Mexican-American Immigration Essay

Mexican-American immigration as compared to European and Asian immigration is convoluted as there is something between the two countries prior to our modern times. Much of the southern region of the US is originally part of the Mexican territory. Prior to 1848, Mexico owns parts of Texas, New Mexico and California. After the Mexican-American war, and with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Mexican ceded the territory (which comprises 529,000 square miles, or around 40% of its territory) to the US for $15,000,000.
Immigration happens for two reasons: reconnecting with family or relatives and seeking employment. Mexicans are family oriented people and belong to a country struck by high unemployment rates. With such reasons, and with their proximity to the border, many Mexicans are very much eager to cross the border in not so legal means. US is also very strict in terms of offering visa to new applicants. Without relatives or job sponsors, the waiting time for non-US citizen would be very long, which could sometimes reach decades. The immigration law of 1965 also needs updating as it is only giving away 5000 permanent visas for employer-sponsored workers. Because some Mexicans are not fit for high level jobs, the chance of immigration is really low.
With all the complexities involved, people in Mexico are forced to enter the US border in illegal methods. Entering however, is not the end of it all, as they are to constantly search for low level jobs which is if they get lucky. Language barrier is also an issue in most Mexican immigrants. Getting out of the country is also difficult for illegal migrants. With the influx of someone new, the society is subjected to many new stresses that can be attributed to cultural and sociological differences. To summarize everything, Mexican-American immigration is a not an easy topic to discuss are there are lots of issues and factors to consider. Adding politics will be another issue not worth the time.

Works Cited

Steve Farkas. “What Immigrants Say About Life in the United States”. Migration Policy Institute. 1 May 2003.Web. 2 March, 2015.
“The Current Immigration Process: Why Don’t They Just Immigrate the Legal Way?”. G92.org. Web. 2 March, 2015.