Name: Marie Philogene
Course: 1102
Prof: McGriff S.
Date: 10-29-2012
Immigration
According to Oxford dictionary Immigration is defined as process of coming to live permanently in a country that is not your own. American Heritage Dictionary also defines Immigration as “A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another”. Immigration is made for many reasons, such as: economic, political, religious, natural disaster and poverty. For many decades immigration has always been an issue in the US, not only because of hundreds that are coming into the US through different channels, but also by the death of those that are crossing the border in quest of a better life. It has been reported According to Ananda Rose author of “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert said” Nearly five thousand have died in the desert”. Immigration stays as a big issue for the Government. According to Johnson Fawn in the article Immigration, A Problem Without A Solution. He said “what to do with the million of undocumented people living in the US and stopping the millions that are coming through the border will remain for long a question with no answer”. Politicians also seem to have found this problem somewhat helpful during elections period. The main question is now: Can America is a place for immigrants to find a new beginning? Despite many challenges illegal immigrants are facing in this country, America remains a place of new beginning for an immigrant due to economic opportunity, freedom of religion, and professional advancement.
America land of economic opportunity
Economic opportunity has been and continues to be the number one motivation of immigration. In many places or countries in the world, people are in great need for the basic necessities. Many people in some other countries are starving; they don’t have enough to survive. They firmly believe that if they ever make it to America, it is a guarantee that they will not go bed hungry. Furthermore, in many poor countries, having a profession does not necessarily mean that your future is bright or you have a certain guarantee of employment, because finding a job would be another burden. But In America, it is certain that when you have a degree, if you are really looking, you will certainly find a job, although it may not be the best one. America came to be seen as a land where social justice was possible, where the poor and oppressed would find opportunity and freedom. Sawhill, Isabel V. in her article Land of Opportunity mentioned “Americans hold to a persistent belief in individual Achievement—a conviction that hard work, talent, resourcefulness, and initiative will be rewarded. Americans tend to be forward-looking and future-focused. Even as we acknowledge the failings of the past, we remain confident that the principles on which the United States was established will prevail. The very fact that American reality has not yet matched the American ideal makes us more determined to pursue the dream”. The images drawn from the Picturing America collection, as well as the books Selected for the Land of Opportunity series, explore the extent to which the promise of America has been fulfilled. Sawhill also said in her article: “The American public has always cared more about equal opportunity than about equal results. The commitment to provide everyone with a fair chance to develop their own talents to the fullest is a central tenet of the American creed. This belief has deep roots in American culture and American history and is part of what distinguishes our public philosophy from that of Europe. Socialism has never taken root in American soil”.
This statement boldly explains the foundations on which this great nation was built: equal opportunity for all. The greatest thing about living in America is once you become legal immigrant, yet many doors are opened for you. You don’t have to be an American citizen to benefit almost all the privileges a born or naturalized-American do. More than any other country, America, has focused more on equal opportunity. The country is tailored to permit any legal immigrant to pursue careers, have any job within their physical and intellectual ability. As an example, someone can immigrate to the US today, and the next day goes to work. His country of origin nor the color of his or her skin will and shall not be a barrier. That’s what Sawhill explains in her article:
“I began with a plea that we focus our attention less on the distribution of income, and more on the opportunity each of us has to achieve a measure of success, recognizing that there will always be winners and losers but that the process needs to be as fair and open as possible. It can be argued that the process is, to one degree or another, inherently unfair. Children do not have much opportunity. They do not get to pick their parents - or, for that matter, their genetic endowments. It is these deepest of inequalities that have frustrated attempts to provide a greater measure of opportunity. Education is supposed to be the great leveler in our society, but it can just as easily reinforce these initial inequalities”. It is a true statement when Shawhill mentioned opportunity is for each of us. Although people who are highly educated generally speaking earn more paid because they have spent more time in school, but everyone can have a paycheck, and educated or not educated there is an opportunity for all. For example I have met people (immigrants) who don’t speak any English who have opportunity to work that can satisfy their needs.
Another aspect that makes America a place for a new beginning for an immigrant is because America is a country of freedom specifically freedom of religion. Religion is a topic that is very controversy. According to American Heritage Dictionary religion is defined as "Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe; A particular integrated system of this expression; The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a superhuman power or powers.". Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world. Even there are many religions around the world, but many of them refuse to let people choose their own religion. That is what Farr, Thomas F. mentioned on his article Religious freedom abroad.
