Immigration at an All New Level

Mr. Passal, a demographer at the Pew Center, states that “It is clear that today’s legal immigrants are signing on to a closer relationship with the U.S. than was the case a decade or two ago (Preston).” This basically means, that in the past, immigrants would come to our country and do the worst jobs to make ends meet, and worry about their family and that would be all, but now the immigrants are trying to be citizens, trying to make a future for their families and being more successful people in the work place and cities itself.

In 14 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas, including Boston, St. Louis, New York and San Francisco, more immigrants are employed in white-collar occupations than in lower-wage work like construction, manufacturing or cleaning. Over all, the analysis showed that the 25 million immigrants who live in the country’s largest metropolitan areas, about two-thirds of all immigrants in the country, are nearly evenly distributed across the job and income spectrum (Preston). “The United States is getting a more varied and economically important flow of immigrants than the public seems to realize,” was quoted by a director for immigration research at the Fiscal Policy Institute, by David Dyssegaard Kallick. This was all new to me, because when I think of immigrants, I tend to think of the lower jobs that not as many people would like to do, and they don’t get payed as much due to the stereotypes people use, and what used to be in the past.

In the past, Immigrants came to this country with nothing, but are still here due to the hard work that their ancestors had done for them all those years ago. Classrooms have diversified heavily since more and more legal immigrants can afford to go to school now, and by the initiative to be somebody also. Like I said above, we have always looked down on some cultures because of the jobs they did in the past, and some may still do those jobs, but by looking at the bigger picture, you would be able to see how far they have come. Statistics point out the facts I’m stating. According to a new census, more than half of the working immigrants in most metropolitan areas hold higher-paying white-collar jobs as professionals, technicians or administrators, rather than lower-paying blue-collar and service jobs (Poster).

For example, Ireland was a cruel and poor country, with the constant threat of the English opposition and the ever so dreadful Potato famine. The Irish tried escaping this poverty and diseases by immigrating to America, usually landing in or around New York and Philadelphia. The earliest of the immigrants sent letters back encouraging others to come with them on this journey and to better lives calling it the “Golden Door.” There hope of making a better life ends up nothing like the golden door they had wanted, The Irish were the low men on the totem pole, no one was lower in the class system. They begged and pleaded for anything that anyone could spare, they mostly lived in shacks or some even on the streets. It’s said that 80% of all infants born Irish in New York City died, because of how they were unable to take care of themselves. You may be thinking how did they even survive, but they were organized and did whatever they could to help each other.  But the Irish came to America, at a vital time, the country was growing substantially, but didn’t have the work force to keep the construction up to par with building bridges, roads and canals. The Irish were the perfect people at the time for the job, because they were in need of jobs, and didn’t care about the pay. Since the Irish were gaining jobs now, they were gaining respect and moving up in life finally! The appearance of large numbers of Jews, Slavs, and Italian immigrants led many Americans to consider the Irish an asset; their Americanization was now recognized (Irish Immigrants in America during the 19^th Century). Now with 38,760,000 American’s claiming to have Irish ancestory, according to the 1990 census (Rapple). It shows that they never gave up, and make a big chunk of the country, they were looked at as being the lowest class of people when coming to this country, and it shows that being together, and having a mental drive and proving hard work pays off in the end.

Hopefully I’ve changed your mind on the fact that just because we started this country, means we are guaranteed the better jobs, or the better money. Everyone in this world is battling it out to see who comes out on top, and our country gives people the right to have say in what they do for the rest of their lives, so of course people from other area’s would want to come here, I would too if I was in their situation. Seeing these statistics and numbers showing these changes in our country, has really opened my eyes and made me appreciate how far some immigrants have came. I also have an Irish descent, and it feels good to see how my far ancestors of mine have come.

--Cord Pelts