America y usa

III. Differences from Other immigrants

A. History

The United States of America’s history teaches us that Mexican immigrants are the only

immigrants who claimed parts of the North America continent as theirs. These parts consist

of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. However, they lost them in

the Texas Independence War and Mexican-American War. Mexico isthe only country that

the U.S. invaded. Therefore, Mexican immigrants feel ownership of these places.

Approximately, 25 Mexican communities have been living there since before the U.S.

dominated. Most of these communities are located in the north of New Mexico and the Rio

Grande River basin. The immigration from Mexico to the U.S. also has a history. Mexicans

have immigratedto the U.S. as workers since before WWI. Most of these immigrants did

not settle in the U.S. until the end of the twentieth century. Since they loved their country

and there was no legal way to stay in the U.S. after going there to earn money as farm or

mine workers, they went back to Mexico. After a few decades, it was prohibited to recruit

workers in Mexico. However, employerskept going to Mexico to get laborers, but not only

to work in farms or coal mines, also to build railroads. Even though other immigrants were

limited to work in the U.S. due to the government requirements, they needed to be able to

write and read. However, Mexican immigrants were an exception. In 1930s, a big

financial panic hit the U.S. and many Mexican immigrants went Mexico . Butwhen WWII

began, the U.S. faced a lack of workers. Therefore, the U.S. government made an

agreement with the Mexican government to allow Mexicans to cross the border and work in

the U.S. temporarily. This program was named the Bracero. Today, many Mexicans

continue immigrating illegally to the U.S. to work. In order to reduce the number of illegal

immigrants, the U.S.government gave the Mexican immigrants the right to work under the Bracero agreement when they were caught. Therefore, many Mexicans immigrated to the

U.S. illegally after WWII. However, due to a decline on wages, and fear of terrorism, the

U.S. government enacted a new law against immigration. The U.S. government continues

to go back and forth from a tight immigration policy to a laxenforcement of immigration.

B. Location

Most of the immigrants in the United States arrived crossing the ocean. However, Mexican

immigrants came to the U.S. from the same continent. As mentioned before, Mexico is the

only developing country that shares a border with a major power entity. The difference

between their incomes is the biggest of all other countries which share a borderwith other

countries. Many undocumented Mexican immigrants get into the U.S. from the Sonoran

desert in Arizona. This desert is known as “ the corridor of death”. The temperatures there

are up to 120F(49C) in the summer. Many Mexicans die of heat stroke, dehydration,

hypothermia, vehicle accident and homicide on the way to the U.S. In 2005, more than half

of the immigrants’death happened there. It is also unclear to determine where the border

between the U.S. and Mexico starts. This fact affects the U.S. society, people, culture and

economy a lot.

Identity
Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans lack the sense of belonging to the U.S. In 1992, the
U.S. government surveyed immigrants’ children in South California and South Florida to find out
wherethey felt that they belonged. The result was that 1.9% to 9.3% of the children from the
middle part of America and the Caribbean answered that they are Americans. However, none of
the Mexican immigrants’ children identified themselves as Americans. 41.2% of them recognized
themselves as Hispanics, and 32.5% answered that they are Mexicans.

In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control...