
Moreover, Acosta-Belén presents that Anglo-Saxon influence attempts to strip away Latinx culture. In her essay, Acosta-Belén writes, “As a general pattern, immigrants have been expected to relinquish their cultural and linguistic backgrounds and assimilate into the dominant Anglo American mainstream” (Acosta-Belén; 78). I chose this quotation because Acosta-Belén brings up a very good point. Individuals with curly/kinky hair are expected to straighten or alter their hair in order to conform to the idealistic expectations of American society. The same can be said about dialect. I believe that becoming bilingual opens the door to many opportunities, but some people may not agree with me. Some Americans feel that every person in their country should only be speaking English because it is a language that they are comfortable with, yet they fail to see that the English language is very difficult from an immigrant’s perspective. This is a country that was built by the immigrants, and it should be welcoming of all groups of people.
