Immigrants in the United States - Essay Example

Culturally, the United States wants immigrants to convert to the American culture but wants the immigrant to also be proud of their culture. The laws making English the official language is an example of the mixed message sent. America wants its citizens to be proud of their heritage, but not if it means not being a proud American first. The United States promotes this ideal through the census. Race and nationality are an integral part of the census. Questions like are you African American, Caucasian, Latino, or Native American make up the American census.

Even though this is an effort to track races, it serves as a means to conquer and divide the diverse cultures living in the United States. The immigration laws in the United States are confusing, with endless time-consuming paperwork. Wucker (2006, 231) reports:The body of law is so big that even a few immigration officers understand it fully, so it is almost impossible to apply without running afoul of some technicality. As a result, too many applicants have to file repeatedly, wasting everyone's time and energy.

Furthermore, decisions made by harried, overworked consular officers may be capricious yet are not subject to review. If simpler, more effective laws were put into place, it would not only be easier on the immigrants but the United States as well. The current system allows terrorists, like the 9/11 ones, to not only enter the United States but to train and carry out their missions against the United States. However, poor immigrants, who have no lawyer, are deported for not properly filling out work visas.

The whole system does not need to be overhauled but thrown out. Only then can the United States begin to get immigration right.Misconceptions about immigrants, legal and illegal, need to also be addressed. The biggest myth is immigrants take jobs from Americans. This is only one of many myths about different cultures that cause division between Americans and other cultures. The sad fact is all Americans, save for the Native Americans are or descended from immigrants. Wucker (2006, 223) explains about how the myths impact immigration:We rely on false mythology that makes us see new immigrants as far more different from earlier generations than they really are---and thus makes integrating immigrants into American society far harder than it needs to be.

The more different that immigrants are made to appear, the easier it is to deny them entry or a place into American society. If immigrants are seen as people that are real, then it is harder to send them back to their native countries to be persecuted or live in poverty.Immigration needs to be a balance between the two extremes. Wucker (2006, 223) explains, “those who would slam our doors outright and reserve America for Anglo-Saxon heritage and those who will not countenance attempts to bring immigration to moderate levels.

” More realistic goals need to be set from the laws to integrating immigrants into the current society. When the United States realizes that their current methods are not working, and quit trying to make them work, then they might get immigration right.