Famously known as “the land of opportunities”, the United States of America claims to welcome people from all backgrounds, cultures, and religions with open arms and sells the false promise of equal opportunities and a better life. In reality, immigrants are faced with harsh policies, separation from loved ones, isolation in society, and minimal job opportunities. President from the Republican Party of America, Donald Trump’s immigration policies has separated thousands of parents from their children. While, parent have been presented with criminal charges or deportation, children are living in camps and detention centers that have inhumane living conditions. Many children, as young as 5 or 6 year olds, are being called into the court, presented in front of a judge, and are expected to defend themselves and their immigration status. Not only do these policies effect immigrants, who cross the American border illegally from different South American countries, but also immigrants, who follow legal procedures to seek asylum and the one that are already living in America.
Many immigrant have been banned from entering the United States of America, after traveling to different countries for vacation and other reason. Similarly, immigrants have been banned from leaving the country. The bans come from rising political tensions between the United States of America and different Middle Eastern countries. Many immigrants have had to abandon their jobs, homes, and ongoing education as a result of the travel bans. Other immigrants have not been able to visit their families and home countries, most of the people affected are international students, who made their journey to the United States of America in hope of acquiring high education and avail better job opportunities to help them build a better life for themselves and their future generations. Asylum seekers have been forced and manipulated into abandoning their status.
Most of the immigrants flee violence and abuse in their home countries, to find a safer and more stable place to start over their lives. They are hand working people, who are willing to sacrifice their sweat and tears for a better chance at life for their young children. Immigrants, who have been able to receive American citizenship have had a difficult time to settle in the new country, in the first few years. This is because they have faced a lot of racism and discrimination throughout the years in schools and workplaces. Immigrants are mostly offered undesirable job positions at first, employers take advantage of the desperation of immigrants and their minimal knowledge of how things work in the new country. Immigrant end up taking odd jobs and work for low wages, wages under the minimal wage.
Most of the domestic worker in America, are migrant women. These women face a lot of abuse, sexual violence, and harassment, while working for and looking after families of rich American businessmen and diplomats. They work for extremely long hours, are not allowed to leave their employer’s homes, and are barely paid. According the U.S. law, domestic worker are tied to their employers. Carmel Maria Foster has spoken up against the legal courts in America, the mistreatment or immigrants and domestic workers, and how all complains and reports go unheard by the authorities, due to monopolization of power and money. Foster exposes the system and abuse she has endured in her book, The Awakening- Story of a South African American 9781078780742.
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