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The Struggles Immigrants Face When They Migrate To The U.S.

Sontay Isaacs

Sport and Medical Sciences Academy

Senior Seminar

Mrs. Boutilier

October 11, 2022

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The Struggles Immigrants Face When They Migrate to the U.S.

Moving to a new area to settle down and reside there is known as immigration. Many

causes might influence a person's decision to migrate, including career possibilities, the need to

flee a dangerous situation, environmental considerations, a desire for education, or to be near

family. Immigrants flee their home countries seeking out the American dream they hear so much

about but that dream is almost impossible to become their reality. Prejudice, racism, lack of job

opportunities, inability to communicate, little to no education or credentials, no access to

government benefits, and more are all issues faced by those entering America trying to start a

life. Many may argue that housing and food are something people should never have to worry

about because there are anti-poverty government programs such as food stamps, Medicaid,

unemployment insurance, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), housing subsidies,

etc. What most people aren’t aware of is that these government benefits aren’t for those that are

in the country illegally. Undocumented immigrants don’t have any support from the government.

For those who had to claw their way into the U.S. for reasons such as safety and opportunity,

they are left to make ends meet on their own. Undocumented immigrants have no choice but to

seek out food pantries, food banks, drives, etc. that are in their community to survive. Statistics

show that undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are experiencing higher levels of poverty, lack

of resources for survival, homelessness, and poorer health, since Covid-19 and neglect from the

U.S. government.

Oftentimes immigrants fall under two categories/labels. The first one is a refugee which

is, “A person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights

violations and persecution there. The risks to their safety and life were so great that they felt they
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had no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their government cannot

or will not protect them from those dangers” (Amnesty International, n.d.). The other category is

an asylum seeker which is, “A person who has left their country and is seeking protection from

persecution and serious human rights violations in another country but who hasn’t yet been

legally recognized as a refugee” (Amnesty International, n.d.). “Refugees may endure

incarceration, torture, loss of property, starvation, physical abuse, acute terror, rape, and loss of

livelihood before leaving their home country” (Kurdish, A.). The trip out of their home country

might take days or years to complete. Refugees frequently experience family separation, robbery,

forced suffering or death, witness torture or murder, lose loved ones or friends, and face

extraordinarily hard environmental circumstances while fleeing (Refugee Health Technological

Assistance Center, 2001). “History is filled with stories of people forced to leave their homes.

For example, in 1685, France outlawed the Protestant religion, forcing hundreds of thousands of

Protestants to flee the country” (National Geographic, 2022). Imagine being told you aren’t

allowed to believe in what you want to. Here in the United States, we are lucky enough to have

our right to freedom, religion, speech, etc. protected by laws. We are fortunate enough to never

have to fear being different and making our own life decisions about who/what we choose to

worship but others in less developed countries aren’t as fortunate and as a result need to abandon

the only life they’ve ever known. Another big reason why people leave their lives behind is war.

According to the UNHCR (United Nations Human Rights Council), there were 19.9 million

refugees and 3.1 million asylum applicants worldwide in 2017. In each of these areas,

persecution and war drive people to escape their homes. “About 2.6 million Afghans have moved

to 69 different countries as asylum seekers, and half of them have been compelled to leave more
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than once. One of the greatest numbers of internally displaced people in the world is found in

Sudan, in eastern Africa. Millions of people were displaced from their homes as a result of the

civil conflict between north and south Sudan from 1983 to 2005” (National Geographic, 2022).

Around 4.4 million people have been uprooted nationwide by the end of 2017. Most internally

displaced people in Darfur, according to civilian groups like Doctors Without Borders, reside in

"prison-like" camps where they are jammed into improvised shelters, continuously at risk of

violence and malnutrition which accelerates the spread of sickness due to overcrowding

(National Geographic, 2022). Immigrants have endured a lot in their home countries. As

mentioned before many of them do come to the United States in hopes of the American dream

but as shown above, they seek what can’t be received in their home country. Those coming from

underdeveloped countries experience inhumane conditions and witnessed traumatic events.

For those lucky enough to make it past their unearthed nation with carnage, turmoil, and

corruption plaguing its walls and into a developed country known for taking in those seeking

asylum they come to a sad awakening. Immigrants leave one unbearable situation into another

one. The sad truth is that many Americans don’t accept immigrants being in their country.

“Xenophobia is the attitudes, prejudices, and behavior that reject, exclude, or vilify persons

based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to their community, society, and

national identity. This is based on the idea that one’s nation is superior to others, also known as

nationalism” (Niang, 2021). Additionally, “the United States has a long history of having

unfavorable attitudes about refugees and asylum seekers, regarding them as the "others" and a

financial burden” (Niang, 2021). Refugees are described in illustrative language. Donald Trump,

a former president, has expressed his xenophobia in public. President Trump has made this
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statement in 2015 regarding taking in Syrian refugees “We don’t want them in our country”

These are words from the president of the United States who represents the people. Due to the

leader of the country at the time speaking in this way refugees felt unwanted. Immigrants,

refugees, and asylum seekers experience forms of discrimination and President Trump is an

example of that.

Although it is popular to refer to the United States as a nation of immigrants, in actuality,

immigrants have long been victimized, used for cheap labor, and treated as second-class citizens.

