Immigration Reflection

An immigrant is a person that has left their country and is living as a resident in the country they migrated to. Most of the immigrants in the US come from Latin American countries such as Mexico. People migrate from all over the world, but when they don't register as legal immigrants they fall under the category of "illegal aliens". "Illegal aliens" is a very biased and disrespectful term, because humans are not aliens. Illegal immigrants are not little green extraterrestrial creatures with bug eyes.

All immigrants come to America for their own reasons, but I'll tell you a few of the reasons I think they might want to come live in America. If the level of crime in their country is high is a good guess, because who wants to be afraid to go outside because of the level of crime? Maybe even the the environment; what if somebody did not like living in a humid rain forest? There are plenty of dry places they could go to, such as San Diego. San Diego has great weather and does not get so humid to the point where a person is uncomfortable.

The US is a great place to take advantage of opportunities. We have a wide variety of culture, food, ethnicity, music, and jobs that other countries may not be able to offer because of their government and economy. If you drive down any street in San Diego, you will see at least one restaurant that is derived from another country. Some of the job opportunities that you can't get in another country is being a humanitarian or an author that is known world-wide. If an immigrant were to become a humanitarian, they could help their family if they were living in bad conditions and also children in Africa. They could change the world. Being an author could inspire and change the lives of children and adults that are less fortunate than others. All of the job opportunities in the US are life changing, and you can get that in other countries but not nearly as much.

Because so many people have migrated to the US, we have great diversities of culture and religion. Immigrants from continents all over the world bring their accents, cultures, religions, appearances, languages, and much more. Because of all of the "new people" entering the US, we have had to adjust by making amendments that protected them. For example, the 13th and 14th Amendment both protect people from racism and degradation.

My life has not changed that much in 13 years due to immigration, but the 20th century has shaped my life. If not for the Civil Rights Movement, the Brown v. Board of Education case, and other occasions where minorities have tried to bend the rules for the better, I might not be on the computer typing up a blog post. I might not have been going to a good school or having white friends. Immigration has shaped my life, not changed it.