Immigration is an issue that has been debated for hundreds of years and raises questions

Transcription

1 Last Name 1 Student Name English 115/101/120 Date Research Essay Xenophobia and Immigration Immigration is an issue that has been debated for hundreds of years and raises questions such as who is an immigrant, how strict should America s citizenship process be, and are immigrants affecting our national economy negatively? However, the media does not highlight immigrants to be a positive factor in our national economy. For example, Gomez Pena in The 90s Culture of Xenophobia: Beyond the Tortilla Curtain states, Both the anti-immigration activists and the conservative media have utilized extremely charged metaphors to describe this process of Mexicanization (para 12). This leads the American people to stereotype Latino Americans as being violent, disease spreaders, and job stealing criminals. Could the fact be that Xenophobia influences the views projected by outside sources to create a stereotype of immigrants that cause violence in our safe neighborhoods, spread deadly disease in our communities, steal American jobs, and abuse our economic system? Gomez Pena argues that the reason for harsh regulations and border walls to keep out immigrants is Xenophobia. Gomez- Pena uses cause and effect throughout his text to relay that Xenophobia is affecting the economy worse by spending money on border security and regulations against immigrants when people should learn to accept them and live together as a borderless society. Gomez Pena s purpose of his text is to convince the reader that everyone on the American-Mexican border should eliminate stereotyping and fear in order to learn about each other s culture so we can live together in peace and as one nation. Also, that America shouldn t be afraid of immigrants taking jobs, causing violence, and abusing the economic system because those claims are erroneously

2 Last Name 2 made by individuals driven by Xenophobia. The claims made by Gomez-Pena are aimed for an audience of Chicanos, immigrants, and any interested readers that are familiar with the political issue on immigrants and the border. This essay will utilize outside sources in order to illustrate, clarify, conflict, and extend claims and/or arguments made by Gomez Pena. Gomez Pena s argument pertaining to why creating border walls are ineffective is extended through Michael Dear s book, Why Walls Won t Work. According to Gomez Pena, regardless of the redundant laws, regulations, and walls in order to keep out immigrants, the immigrants are here for good. For instance Gomez Pena writes, It is time to face the facts: Anglos won t go back to Europe, and Mexicans and Latinos (legal or illegal) won t go back to Latin America. We are all here to stay. For better or for worse, our destinies and aspirations are in one another s hands (para.18). Hence, from the beginning of our countries history, our nation has been flooded with immigrants and it s not going to change any time soon. Dear, in comparison to Gomez Pena has credible experience with a Mexican and American education from the University of Southern California and Tijuana. In Dear s book, he describes the America/ Mexico border region as a third nation that has such a strong connection for so long that it can never be separated. For example Dear states: The Wall won t work because the third nation has a strong connecting tissue that partition cannot compromise. The third nation is the place where binational lives and values are being created organically, readily, and without artifice. The third nation will prevail, and is worth nurturing. It is the place of being and becoming in the spaces between two nations. (177) Dear extends Gomez Pena s claim that because of the third nation bond that America and Mexico has, that the effort to keep the immigrants out is a never ending battle. When Dear

3 Last Name 3 elaborates the third nation significance of America and Mexico, the explanation extends our understanding of how tight and long the relationship is at the southern border. Gomez Pena s argument regarding effects of controlling the border is extended by Jena Baker McNeill and James Jay Carafano text, The Possibility of a Pandemic Should Not Result in Border Closure. Gomez Pena claims that, militarizing (para 16) the border will damage the social ties and worsen the relationship between America and Mexico. Gomez Pena states, Further militarizing the border while dismantling the social, medial, and educational support systems that serve the immigrant population will only worsen social tensions (para 16). In other words, constricting the border will make situations worse. McNeill and Carafano are homeland security employees who, similarly to Gomez Pena, argue that closing the border is not the answer. For instance McNeill and Carafano states, such measures would cause massive economic disruption. A blockade at the U.S.-Mexican border would effectively halt the North American supply chain. The southern border has 39 ports of entry, through which hundreds of millions of people, trucks, and cars pass each year (140). McNeill and Carafano explain that because the bond between the American and Mexican border is extremely tight, then if a situation occurred where the border shuts down, it will result in economic chaos. McNeill and Carafanos argument extends Gomez Pena s claim that shutting down the nation s border will be an ineffective measure for security. However, it conflicts our understanding of Gomez Pena s xenophobia argument because in order to maintain peace on the American side of the border then shutting down the border in case of a national security event is the most logical security measure. Similarly to Gomez Pena, Thomas J. Curran is an immigrant that illustrates claims by Gomez Pena in Curran s book, Xenophobia and Immigration: , because Curran examines the fear that the United States has had against foreigners throughout its history.

