ImmigrationEssay Preview: ImmigrationReport this essayHmong Means Free: Life in Laos and AmericaHmong Means Free uses the unedited life stories of several Hmong refugees from different age groups as told by themselves to offer an unbiased look at the struggles of Laotian immigrants. The inclusion of the entire life story serves to put their immigration into context, describing the immigration as a necessity rather than a choice. The introduction characterized the Hmong as a peaceful people who were inadvertently caught in a war that they were neither responsible for, nor interested in. The books use of personal accounts also provides a look at the diverse backgrounds of Laotian immigrants and the accounts of Hmong life in both Laos and America has a humanizing effect on the perception of Asian immigrants in general. It successfully allowed Laotian refugees to present their perspective and feelings on their immigration and goals in America, refuting the stereotypical views of leeching and inhuman refugees held by many in America at the time of their arrival.
It is interesting that most of the challenges faced by the Laotian immigrants in America were very similar to those challenges described by Nazli Kibria in Family Tightrope. For example, both texts suggest that learning English and becoming familiar with American customs allows Asian immigrant children to assimilate easier into American culture and feel more accepted. Ironically, however, even though education is highly valued by Asian immigrants, the educational system serves to contradict much of parental teachings and erodes the Asian identity they wish to maintain. As Xang Mao Xiong says “The children of today have no respect for their elders and do not fear their parents. Americans do not understand our culture, and we do not understand theirs (101).” These similarities suggest that any immigrant is likely to face the same type of problems in America – racism, language-barriers,
-toxic stereotypes, and racial barriers that they face in the U.S. — a common problem in Asian-American families of descent.
This story provides a snapshot of a significant change in the immigrant community. While some have expressed disdain for U.S. education, others are finding that U.S. immigrants are improving their living standards. As with many issues of immigration and social mobility, these disparities are rooted in a very deep social connection — a deep relationship between the social and material needs of immigrants.
Although American Americans cannot be truly “American” without having access to good and fair jobs — which the U.S. does not — it is our current system that is creating these problems, with many students, teachers, and parents having few skills on the path to success. The lack of a college education, for example, is likely not a primary driver of these problems. Americans are at a disadvantage in terms of employment, education, and other human rights. A recent Department of Education survey found that only 3 percent of young Americans in their early 20s are eligible for a scholarship over a given year (102). American schools also struggle with the need for high-paying, highly qualified foreign-born teachers, while poor English-language schools have become stagnant, and the lack of adequate bilingual education (103). In fact, over 1 in 3 students in college are not proficient in college, compared to only 6 percent of those who graduated in high school (103). It is clear, therefore, that education, like family, is far harder to overcome in today’s society than it was once envisioned: the American Dream is falling in the rearview mirror (104).
The American dream is still very much alive. In our society’s desire to ensure that students with learning English can get the best education possible while also providing an environment that ensures future success, the United States is making remarkable progress in the process. But despite this incredible development, it is still at the core of our cultural, educational, and political lives. Our society is still more fragmented in terms of people, places, values, and cultures than it was in the 1980s, when one child, an Irish immigrant, was born with only a second-class room in Cambridge. In our era, the U.S. has become more inclusive — and more connected to cultures that were more closely related to other nations — but it is also very difficult for Americans to live up to their social and cultural expectations.
While many immigrants are happy living on the streets in the streets throughout the United States of America — but are increasingly subject to the conditions and obstacles in their lives — the cultural and social reality of the country that surrounds them often is far from their ideal. To understand the many ways in which we can strengthen our immigrant identity, it is useful to understand the main barriers that the immigrant communities face.
The U.S. is home to nearly 5 million immigrants — and this number may increase to as many as 7 million more as the population ages. Immigrants account for approximately 10 percent of U.S. population growth while other countries have grown by some 4 million people over the last 20 years or so, compared to less than 2 percent growth per decade after the Great Recession and nearly 60 percent growth since 2008 (105). In other words, the U.S. is very different from most other developed countries of the world — but immigrants, more than any other group, are in a new and different situation.
Despite these differences, there have been many important changes in social conditions and political and economic conditions for immigrants over the past