The Guardian newspaper claims that many businesses prey on the vulnerabilities of

undocumented immigrants. They frequently pay their employees illegally and do not give a

decent rate. They could make them work longer than normal and for less money. Foreign

employees may occasionally receive no pay at all for their labor. It's possible that immigrants

working in hazardous fields like agriculture or construction won't have the required training on

safety procedures and standards or protective gear to keep them safe. Additionally, they might

have to put up with sexual harassment and ethnic discrimination at work. Immigrants' employers

may fire them, withhold pay, or threaten to contact immigration authorities if they complain

about safety, demand more pay, or have the right to unionize. As a result, numerous immigrants

may be abused or put in danger due to a fear of being deported or a lack of awareness about their

legal rights. One incident that exemplifies these frequent abuses happened during the cleaning

following Hurricane Gustav. According to the Los Angeles Times, illegal immigrants toiled

alongside American employees to clear dead animals and contaminated water, fix houses, and

demolish damaged structures. Some, however, alleged that they were not provided with safety

gear to stop infections and injuries, whereas the American employees were. They reportedly had
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their salary cut in half when they requested protective gear, and several of them were detained

after going on strike to seek better treatment (Ozment Law, n.d.). Undocumented immigrants are

not protected by Unions. There is a lack of protections that the typical American receives which

leads to immigrants seeking employment that mistreats and treats them as less.

With all that immigrants have faced it would be expected that at the very least they would

have access to the necessities to live but that isn’t the case. “Researchers found that 70% of 2,000

people surveyed perceived that immigrants experienced discrimination in the workplace due to

skin color or accent. Additionally, 65% felt they would be prevented from gaining legal U.S.

immigration status if they used government benefits, such as income assistance, housing aid,

health care, and food programs” (Juan Flores, 2021). Those who are documented immigrants fear

accepting help from the government and they can’t be blamed for feeling this way. Whenever the

argument of immigrants harming or benefiting the economy is brought up the first thing

Americans mention is immigrants leeching off of government benefits, housing, etc. but that

couldn’t be more incorrect. According to the Urban Institute’s Well-Being and Basic Needs

Survey, a nationally representative internet-based survey conducted in December 2020 “many

eligible low-income immigrant families were prevented from utilizing non-cash benefits and

other federal aid programs because of fear, which was stoked by the Trump administration's

anti-immigration rhetoric and actions” The fact that illegal immigrants aren’t even in the thought

process of being considered for some of these government benefits should be a great concern.

“Restrictions on access to public benefits came next Amidst a highly racialized debate, in 1971

then-Governor Reagan pushed through a sweeping California welfare reform plan that denied

benefits to unauthorized immigrants. Other states and the federal government soon followed suit.
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In 1996, after a deeply racialized debate over California Proposition 187, which sought to deny

state services to undocumented immigrants, Congress went even further to restrict legal

immigrants from most federal benefits, although some have since been restored” (Kamasaki,

2021). It is clear that America couldn’t care less if people in their country were starving and

lacking essential resources as long as they aren't citizens of their country. Undocumented

immigrants are evidently more vulnerable to homelessness as a result of Congress' employment

of legislation to make homes unavailable. Undocumented immigrants are practically made

homeless by discriminatory laws and regulations that forbid them from renting or housing. Non-

U.S. citizens are excluded from benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,

Non-emergency Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Aid to Families with Dependent

Children, and more. Undocumented immigrants have no choice but to share housing with

relatives, acquaintances, or coworkers because of laws that forbid renting to them and demand

that they provide proof of their status. Undocumented immigrants are essentially forced into

homelessness if they are unable to double up.With these facts in mind, this leaves a wondering

question: How are undocumented immigrants surviving in the U.S.?

In conclusion, it's clear that immigrants have a multitude of barriers preventing them from

making it in this country: local food pantries and church organizations could be the resources that

they need. When immigrants whether that be asylum seekers or refugees flee their chaotic home

country and come into the United States with hopes of a better life they are instead hit with: no

benefits or fear of accepting benefits if they do qualify for them, prejudice and discrimination in

the workforce, poverty and homelessness. Making it in the United States is hard especially when

the government is against foreigners so resources that aren’t government-funded tend to be the
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resources trusted and used by immigrants. Food pantries, books, and clothing drives are what a

majority of immigrants in poverty rely on but it was taken from them when the pandemic hit.

Covid-19 had a huge impact globally resulting in the shutdown of many restaurants, schools,

businesses, etc. but at no point were grocery stores ever shut down because it was obvious that

people needed a source near them to get food. The government didn’t think about immigrants

living in poverty during this time. The governments shut down food pantries and drives during

Covid-19 leaving immigrants without a place to get free food which they depended on for

survival. The United States government is to blame for the high homeless and poverty rate

among migrants to this country.

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References

Amnesty International. (n.d.). Refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/#:~:text=

There%20are%20many%20reasons%20why%20it%20might%20be%20too%20difficult,c

hange%20or%20other%20natural%20disasters.

om-access

Kamasaki, C. (March 26, 2021). U.S. Immigration policy: A classic, unappreciated example of

structural racism.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2021/03/26/us-immigration-policy-a-classc

-unappreciated-example-of-structural-racism/

National Geographic. (July 27, 2022). Refugee.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/refugee

Niang, R. (January 17, 2021). The Inhumane Treatment of Forced Migrants and its Roots in

Xenophobia.

https://lawblogs.uc.edu/ihrlr/2022/03/25/book-review-the-undocumented-americans/

Ozment Law. (n.d.). How might immigrants face inequality on the job?

https://www.ozmentlaw.com/articles/how-might-immigrants-face-inequality-on-the-job/

Piser, K. (May 26, 2021). Fear of Reprisal kept immigrants from accessing federal aid in

pandemic.

https://thefern.org/ag_insider/report-fear-of-reprisal-kept-immigrant-families-fr

om-access