4 Last Name 4 Gomez Pena believes that xenophobia is the root for why America has strict regulations against immigrants. Gomez Pena writes, Fear is always at the core of xenophobia. This fear is particularly disturbing when directed at the most vulnerable victims: migrant workers (para 10). Gomez Pena associates fear is the cause that drives political views against migrants because Americans are concerned over losing jobs to Mexican citizens. In comparison to Gomez Pena, Curran is a doctor that was born into an Irish immigrant family and wrote articles that involve international immigration. Curran has a knowledgeable opinion on the issue of xenophobia and immigration because he wrote books, newspaper articles, reviews and was involved in national television series to illustrate immigrant s transformation into an ethnic-american. Also, Curran explains xenophobia being the cause of the creation of racist movements such as the Ku Klux Klan because the people feared that the immigrants who come into the United States would increase the number of the Catholicism presence, therefore will influence the religion across the country. For example Curran states, They were also disgruntled at the increased power of Roman Catholicism, which they believed was made up almost completely of immigrants or descendants of recent immigrant groups they wanted America for Americans (140). Moreover, Curran explains who joined the Klan and why in order to relay the reader that people joined societies to eliminate immigration simply because they feared to lose their religion popularity in the country, not for losing jobs. Because Curran provided concrete details about the source of fear and reasons behind the differences in Americans views on immigrants, clarifies our understanding that America s xenophobia is not the fear of immigrants, but the fear of the unknown. Americans, like everyone else in the world is trying to live comfortably and if a mass of people invade ones country with an eccentric culture, color, language, and religion, then human nature tends to fear change.

5 Last Name 5 Gomez Pena s claim that immigrants are not affecting the American economy by taking jobs is clarified in Philippe Legrain s, Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them. Gomez Pena argues that immigrants are stereotyped into being employment thieves, wasting the budget, and taking advantage of the system; however, immigrants are doing nothing more than supporting our economy by performing the jobs most Americans do not consider such as, farming duties, car repairs, construction work, and maintenance. For example Gomez Pena states: Many Americans easily forget that thanks to illegal Mexicans hired by other Americans, the good, garment, tourist, and construction industries of California and the rest of the Southwest survive. They forget that the strawberries, apples, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, lettuce and avocadoes that they eat were harvested, prepared, and served by Mexican hands. (para 14) Therefore, without immigrant hands working the jobs that keep our country fed, clean, and housed, then our country won t have the essential basics to keep our country running. Similarly, a British economist, writer, and journalist, Legrain possesses knowledge that is credible to Gomez Pena s claims because Legrain was a trade and economic correspondent for the Economist, so he has knowledge that relates to the political job subjects that pertains to immigrants legality for obtaining jobs. In Legrain s book, he elaborates the positive affects immigration has on the economy. For Instance, Legrain states, Critics of immigration willfully ignore the other positive impacts that immigrants can have on jobs. New arrivals add to the demand for domestic goods and services, boosting the demand for native workers (139). Legrain clarifies Gomez Pena s claim that immigrants are not negatively affecting the national economy by stealing jobs. Legrain clarifies our understanding of immigrants being a positive

