Coming from a life of poverty and despair would be enough cause for anyone to search for a better life; a life in which there is a belief that all of your biggest dreams can come true. This is the belief that many immigrants have about the United States. They naively believe for it to be the “land of opportunity”. Originally the United States was founded and settled by immigrants. Many immigrants, such as Mexicans, Eastern Europeans, Jews, and others from countries around the world came to America to escape war, poverty, famine, and/or religious prosecution. Some also chose to immigrate to take advantage of the opportunities and promises that America held. One such major group of people is Mexicans. Being a border line country neighbor to
The majority of immigrants that came to the U.S. for greater prosperity came from small towns deep within Mexico that didn’t offer much opportunity or ways for the people to live a prosperous life and/or be able to provide for their families.
The 1917 Immigration Act established a literacy test and head tax, but these restrictions did not apply to Mexican immigration. The exemptions to the Immigration Act were granted between the time frame of 1917-1920 and allowed for over fifty-thousand Mexicans to enter into the United States. Due to the rising volume of migration from Mexico, Congress put into place the U.S. Border Patrol. By 1930 the Border Patrol had captured over one-hundred thousand illegal aliens, and over twenty-six hundred smugglers. Immigration was such a problem that Congress even completely banned one particular ethnic group, the Chinese.
The U.S. Border Patrol estimates that more than eight million illegal immigrants reside in the United States, and half a million more continue to cross the border each year (Gutierrez,1996). Some critics argue that theses immigrants, about a third of whom originate from Mexico, are posing a serious strain on our economy and job market. However, immigrants actually contribute to our nation more than they take from it. Without immigrants living in this country, America would crumble and cease to exist. I believe that those who think opposite of