Undocumented (Illegal) Immigrants

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Undocumented (Illegal) Immigrants in the United
States From Shadowed Lives Undocumented
Immigrants in American Society, by Leo Chavez
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Separation
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• Migrating for work is culturally and socially
  constructed
• U.S. Employers lure Mexican workers to the U.S.
• Part of family history/stories told of
  opportunity by relatives
• Part of local folklore, a popular theme in
  traditional and modern Mexican songs.

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• Migration as a Part of Family History Example
  Enrique Valenzuela
• Father worked in Bracero Program for 12 yrs.
• From 1942-1967, a work program where the U.S.
  government allowed American employers to hire
  Mexican laborers for short periods of time
• Enrique worked on a rancho (ejido) while his
  father was in the U.S., soon left because there
  was no work and family was going hungry (1963)

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• Enrique cont
• Enrique went to Mexico city to find work first
  worked selling produce, then worked in a small
  factory making cars earning 22 American dollars a
  week,
• Only enough to pay his rent.
• In 1970 his father was working in San Diego and
  Enrique wanted to follow in his fathers
  footsteps
• His father laid the foundation for Enriques move
  and illustrates that most Mexicans try to find
  work in their country before moving to the U.S.

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• Target Earners
• Earn a certain amount of money then return to
  their country
• Common among young unmarried men and women who
  want to help their parents
• Immigrants will use money for a number of
  purposes
• A. Save money to build a house in Mexico
• B. For college in Mexico

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• Central American Immigrants
• Reasons for immigrating to the U.S.
• Dissatisfaction with the local economy
• Political conflict
• a. Rebel military groups fighting the
  government
• b. Disappearances/kidnapping
• c. Torture
• d. Arbitrary Arrest

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Crossing the Border
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Border Tunnel
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Border Tunnel
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• Costs
• Coyote an experienced Mexican who will help
  illegals cross the border.
• Costs thousands of dollars
• Many times Coyotes will take money and not assist
  families or leave families in remote areas
• Coyotes lie about the money they received and ask
  for more

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• Dangers
• Crossing rivers drowning
• Deserts Hot and dry in the day time, cold and
  dry at night, die of heat exhaustion
• Mountains many illegals become disoriented and
  cannot find their way out of the mountains or
  deserts
• Border Patrol have been known to shoot
  immigrants
• American citizens vigilantly groups (minutemen)

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Dangers Cont. 6. Crossing busy highways in
southern California, immigrants have misjudged
the speed of vehicles and have been killed
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• Life Outside San Diego
• Living camps outside of major cities
• Illegals will dig holes in the ground and find
  cardboard to cover themselves in to protect them
  from the elements
• Advantage to living in a hole Border patrol
  cannot see them
• Disadvantage Fleas, rats, snakes, water from
  rain, brush fires, and disease have all been
  known to kill immigrants

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Life Outside San Diego Cont Disease from lack
of clean drinking water, waste remove, and using
such things as pesticide buckets for drinking
water Gang violence Gangs routinely come into
the camps and arbitrarily kill workers for no
reasonor for initiation into a gang
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Learning to Live as an Illegal Alien
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• Living in Constant Fear
• Many illegals have stated the following
• Were living in a chicken coop
• In all of the these 16 years Ive lived in the
  U.S. it feels if though Ive been in jail. I
  dont feel free. I came to this country to work
  not to do things you shouldnt do. If you go
  out, like when you go out for fun, its always in
  the back of your mind, will the INS show up? Or
  when you go to work you think all the time, from
  the moment you walk out of your home you think,
  will the INS stop me on the way or when Im at
  work?

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• Living in Constant Fear Cont
• Home as a refuge
• Parents will not let children outside of the home
• Parents not apart of childs life in school
  because of fear
• Illegals will not seek medical help when needed
• Illegals find it difficult to seek legal help
  when they are wronged