"Migration into a place (especially migration to a country of which you are not a native in order to settle there)." http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=immigration
The United States is home to people from every part of the world. Sometimes being referred to as "the melting pot", we have people from every different nationality and culture. Throughout history, we have seen many different groups come here with their families, hoping to make a better life and start over. The United States allows these immigrants to come into our country, and work to obtain citizenship through a complicated series of temporary visas and citizenship tests.
A majority of immigrants in the United States came from Mexico. In the last decade, the number of Mexican immigrants living in this country soared to over 13 million. When a population survey was completed in 2002, researchers found that more than 30 percent of "foreign-born" citizens came from Mexico. (http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=208) The controversial aspect of immigration is that many immigrants appear to abuse the United States' laws to obtaining citizenship. Many overstay their time allowed, and in turn live in the country illegally. Others cross over the Mexican border, into states down south such as California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Why Did Immigration Become an Issue?
Through the last decade or so, these immigrants who live here without permission or citizenship have been criticized by the American society. They are blamed for issues such as drug cartels, violence, employment rates, taxes, and changes in healthcare policies. This kind of criticism is unethical because not all immigrants living here are illegal. Many immigrants enter America looking for a better life for their families and themselves. While some do enter the country illegally, and get involved in gangs and drug cartels, not all immigrants can be blamed for these issues.
The news media are responsible for many American's misconceptions. Mexican immigrants, in most cases, are only mentioned in the news when there are issues with violence or drugs. The media theory cultivation appears, as society is constantly bombarded with the image the news paints for us. We hear certain words, remember key stories, and our minds begin to cultivate these things. We develop unintentional stereotypes as we get older, and we automatically have unjustifiable beliefs.
What are Some of the Common Misconceptions and Stereotypes?
The media give immigrants negative portrayal through stories, as well as words and names. Groups of journalists have brought our attention to these stereotypical names, and urged us to understand the differences, and stop using certain terms. We are encouraged to use the terms "undocumented immigrant" or "undocumented worker." The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is one of these groups, and has outlined different definitions that we commonly hear in today's society.
Alien: "A word used by the U.S. government to describe a foreign-born person who is not a citizen by naturalization or parentage. While Webster's first definition of the term "alien" is in accordance with the government's interpretation, the dictionary also includes other, darker, meanings for the word, such as “a non-terrestrial being," "strange," "not belonging to one," "adverse," "hostile." In modern times, with science-fiction growing in popularity, "alien" has come to mean a creature from outer space, and is considered pejorative by most immigrants." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal Alien: This is a term that we should avoid using. It is a "de-humanizing" name that refers to immigrants in our country. Most times it is mentioned in stories of crime or controversy, which only paints a negative picture. It is very similar to the term "alien" as it makes immigrants sound like strange and foreign beings. (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal Immigrant: "While many national news outlets use the term "illegal immigrant," this handbook calls for the discussion and re-evaluation of its use. Illegal immigrant is a term used to describe the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. People who are undocumented according to federal authorities do not have the proper visas to be in the United States legally." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal: "This term has been used to describe the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. The term criminalizes the person rather than the actual act of illegally entering, residing in the U.S. without documents." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Immigrant: "Similar to reporting about a person's race, mentioning that a person is a first-generation immigrant could be used to provide readers or viewers with background information, but the relevancy of using the term should be made apparent in the story." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Undocumented Immigrant or Worker: "Preferred term to "illegal immigrant," "illegal(s)" and "illegal alien." This term describes the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. Some Latinos say this term more accurately describes people who are in the United States illegally because the word points out that they are undocumented, but does not dehumanize them in the manner that such terms as “aliens” and “illegals” do." (http://www.nahj.org/)
The United States is home to people from every part of the world. Sometimes being referred to as "the melting pot", we have people from every different nationality and culture. Throughout history, we have seen many different groups come here with their families, hoping to make a better life and start over. The United States allows these immigrants to come into our country, and work to obtain citizenship through a complicated series of temporary visas and citizenship tests.
A majority of immigrants in the United States came from Mexico. In the last decade, the number of Mexican immigrants living in this country soared to over 13 million. When a population survey was completed in 2002, researchers found that more than 30 percent of "foreign-born" citizens came from Mexico. (http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=208) The controversial aspect of immigration is that many immigrants appear to abuse the United States' laws to obtaining citizenship. Many overstay their time allowed, and in turn live in the country illegally. Others cross over the Mexican border, into states down south such as California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Why Did Immigration Become an Issue?
Through the last decade or so, these immigrants who live here without permission or citizenship have been criticized by the American society. They are blamed for issues such as drug cartels, violence, employment rates, taxes, and changes in healthcare policies. This kind of criticism is unethical because not all immigrants living here are illegal. Many immigrants enter America looking for a better life for their families and themselves. While some do enter the country illegally, and get involved in gangs and drug cartels, not all immigrants can be blamed for these issues.
The news media are responsible for many American's misconceptions. Mexican immigrants, in most cases, are only mentioned in the news when there are issues with violence or drugs. The media theory cultivation appears, as society is constantly bombarded with the image the news paints for us. We hear certain words, remember key stories, and our minds begin to cultivate these things. We develop unintentional stereotypes as we get older, and we automatically have unjustifiable beliefs.
What are Some of the Common Misconceptions and Stereotypes?
The media give immigrants negative portrayal through stories, as well as words and names. Groups of journalists have brought our attention to these stereotypical names, and urged us to understand the differences, and stop using certain terms. We are encouraged to use the terms "undocumented immigrant" or "undocumented worker." The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is one of these groups, and has outlined different definitions that we commonly hear in today's society.
Alien: "A word used by the U.S. government to describe a foreign-born person who is not a citizen by naturalization or parentage. While Webster's first definition of the term "alien" is in accordance with the government's interpretation, the dictionary also includes other, darker, meanings for the word, such as “a non-terrestrial being," "strange," "not belonging to one," "adverse," "hostile." In modern times, with science-fiction growing in popularity, "alien" has come to mean a creature from outer space, and is considered pejorative by most immigrants." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal Alien: This is a term that we should avoid using. It is a "de-humanizing" name that refers to immigrants in our country. Most times it is mentioned in stories of crime or controversy, which only paints a negative picture. It is very similar to the term "alien" as it makes immigrants sound like strange and foreign beings. (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal Immigrant: "While many national news outlets use the term "illegal immigrant," this handbook calls for the discussion and re-evaluation of its use. Illegal immigrant is a term used to describe the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. People who are undocumented according to federal authorities do not have the proper visas to be in the United States legally." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Illegal: "This term has been used to describe the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. The term criminalizes the person rather than the actual act of illegally entering, residing in the U.S. without documents." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Immigrant: "Similar to reporting about a person's race, mentioning that a person is a first-generation immigrant could be used to provide readers or viewers with background information, but the relevancy of using the term should be made apparent in the story." (http://www.nahj.org/)
Undocumented Immigrant or Worker: "Preferred term to "illegal immigrant," "illegal(s)" and "illegal alien." This term describes the immigration status of people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or live here. Some Latinos say this term more accurately describes people who are in the United States illegally because the word points out that they are undocumented, but does not dehumanize them in the manner that such terms as “aliens” and “illegals” do." (http://www.nahj.org/)