In Muslim-majority countries, the problem is particularly acute. In Pakistan, the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, a Muslim himself, was recently murdered for supporting religious liberty--particularly for defending the rights of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy-and polls show broad public support for the murderer. Such an atmosphere discourages liberal Muslim voices and encourages Islamist extremism. In much of the Middle East, Christian and other minorities are increasingly at risk of violence and worse. No Muslim-majority state comes anywhere close to protecting religious freedom in full.
Farr wanted to show that religious freedom in many other countries does not exist. Because, some people are still wrestling with their government authorities, just to have permission to practice their beliefs. This unfortunate event where this Pakistan official was killed is one among many others. And, Farr wanted to show mentioned, such intolerance is more frequent in extremist Muslim countries. When we take a look on what’s happening around the world, we need to be grateful to the founders of our great nation for that they have carefully laid the foundations of this great nation on religious freedom principles. Otherwise, we could have been in the same situation as many other countries where people are being persecuted even killed because of their religious beliefs. It is also the case that religious freedom is not only an issue among extremist Muslims, but in some developing countries where anyone would think that one’s religious beliefs would be respected. However, reports had shown that Japan has recently been criticized for religious discrimination. That is what Brussel, Geneva said in his article International Coalition for Religious Freedom.
“ While Japan was lightly criticized for discrimination including religious discrimination during its UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 31 October 2012, the international community failed to note the refusal of Japanese authorities to protect the human rights of thousands of members of minority religions who have been violently abducted by family members and forced to change their religion, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) reported today.”
Basically, Brussel is seeing a country like Japan got down to this level is really, not only surprising but also disturbing. Japan is considered to be as one of the leading countries in this 21st century era. Normally a developing is supposed to be a place where the basic human rights are respected. This brings us down to the fact that the absence of religious freedom is a crucial violation the human rights. In America, we are fortunate to live in a country where cultural diversity is promoted and respected inclusively. That’s one of the reasons, people are often coming to America because of they are being persecuted in their own country. However; once they make it to America, they are free to continue worshiping whatever or whomever they want, as long as this doesn’t interfere with the laws. Consequently, even our leaders have come to bow down before religious freedom. According to Robert F. Kennedy , he said on his quote
“Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired”
In other words, Kennedy wanted to say that America is a place where one’s religious belief is respected and that diversity makes us strong. That is why this country will be forever a great country, because of the possibility for anyone to practice their own religion, regardless of one’s origin.
America is a place for professional advancement.
America, like some other developing countries, has encouraged professional immigrations. The intention is to bring into the US not just only unskilled workers, but also those who have a profession that is in demand in America. To this category, the immigration process is a lot easier and can be initiated right from their country of origin. Many professionals with long years of experience often seek to immigrate to the US. One of the reasons is, despite their educational achievement, they are still far away from having a decent life, at least proportional to their educational level. Willanwan Kanjanapan stated in his article The immigration of Asian professionals to the United States
The transfer of human capital from Third World countries to developed nations has been a subject of many studies. Previous literature has primarily focused on determinants and consequences of such high-level manpower movement. Specifically, the following questions are addressed. What determines the size and composition of immigrant flows to any particular host country? How do the immigrants adapt to the host country? What are the impacts of immigrants to the host country and the sending country? To be sure, there is no single theory which fully explains this phenomenon.
However, it is the case that because of the poor condition of the economy of these countries, many professionals are out of work. But, if they ever come to America, they have the opportunity to put their talent and skills to work and have a total new life. According to Cheng L. and Evans, L .In their article Brain Flow: The Formation Of An International Professional. “this comes down to the principle of self-wellness, where human instinct will make us work toward the pursuit of happiness”. Also, should I mention that many people had made it to America grown, but still they are able to make great achievements by taking advantage of every single opportunity and or occasion? First, many of them didn’t have the privilege to have a college degree back in their own country where in most cases you have to pay huge amount of cash money. Here in America, they take advantage of the system by taking an educational loan to go to school, and few years later, they graduate from technical school, college or university.
