This was the script (our essay divided into parts) for the 2015 History Day.

Order:

As a group, we each took a different

Statue of Liberty poem

topic and helped research and
Trump and nativist mentality
write the script for that specific area.
People who have immigrated to the United States
After that, we went over each others
Repatriation
pieces to ensure they sounded like one
Bracero program
DREAM act
writer and checked evidence and facts.
Deferred Action
How immigrants have benefitted our society
My group mates were Lauren Wong,
Conclusion (what we must remember)
Natalie Haglan, and Katelin Godwin
Drop the mic and win first prize
Images or Video
Clips from Shots
List

Dialogue

52

People who have immigrated into the U.S:

Many people have immigrated to the United States through the
border between Mexico and America throughout the years both
legally and illegally. Weather documented or not, these
immigrants benefit our society in many ways by creating more
diversity, and starting their own small businesses -- helping our
economy. Aljazeera America, an American news television
station, looked into the encounters some undocumented families
are having while living in America such as seeking and keeping
employment. Tamara Jimenez, a successful, undocumented
business owner, and her family decided to open up a bakery in
Philadelphia after years of working insecure jobs (Source 52).
Jimenez states that It just makes sense for our own
economic security to have our own business, even though
we didnt know along the way what was going to happen to
us because of the deportations. Many undocumented
families, like this one, are law abiding and pay their monthly
taxes just like any other American, yet when they encounter the
law they are often treated more harshly due to their status.

56, 57, 53?, 65, 66

Repatriation:
When the Great Depression hit in 1929 there was a high demand
to reduce the number of Mexican immigrants in the United
States,-- as it was believed that immigrants were taking jobs
away from American-born individuals who needed them more.
Under the administration of President Herbert Hoover, more than
450,000 immigrants, many citizens of the United States by birth,
were gathered and sent back to Mexico through the borders of

Texas, California, and Arizona in order to reduce relief roles and

free jobs for native born citizens between the years of 1929 and
1937. This process of sending immigrants back to his or her
native country became known as Mexican Repatriation.
26

Bracero Program:
The World War 2 draft left Americas farm and factories short of
labor and new workers were desperately needed. An exchange
between the United States and Mexico brought thousand of
Mexican agricultural workers, called braceros, into the United
States to work the fields from 1942 to 1964. The program had
certain safeguards in place such as; g
uaranteed payment of at
least the minimum wage received by native workers of the area;
employment for three-fourths of the contract period; adequate,
sanitary, and free housing; reasonable prices for decent meals;
occupational insurance; and free transportation back to Mexico at
the end of the contract.
A downside to the program was that the employers were only
supposed to hire workers through the Bracero Program when
they had a certified domestic labor shortage. Employers did not
follow a large portion of the rules in the program so Mexican and
native workers suffered while growers were benefiting off of
plentiful, cheap labor.
Today, migrant farmers from Mexico encounter similar situations
as those who were in the Bracero program such as working
conditions in the fields.

58 (has a few options, not

sure what will end up
fitting in with the rest of
the documentary)
63, 64,

DREAM Act:
Introduced in 2011, the D
evelopment, Relief, and Education

for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, was pushed by college

professors to protect the children of immigrants. President
Obama discussed the DREAM Act at the 2012 Naturalization

Ceremony where immigrant members of the United States armed

forces were granted their citizenship [Clip of the President]. The
act was designed to allow the children of immigrants ages 15 and
under to become citizens with the ability to go college and have
access to work permits. It requires that the children finish high
school, along with the completion of a college degree or two
years of military service. Along with the DREAM Act, on June

15th 2012, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

announced that individuals who were brought to the United
States as children and meet certain criteria will be considered for
temporary relief from deportation or from being placed in removal
proceedings. The proceeding is known as Deferred Action.
59 (Same deal as above)

Deferred Action:
To be considered for deferred action, the individual must:
Have come to the United States under the age of sixteen
Have continuously lived in the United States for at least
five years
Either be currently in school, a graduate of a U.S. high
school, or an honorably discharged veteran of the Armed
Forces of the United States
Not have any charges on their public record
Be younger than 31 as of June 15, 2012
These acts work to assist children who have grown up in America
with undocumented parents to become citizens themselves and
have improved legal rights such as having a permanent
residence and a source of employment.

51 - Donald Trump,

Misconceptions:
Though the Emma Lazaruss Poem and the Statue of Liberty
stands as a sign of hope for many immigrants coming into the
United States, some citizens are still against their presence in
America. Nativists have been present throughout Americas
history in the form of propaganda artists, speakers, rally
organizers and much more. Some examples of the nativist
mentality are the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the
Know-Nothing party during 1849, in which nativists wanted rigid
restrictions on immigration and naturalization, along with a law
authorizing the deportation of undocumented immigrants. In the
current presidential election, Donald Trump has gained some of
his popularity by bringing up new exchanges between the United
States and Mexico that will tighten border security. Since the
benefits of immigration are mentioned very little, only
approximately half the population knows the true facts. [cut to
We developed a system
video]

of highlighting when we
were unsure about
Citizens hear competing discussions about immigration but what
something. It was mainly is fact and what is opinion? M
any Americans arent fully aware of

for recording purposes.

Purple meant it was
changed from the original
and was awaiting
approval/checking,
green meant it needed to
be recorded, and blue
meant I was finished
recording.

how immigration can benefit our society, thus they h

ear mostly
negative aspects like those described by Trump and other
nativist minded individuals in the country. P
ew Research Center
did a poll in 2015 asking adults if they thought Immigrants
benefited their society. They found that 45% of Americans said
they thought immigrants made society better in the long run while
37% thought they made it worse. When asked what word came
to mind when they thought about immigrants, 12% said illegal.
For those who are unaware of the benefits of immigration,
Trumps plan to build a wall, tighten security and limit immigration
may sound very appealing.

49 - President Obamas
speech about the
importance of
immigration,

How immigrants have benefitted our country:

In 2012, the United States government released ten ways
exchanges with immigrants help to build and strengthen our
economy. One of the ten ways is that immigrants start new
businesses. Immigrants are 30% more likely to start their own
business than native born citizens. The Fiscal Policy Institute, an
independent, nonprofit organization committed to improving
public policies and private practices, found in their research that
small businesses owned by immigrants employed an estimated
4.7 million people in 2007, and according to the latest estimates,
these small businesses generated more than $776 billion
annually. Big companies such as Intel, Yahoo, and Google were
all created by immigrants, thus creating more jobs for the
American public. Despite only making up 16% of the residents
holding a bachelors degree or higher, i mmigrants make up 33%
of engineers, 27% of mathematicians and computer scientists,
and 24% of physical scientists. Another way immigrants improve
society is by reducing federal deficit due to Immigration reform
Acts such as the DREAM Act, increasing tax revenues.

(im putting pictures of

immigrants that came to
America during major
immigration periods such
as Ellis Island,
colonization, etc.)

Concluding:
Throughout our education, we are told that we must study history
so we can learn from our mistakes and prevent history from
repeating. I f we take a step back from our current views on

immigration, we will see that immigrants have faced prejudice

throughout history such as in the annexation of Texas, Japanese
internment during WW2, and more. America must remember the
trials and errors of immigration so as to not repeat the
wrongdoings of the past. America was founded on immigration,
and without it, the country would not be the same as it is today.

The encounters and exchanges between Mexico, the United

States, and their citizens shape how immigration is viewed.[cut to
Obama ending video]

We decided to lay
the "essay" out piece
by piece to help us
determine where each
part went in our
documentary.

Opening:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"