6 Last Name 6 factor with important roles for our nation because without the food pickers, house cleaners, and maintenance workers, then our country could not function properly. Living in Oaxaca, Mexico, journalist/newspaper reporter Robert Joe Stout has communicated with the immigrant s that travel to the United States daily for work, family, and school. Therefore, Stout has personal credibility with knowledge of why immigrants choose to come to America. Gomez Pena claims that the harsh rules and regulations set on immigrants is a cause of xenophobia, in which complicates the claims by Robert Joe Stout in, Why Immigrants Come To America: Braceros, Indocumentados, and the Migra. Gomez Pena believes the root of the problem is fear, in turn is caused by Americans worried about economic consequences such as losing jobs or the immigrants taking advantage of our system. According to Gomez Pena, immigrants are being targeted because of their accent, skin color, and clothes. For example Gomez Pena writes, In the eyes of the xenophobes, any person with visibly different features, skin color, accent, clothes, or social or sexual behavior is an alien (para 9). Therefore, Gomez Pena s claims that Americans are stereotyping immigrants because of their physical features; without considering the immigrants being an American-Mexican citizen that works in the U.S., but has family residing in Mexico. In contrast, Stout identifies the reasons behind immigrants migrating to America. In Stouts book, he explains that most immigrants desire to leave because of poor work and living conditions. Also, Stout explains from the viewpoint of an immigrant that violence is a huge factor that causes them to flee for the United States. For example Stout states: He will try until he makes it past the gangs of Mexican cholos who rob and rape prospective emigrants, past the North American migras who swing heavy clubs and pursue border crossers And he knows it cannot be worse than living in a

7 Last Name 7 ramshackle jungle of cardboard and corrugated metal shelters propped on torn tire casings on the outskirts of Tijuana where he had been staying. (13) Gomez Pena s argument for the reason behind strict rules, regulations, and border walls complicates Stout because Gomez Pena claims are projected toward immigrants being singled out by America. Stout conflicts our understanding because the fear and struggle that is explained from the immigrants perspective exemplify that the source of all the fear is coming from the immigrants themselves. The immigrants are terrified of their own people because the cartel is raping, stealing, killing, torturing, and robbing the citizens. Like all immigrants, they come to America for a better life. Therefore, the laws, rules, regulations, and border walls are measures to protect America from the chaos occurring on the American-Mexican borders in order to prevent any violence spilling over to American cities. Gomez Pena is a Southern California and Mexico native that grew up in a liberal state with views that reflect his roots. The United States isn t out to ruin illegal immigrant s lives by implementing rules and regulations to keep them out, but to maintain national security in order to prevent terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and the Boston marathon bombings. Individuals of the Latin descent are not the only ones who have to adhere to the rules set by the United States. Immigrants of all races and color are obligated to abide by the citizenship process to become an American citizen. The research on Gomez Pena signifies that other educated individuals from different political, cultural, and regional perspectives share similar views on the border issue and immigrants. Therefore, the reader s understanding is illuminated by having similar views provided from other scholars, writers, and other educated people knowledgeable on the immigration issues to prove that Gomez Pena isn t alone in his claims, in which are associated with stereotyping immigrants, ineffective border walls, reasons for immigrating, and xenophobia.

8 Last Name 8 Works Cited Baker, Stewart. The Possibility of a Pandemic Should Not Result in Border Closure. Should the U.S. Close Its Borders? Eds. David Haugen, Susan Musser, and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills: Christine Nasso, Print. Curran, Thomas. Xenophobia and Immigration, Boston: Twayne Publishers, Print. Dear, Michael. Why Walls Won t Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide. New York: Oxford. University Press, Print. Legrain, Philippe. Immigrants Your Country Needs Them. Princeton: Princeton University Press, Print. Gomez-Pena, Guillermo. The 90s Culture of Xenophobia: Beyond the Tortilla Curtain. katiesclasses. n.d. n.p. Stout, Robert. Why Immigrants Come To America: braceros, indocumentados, and the migra. Westport: Praeger Publishers, Print.