The following has definitely shown that America is one of the very rare countries around the world where anyone, in respect to the law, is welcomed. With its capitalism economic system, a wonderful education system that can be ranked among the best in the world. A religious freedom which does not exist in most countries, America is seeing as the country where people can find a new home, according Chan, J. and Y. Cheung in their work "Ethnic Resources and Business Enterprises.” Whether you are coming to be reunited with family members, or fleeing persecution for political reasons or seeking a better place to practice their beliefs, America will remain the best place for an immigrant to find a new beginning. Better equipped with the entrepreneurial resources than many other countries aboard, the professional immigrants will be better off and have better chances to succeed in their field, To effectively ensure the benefits of both parties, skilled immigrants and the receiving country, the government and officials are constantly making changes in their immigration policy to accommodate and sort out the professional among the millions of people that’s entering the United States regularly. While some critics argued that encouraging professional mostly from third world countries are disastrous to those poor countries, nevertheless, it remains a fact that the efforts come from both ways: America whose encouraging professionals to come live the American dream, and, in the other hand, we have category of professionals who desperately want to put their expertise to work. Finally, in their pursuit of a better life, they are ready to go wherever their competence can be converted to money.
Works cited:
Ananda Rose “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert: Religion, Law, and the
Immigration Controversy.”(2012) Web. 25. Nov.2012.
Brussels, Geneva.”International Coalition for Religious Freedom” (2012).Web. 12 .Nov.2012.
Chan, J. and Y. Cheung 1985 "Ethnic Resources and Business Enterprises: A Study of Chinese
Business in Toronto," Human Organization, 44(2):142-153. Print.
Chen, H. 1992 Chinatown No More. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.2012.Web.12.Nov.2012.
Cheng, L. and L. Evans "Brain Flow: The Formation of an International Professional-
Technical Class." Unpublished manuscript. Los Angeles: Department of
Sociology, University of California. 1991. Print.
Farr, Thomas F. "Religious freedom abroad." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and
Public Life 221 (2012): 21+.Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Nov. 2012
Johnstone, R. 1988 "Diverting the Brain Drain," Far Eastern Economic
Review,(2012).Web.12.Nov.2012.
Johnson, Fawn. "Immigration: a problem without a solution." National
Journal (2011). Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.
Kanjanapan, Wilawan. "The immigration of Asian professionals to the United States: 1988-
1990." International Migration Review 29.1 (1995): 7+. Academic OneFile. Web. 12. Nov .2012 .
Sawhill, Isabel V. "Still the land of opportunity?" Public Interest 135 (1999): 3. Academic
OneFile. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
Course: 1102
Prof: McGriff S.
Date: 10-29-2012
Immigration
According to Oxford dictionary Immigration is defined as process of coming to live permanently in a country that is not your own. American Heritage Dictionary also defines Immigration as “A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another”. Immigration is made for many reasons, such as: economic, political, religious, natural disaster and poverty. For many decades immigration has always been an issue in the US, not only because of hundreds that are coming into the US through different channels, but also by the death of those that are crossing the border in quest of a better life. It has been reported According to Ananda Rose author of “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert said” Nearly five thousand have died in the desert”. Immigration stays as a big issue for the Government. According to Johnson Fawn in the article Immigration, A Problem Without A Solution. He said “what to do with the million of undocumented people living in the US and stopping the millions that are coming through the border will remain for long a question with no answer”. Politicians also seem to have found this problem somewhat helpful during elections period. The main question is now: Can America is a place for immigrants to find a new beginning? Despite many challenges illegal immigrants are facing in this country, America remains a place of new beginning for an immigrant due to economic opportunity, freedom of religion, and professional advancement.
America land of economic opportunity
Economic opportunity has been and continues to be the number one motivation of immigration. In many places or countries in the world, people are in great need for the basic necessities. Many people in some other countries are starving; they don’t have enough to survive. They firmly believe that if they ever make it to America, it is a guarantee that they will not go bed hungry. Furthermore, in many poor countries, having a profession does not necessarily mean that your future is bright or you have a certain guarantee of employment, because finding a job would be another burden. But In America, it is certain that when you have a degree, if you are really looking, you will certainly find a job, although it may not be the best one. America came to be seen as a land where social justice was possible, where the poor and oppressed would find opportunity and freedom. Sawhill, Isabel V. in her article Land of Opportunity mentioned “Americans hold to a persistent belief in individual Achievement—a conviction that hard work, talent, resourcefulness, and initiative will be rewarded. Americans tend to be forward-looking and future-focused. Even as we acknowledge the failings of the past, we remain confident that the principles on which the United States was established will prevail. The very fact that American reality has not yet matched the American ideal makes us more determined to pursue the dream”. The images drawn from the Picturing America collection, as well as the books Selected for the Land of Opportunity series, explore the extent to which the promise of America has been fulfilled. Sawhill also said in her article: “The American public has always cared more about equal opportunity than about equal results. The commitment to provide everyone with a fair chance to develop their own talents to the fullest is a central tenet of the American creed. This belief has deep roots in American culture and American history and is part of what distinguishes our public philosophy from that of Europe. Socialism has never taken root in American soil”.
