For
the first post, each group will learn some information about each person’s
family of origin. This should aid each group in beginning to imagine their
respective adoptee. While some of the information may at first appear to be
unrelated to our subject of study, life-span issues for individuals with
disabilities, fear not. It will all make sense as we move through the semester.
Sierra Hernandez – Week One
Living in Oaxaca was hard. Up in the morning, work in the
fields or the local multinational factory for 32 cents a day, sleep, and then
up to do it again. She had to find another way. The latest trade agreement
meant that the local businesses that were the lifeblood of her small town just
faded away. It almost seemed to happen overnight, and now there was next to nothing
left. Surely nothing for her. She made a plan to make her way to the border –
she had heard that crossing was harder now, but she had to try. She heard there
were coyotes for hire, and that, if
you found a good one, you could get across. If you found a bad one, well . . .
she knew well the saying hay muchos
huesos en el desierto – there are
many bones in the desert. She was ready to take the risk.
She kept having strange and unknown feelings in the morning,
like she was going to get sick. She didn’t know why. Probably that
multinational water she had been drinking. She didn’t think anything of it when
she started her journey to el Norte.
By the time she reached a small town just south of the
border, the morning feelings were getting worse. The women in Oaxaca would know
what to do, would know what this sickness was. But they were miles away. She pressed
on. She was unaware of the tiny child slowly taking shape in her belly.
Provide demographic information regarding the
number of individuals who enter the United States each year lawfully. Where are
they from? Why do they come?
Provide demographic information regarding the
number of individuals who enter the United States each year unlawfully. Where
are they from? Why do they come?
What is a coyote? What are the risks associated with such individuals?
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2010, 1,042,625 people entered the United States lawfully. Of those, approximately 95,000 came from Europe, 410,000 came from Asia, and 427,000 came from the Americas. Mexico alone had approximately 138,000 legal immigrants come to the US in 2010.
ReplyDeleteThe reasons that people immigrate to the United States are varied. Many move for better economic opportunities, to reunite with family members that previously moved, to avoid political unrest in their current country, to visit a different part of the world, or to escape terrible living conditions (Bryant, 1999). Some of the reasons as to why some individuals enter into the United States include: rejoining family members who are already in the United States, to pursue jobs that are higher paying, and to work in improved working conditions. (Fears, 2005). Many times these individuals pursue jobs that are similar to the jobs that they have in their home country, but are more lucrative. This in turn, enables the individual to send money home to his family.
Bryant, Joyce. "Immigration in the United States." Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute. N.p., 1999. Web. 7 Sep 2011. .
Fears, D. (2005, December 7) Study: Illegal Immigrants not Drawn by Jobs. The Washington Post. p. A9.
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ReplyDelete"Immigration statistics." Department of Homeland Security. DHS, 2010. Web. 7 Sep 2011. .
ReplyDeleteIt has been estimated that 11-12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Of those 11-12 million undocumented immigrants 59 percent of them are from Mexico, 11 percent of them are from Asia, another 11 percent of them are from Central America, and 6 percent of them are from South America. The reasons why these illegal immigrants come to the United States are in their country they have relative poverty, for religious reasons, and differences in the quality of life between their country and the United States. Another reason is that gaining employment at a low wage job in the United States provides higher standard of living in their home country. No matter what they job may be, just having it gives the immigrants a better change of turning their life around and help support their families. Many of the reasons for entering the country are the same as for legal immigration.
Germano, R. (2011, March 18). How many illegal immigrants live in the United States and where do they come from? Retrieved from http://roygermano.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/how-many-illegal-immigrants-live-in-the-united-states-and-where-do-they-come-from/
Coyotes are the “names for smugglers who facilitate the migration of people from Mexico to the United States border” (Gonzalez, 2003). These people have become more sophisticated over the years by using technology to expand their businesses. Coyotes have many risks for smuggling in illegal immigrants. They could have a fine up to $75,000 or maybe even more. People who smuggle in people could also spend many years in jail. Smuggling people in the United States constitutes as a criminal conduct. Some of the risks associated with this smuggling include: dying from heat and thirst from unprepared coyotes, dying from getting lost in the wilderness, being raped or beaten en route, being held hostage until the debt is paid, being attacked by gangs, and possibly even being sold into the sex trade by the coyote (Department of State, 2005). Yet despite these risks people have looked to coyote’s increasingly in recent years because increased border security has resulted in the deaths of many people. In some ways it’s a hit or miss, a good coyote can feed you, clothe you, and get you safely across the border. These people are often regarded as heroes by the individuals that they assist (Gonzalez, 2003).
Gonzalez, D. (2003, November 30). “Coyotes: criminals to they united states but heroes to many immigrants.” Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-11-30-coyotes-x.htm
U.S. Department of State. (2006). Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/62736.htm