Immigrant Discrimination

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Both during and after moving to a new country - immigrants face many hardships. The process of obtaining citizenships is difficult in itself, but even when citizenship is earned, there are still challenges. One major difficulty some may face is xenophobia. Immigrants who experience xenophobic prejudice can find adjustment to a new life very difficult. In contrast, those who are treated with kindness and as equal citizens Sources that give insight into the life of immigrants are “A Tale of Two Americas”L a speech by Anand Giridharadas, “Funny in Farsi”: a memoir by Firoozeh Dumas, and “Show Me Your Papers”: a political cartoon by Mike Luckovich. One of the ways a former immigrant might feel like they have become a “fully-fledged citizen” is…show more content…
Anand speaks about Raisuddin Bhuiyan - a Bangladeshi mini mart worker who was attacked because of his status as an immigrant: “The tattooed man — a self styled true American vigilante — shoots Raisuddin in revenge for 9/11…” (Giridharadas). Although Raisuddin is completely innocent, he is discriminated against and judged because of his accent and appearance. The results of this awful crime permanently affected him: “His right eye left him, his fiancee left him, his landlord - the mini mart owner - kicked him out. Soon, he was homeless and $60,000 in medical debt…” Raisuddin lost so much in this senseless xenophobic crime, his future plans and dreams were obviously damaged significantly. This event and the many other events similar to this one show how discrimination and racism can affect an immigrant’s success in America. Clearly, the life of an immigrant can be strongly affected by the actions of those around…show more content…
The picture of a Native American asking two tourists for their documentation highlights the irony of Americans that have a problem with immigrants. When the British invaded and colonized America, they were immigrating. However, they didn’t really feel like immigrants invading onto the land of the Native Americans because of their sense of entitlement and belonging. This historical example of immigrants taking land and becoming a part of a new country shows how immigrants come to feel like citizens. Obviously, modern day immigrants to America aren’t out to claim the country as their own — but their feeling of integration is similar. Once immigrants feel like they belong in the new country and that they are equally as American as those around them they might consider themselves to be fully-fledged
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