This statement boldly explains the foundations on which this great nation was built: equal opportunity for all. The greatest thing about living in America is once you become legal immigrant, yet many doors are opened for you. You don’t have to be an American citizen to benefit almost all the privileges a born or naturalized-American do. More than any other country, America, has focused more on equal opportunity. The country is tailored to permit any legal immigrant to pursue careers, have any job within their physical and intellectual ability. As an example, someone can immigrate to the US today, and the next day goes to work. His country of origin nor the color of his or her skin will and shall not be a barrier. That’s what Sawhill explains in her article:
“I began with a plea that we focus our attention less on the distribution of income, and more on the opportunity each of us has to achieve a measure of success, recognizing that there will always be winners and losers but that the process needs to be as fair and open as possible. It can be argued that the process is, to one degree or another, inherently unfair. Children do not have much opportunity. They do not get to pick their parents - or, for that matter, their genetic endowments. It is these deepest of inequalities that have frustrated attempts to provide a greater measure of opportunity. Education is supposed to be the great leveler in our society, but it can just as easily reinforce these initial inequalities”. It is a true statement when Shawhill mentioned opportunity is for each of us. Although people who are highly educated generally speaking earn more paid because they have spent more time in school, but everyone can have a paycheck, and educated or not educated there is an opportunity for all. For example I have met people (immigrants) who don’t speak any English who have opportunity to work that can satisfy their needs.
Another aspect that makes America a place for a new beginning for an immigrant is because America is a country of freedom specifically freedom of religion. Religion is a topic that is very controversy. According to American Heritage Dictionary religion is defined as "Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe; A particular integrated system of this expression; The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a superhuman power or powers.". Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world. Even there are many religions around the world, but many of them refuse to let people choose their own religion. That is what Farr, Thomas F. mentioned on his article Religious freedom abroad.
In Muslim-majority countries, the problem is particularly acute. In Pakistan, the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, a Muslim himself, was recently murdered for supporting religious liberty--particularly for defending the rights of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy-and polls show broad public support for the murderer. Such an atmosphere discourages liberal Muslim voices and encourages Islamist extremism. In much of the Middle East, Christian and other minorities are increasingly at risk of violence and worse. No Muslim-majority state comes anywhere close to protecting religious freedom in full.
Farr wanted to show that religious freedom in many other countries does not exist. Because, some people are still wrestling with their government authorities, just to have permission to practice their beliefs. This unfortunate event where this Pakistan official was killed is one among many others. And, Farr wanted to show mentioned, such intolerance is more frequent in extremist Muslim countries. When we take a look on what’s happening around the world, we need to be grateful to the founders of our great nation for that they have carefully laid the foundations of this great nation on religious freedom principles. Otherwise, we could have been in the same situation as many other countries where people are being persecuted even killed because of their religious beliefs. It is also the case that religious freedom is not only an issue among extremist Muslims, but in some developing countries where anyone would think that one’s religious beliefs would be respected. However, reports had shown that Japan has recently been criticized for religious discrimination. That is what Brussel, Geneva said in his article International Coalition for Religious Freedom.
“ While Japan was lightly criticized for discrimination including religious discrimination during its UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 31 October 2012, the international community failed to note the refusal of Japanese authorities to protect the human rights of thousands of members of minority religions who have been violently abducted by family members and forced to change their religion, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) reported today.”
Basically, Brussel is seeing a country like Japan got down to this level is really, not only surprising but also disturbing. Japan is considered to be as one of the leading countries in this 21st century era. Normally a developing is supposed to be a place where the basic human rights are respected. This brings us down to the fact that the absence of religious freedom is a crucial violation the human rights. In America, we are fortunate to live in a country where cultural diversity is promoted and respected inclusively. That’s one of the reasons, people are often coming to America because of they are being persecuted in their own country. However; once they make it to America, they are free to continue worshiping whatever or whomever they want, as long as this doesn’t interfere with the laws. Consequently, even our leaders have come to bow down before religious freedom. According to Robert F. Kennedy , he said on his quote
“Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired”
In other words, Kennedy wanted to say that America is a place where one’s religious belief is respected and that diversity makes us strong. That is why this country will be forever a great country, because of the possibility for anyone to practice their own religion, regardless of one’s origin.
