Immigration has been a topic for heated discussions for many years. However, no one has really ever looked into what immigration actually is or how hard it is for the people trying to immigrate. In the common reader we are given an insight to what immigration is, and the risks that follow. So what is immigration? The definition stands as the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. However, outside of a narrow definition we can see that it is actually so much more. It is the action of someone uprooting everything they have ever known in hopes of finding something better. Many times as we have seen through Enrique’s Journey means that children and entire families are left behind in hopes that one day they will once again be reunited (Nazario). Though many hope to see their families once again, their hopes slowly turn into dreams. Between 2010 and 2012 nearly 205,00 parents of U.S. citizen born children were deported in a staggering 26 months (Lincroft). Given that this is a statistic based upon families that are already in the US it leaves us to wonder how many families are torn …show more content…
Before that can be answered I think we have to look at why this book in specifics was chosen to be the common reader. This book in itself is a perfect example of this year’s public affairs mission theme. That is “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Perspectives on Self-Government.” Enrique’s Journey is nothing but a story of someone’s life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Enrique pursues his own goal of finding his mother after she had to leave to create a better life for him and his sister (Nazario). It also shows how he framed the rest of his life based solely on that one decision. After reading the common reader I have a new found respect for those who journey to discover their own American dream. I also have a higher hope knowing that the American dream can be reached, even if it is not specifically my own version of
Immigration issues have been a problem throughout history. This Society holds different perceptions on the topic. Some people favor the flow of immigrants while others oppose it. Immigration is a social problem that must constantly be reviewed due to the complexity of the problems. In this situation, different factors such as the quality of life for immigrants, how they impact the economy, how the implementation of policies would benefit them, have to be taken into consideration. Immigration policies affect all aspects of today’s society. The key figures in the immigration issue are immigrants, documented/undocumented, political figures.
Enrique’s Journey written by Sonia Nazario is a work of non-fiction that follows the journey of a young Central American boy to find his mother Lourdes, who left him at the age of five. Before Nazario introduces Enrique she discusses the experiences she put herself through to gain a better understanding of the travels a migrant child and adult go through in their conquest to make it to the United States. While going through the trials that many migrants put themselves through Nazario learns the stories of different migrants and begins her search for a migrant child to bring attention to their story and create awareness about the situation children migrating are enduring to find their mothers in the United States. Nazario traces Enrique’s steps to experience his full journey and to describe the details in depth upon writing about the journey Enrique took to find his mother in the United States.
Enrique’s journey from Honduras to the U.S. unveils the innate loyalty of a loving child to their mother and presents the dangers that a migrant faces on the road with consistent angst; nevertheless, it supports the idea that compassion shown by some strangers can boost the retreating confidence within a person. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” he seeks the beacon of light that all migrants hope to encounter; “El Norte.” Like many children before him, it is the answer to the problems of a hard life. While being hunted down “like animals” leading to “seven futile attempts,” he is
Throughout the history of the United States immigration has become apart of our country’s fabric which, began centuries ago. Only to become a hot topic in the US in recent years with its primary focus being illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is when people enter a country without government permission. As of 2008 the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the US which is down from 2007‘s 12.5 million people. Although the Center for Immigration Studies estimates are very different from other estimates that range from 7 to 20 million. While the Pew Hispanic Center estimated in March of 2009 there are 11.1 million illegal immigrants and that number is from March 2007’s peak of 12
Enrique created a larger than life image of his mother, and when he was reunited with her, his depression soon began to return. Quickly after, Enrique finds himself in the midst of a multiculturalism society like the United States. In the states, he learns what potential he has there, and how much better it would be if he could eventually have his girlfriend Maria Isabel and their daughter, Jasmin smuggled in from Honduras. Like his mother, Enrique begins to take the money he earns from his job in the United States, and saves enough money to have his family smuggled in the United States, so that they too can get the experience of what it is like to live in a multiculturalist society, and enjoy the freedoms and joy every migrant family should be able to
I can only imagine what immigrating to america is like for these families, everyday children my age and younger are risking their lives to come to America and It really makes me appreciate how much I have. For Lourdes, Enrique, and Maria Isabel in Enrique’s Journey they must make the hard decision of leaving everything they grew up with in Honduras to come to america for a better life. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, could no longer afford to feed and send her children to school and was struggling to make money with her job. “Lordes can think of only one place that offers hope… Lourdes has decided: She will leave. She will go to the United States, and make money and send it home.” (p.20) Lourdes decides to make the trip because it
The hardships one would encounter in their lives have become a part of our society, because they act as stepping stones to build ourselves with trials to reach any higher ground. It’s ready is the best, and worst possible actions we have done to ourselves.
But one prevalent issue that has continued to be the source of much controversy is immigration. Founded on immigration this issue is not new to this country. Although it’s an issue that has been around for many years the mixed sentiments directed at it have only continued to become more prevalent. This may be due to the various perspectives from which it is viewed. The way in which an issue is looked at is influenced by various factors which become evident when the issue of immigration is discussed.
In the novel Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario demonstrates the onerous journey of illegal immigrants. Sonia Nazario aims for the readers to make them understand what most of the immigrants go through during their journey to the United States. By appealing to ethos and pathos throughout the book, Sonia Nazario portrays the path that Enrique undergoes to reunite with his mother.
Immigration has been a topic of great discussion and controversy even before this year’s election. In recent years, illegal immigration has been the focus of these discussions, but other forms of immigration exist. Immigrants also immigrate through legal processes.
Uncontrollable, problematic, and overly populated are words that come to mind when immigration is mentioned. For many years’ immigration has become a huge problem throughout the world, in several places. Immigration is the migration of non-native citizens into a country with the hopes of settling there (“immigration”). People of different ethnicities settling into another country without citizenship is illegal and creates a lot of controversy. This controversy can stir up things such as racism, over population and more. Most immigrants that migrate to another country move for multiple reasons. These reasons could be to
According to President Obama (2014), “If we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement- and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same” (President Obama, 2014). The United States of American has long been the safe haven for those who seek to escape poverty, hunger, torture, and oppression in their home countries. According to the film, The Other Side of Immigration (2009), in 1970, the United States housed 750,000 immigrants and as of 2009, there are
I never expected Enrique’s Journey to be such a personal work. Being a journalistic book, I expected a lot of research in it, but not to the level Nazario’s gone to. Definitely, the way she introduced herself into the enduring situations that migrants go through when they try to reach the US gave me a new perspective of what to expect from the book. She comes from a migrant family too, so she can sort of relate to the characters in the book. However, as she confesses herself, her journey was nowhere as arduous as what these children go through to find their mothers. And the way in which she involved herself into the situation increases her empathy for Enrique en other numberless children.
Immigration is one hot topic in today’s conversation and society. Many think that immigrants coming to America are taking many jobs away from who need them. Some also think that there are jobs being taken away are not ones that Americans would not perform due to the horrible working conditions, low pay, and lack of important medical coverage. The immigration issue has come to a point where the United States must make a decision to spend a lot of money to curtail the amount of immigrants coming here.
Immigration is the process of entry of individuals into a new country (23). Throughout past centuries, immigration has been a means of discovery and exploration of new lands. In today’s culture, immigration to the United States is an avenue for individuals who wish to start new lives and take advantage of the capitalistic, entrepreneurial system. People from many countries have migrated into the United States. Most recently, the migrants have come from Central and South American countries. These Latin American countries influence America’s society culturally and economically through their language, traditions, and workforce. From the 1990s to the present time, immigration from Latin American countries has more than