America is a place for professional advancement.
America, like some other developing countries, has encouraged professional immigrations. The intention is to bring into the US not just only unskilled workers, but also those who have a profession that is in demand in America. To this category, the immigration process is a lot easier and can be initiated right from their country of origin. Many professionals with long years of experience often seek to immigrate to the US. One of the reasons is, despite their educational achievement, they are still far away from having a decent life, at least proportional to their educational level. Willanwan Kanjanapan stated in his article The immigration of Asian professionals to the United States
The transfer of human capital from Third World countries to developed nations has been a subject of many studies. Previous literature has primarily focused on determinants and consequences of such high-level manpower movement. Specifically, the following questions are addressed. What determines the size and composition of immigrant flows to any particular host country? How do the immigrants adapt to the host country? What are the impacts of immigrants to the host country and the sending country? To be sure, there is no single theory which fully explains this phenomenon.
However, it is the case that because of the poor condition of the economy of these countries, many professionals are out of work. But, if they ever come to America, they have the opportunity to put their talent and skills to work and have a total new life. According to Cheng L. and Evans, L .In their article Brain Flow: The Formation Of An International Professional. “this comes down to the principle of self-wellness, where human instinct will make us work toward the pursuit of happiness”. Also, should I mention that many people had made it to America grown, but still they are able to make great achievements by taking advantage of every single opportunity and or occasion? First, many of them didn’t have the privilege to have a college degree back in their own country where in most cases you have to pay huge amount of cash money. Here in America, they take advantage of the system by taking an educational loan to go to school, and few years later, they graduate from technical school, college or university.
The following has definitely shown that America is one of the very rare countries around the world where anyone, in respect to the law, is welcomed. With its capitalism economic system, a wonderful education system that can be ranked among the best in the world. A religious freedom which does not exist in most countries, America is seeing as the country where people can find a new home, according Chan, J. and Y. Cheung in their work "Ethnic Resources and Business Enterprises.” Whether you are coming to be reunited with family members, or fleeing persecution for political reasons or seeking a better place to practice their beliefs, America will remain the best place for an immigrant to find a new beginning. Better equipped with the entrepreneurial resources than many other countries aboard, the professional immigrants will be better off and have better chances to succeed in their field, To effectively ensure the benefits of both parties, skilled immigrants and the receiving country, the government and officials are constantly making changes in their immigration policy to accommodate and sort out the professional among the millions of people that’s entering the United States regularly. While some critics argued that encouraging professional mostly from third world countries are disastrous to those poor countries, nevertheless, it remains a fact that the efforts come from both ways: America whose encouraging professionals to come live the American dream, and, in the other hand, we have category of professionals who desperately want to put their expertise to work. Finally, in their pursuit of a better life, they are ready to go wherever their competence can be converted to money.
Works cited:
Ananda Rose “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert: Religion, Law, and the
Immigration Controversy.”(2012) Web. 25. Nov.2012.
Brussels, Geneva.”International Coalition for Religious Freedom” (2012).Web. 12 .Nov.2012.
Chan, J. and Y. Cheung 1985 "Ethnic Resources and Business Enterprises: A Study of Chinese
Business in Toronto," Human Organization, 44(2):142-153. Print.
Chen, H. 1992 Chinatown No More. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.2012.Web.12.Nov.2012.
Cheng, L. and L. Evans "Brain Flow: The Formation of an International Professional-
Technical Class." Unpublished manuscript. Los Angeles: Department of
Sociology, University of California. 1991. Print.
Farr, Thomas F. "Religious freedom abroad." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and
Public Life 221 (2012): 21+.Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Nov. 2012
Johnstone, R. 1988 "Diverting the Brain Drain," Far Eastern Economic
Review,(2012).Web.12.Nov.2012.
Johnson, Fawn. "Immigration: a problem without a solution." National
Journal (2011). Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.
Kanjanapan, Wilawan. "The immigration of Asian professionals to the United States: 1988-
1990." International Migration Review 29.1 (1995): 7+. Academic OneFile. Web. 12. Nov .2012 .
Sawhill, Isabel V. "Still the land of opportunity?" Public Interest 135 (1999): 3. Academic
OneFile. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.