being an immigrant essay

18 Essays About The Immigrant Experience You Need To Read

These stories illuminate what it takes, and what it means, to uproot your life in one country and begin it again in a new one.

BuzzFeed Staff

Growing Up American In Gaza Taught Me What We Owe To Refugees — Rebecca Peterson Zeccola

"In Palestine, we could so easily have been treated as the enemy, but we were welcomed like family."

I’m Not OK With Being One Of The Lucky Muslims — Romaissaa Benzizoune

"This weekend’s immigration order doesn’t apply to me or my family; I’ll be fine. But so many others I know and love will not."

I Grew Up In The Rust Belt, But I'm Not In Any Of The Stories About It — Alia Hanna Habib

"It’s strange to see the media turn its attention to places like my hometown in coal-country Pennsylvania and find that my experience there, as part of the non -white working class, is still invisible."

Here’s What I’m Telling My Brown Son About Trump’s America — Mira Jacob

"Sometimes I wish I could ask America when, exactly, it made its mind up about us. The myth, of course, is that it hasn’t, that there is still a chance to mollify those who dictate the terms of our experience here, and then be allowed to chase success unfettered by their paranoia. To live, as it’s more commonly known, the American dream."

There’s No Recipe For Growing Up — Scaachi Koul

"My mom’s Kashmiri cooking has always tethered me to home. So it’s no wonder she won’t give me (all) the secrets to doing it myself."

How I Learned That Beauty Doesn’t Have To Hurt — Sonya Chung

"Growing up in a Korean American family, I absorbed the idea that any feeling of pleasure comes at a cost. But as I get older, I’m realizing it doesn’t have to work that way."

Why Brexit Has Broken My Heart — Bim Adewunmi

"As a child of immigrants, I am deeply ashamed that this is who we are."

I Found A Home In Clubs Like Pulse, In Cities Like Orlando — Rigoberto González

"I cherish the time I have spent in clubs like Pulse in cities like Orlando, where gay Latinos — the immigrants, the undocumented, and the first-generation Americans alike — gravitate because we love men and we love our homelands, and that’s one of the places our worlds converge."

Making Great Pho Is Hard, But Making A Life From Scratch Is Harder — Nicole Nguyen

"After fleeing Vietnam, my parents turned to food to teach us about what it means to be Vietnamese."

When Home Is Between Different Countries And Genders — Meredith Talusan

"I moved to the U.S. from the Philippines when I was 15, where I had been raised as a boy. About a decade later, I started to live as a woman and eventually transitioned. I think of migration and transition as two examples of the same process – moving from one home, one reality, to another."

I Found The House My Grandparents Abandoned in 1947 — Ahmed Ali Akbar

"So many Americans go to India to find themselves. But I went to find the history my family lost in the subcontinent’s Partition."

How I Became A Southern-Fried Nigerian — Israel Daramola

"I once felt torn between Nigeria and Florida, between jollof rice and fried alligator, but there is no real me without both."

Learning To Mourn In My Father's Country — Reggie Ugwu

"After my brother died and my father was partially paralyzed, my family traveled 7,000 miles in search of an old home, a new house, and the things we’d lost on the road in between."

How To Get Your Green Card In America — Sarah Mathews

"When you perform the act of audacity that is consolidating an entire life into a couple of suitcases and striking out to make your way, what is not American about that? When you leave the old country so that your daughters can have a good education and walk down their streets without fear, what is not American about that? When you flee violence and poverty to come to a land of plenty, when you are willing to learn new languages, to haul ass, to do twice as much work, what is not American about that?"

A Childhood Spent Inside A Chinese Restaurant — Susan Cheng

"Being one of the few Asians in my school was hard enough. Working at my parents’ Chinese restaurant didn’t make it any easier."

How I Learned To Celebrate Eid Al Adha In America — Zainab Shah

"I bent over backward to explain myself. 'From Pakistan,' I would say. 'Not a terrorist,' I almost added. But I didn’t — the joke would only be funny if racial profiling didn’t exist."

Texts From My Parents: What It Was Like To Leave Vietnam — Nicole Nguyen

"They did it for us, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make the most of it."

What It’s Like Speaking A Different Language From Your Parents — Zakia Uddin

"My parents and I communicate in an incomplete mash-up of Bengali and English. I sometimes wonder what we are missing."

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My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant

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By Jose Antonio Vargas

• June 22, 2011

One August morning nearly two decades ago, my mother woke me and put me in a cab. She handed me a jacket. “ Baka malamig doon ” were among the few words she said. (“It might be cold there.”) When I arrived at the Philippines’ Ninoy Aquino International Airport with her, my aunt and a family friend, I was introduced to a man I’d never seen. They told me he was my uncle. He held my hand as I boarded an airplane for the first time. It was 1993, and I was 12.

My mother wanted to give me a better life, so she sent me thousands of miles away to live with her parents in America — my grandfather ( Lolo in Tagalog) and grandmother ( Lola ). After I arrived in Mountain View, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area, I entered sixth grade and quickly grew to love my new home, family and culture. I discovered a passion for language, though it was hard to learn the difference between formal English and American slang. One of my early memories is of a freckled kid in middle school asking me, “What’s up?” I replied, “The sky,” and he and a couple of other kids laughed. I won the eighth-grade spelling bee by memorizing words I couldn’t properly pronounce. (The winning word was “indefatigable.”)

One day when I was 16, I rode my bike to the nearby D.M.V. office to get my driver’s permit. Some of my friends already had their licenses, so I figured it was time. But when I handed the clerk my green card as proof of U.S. residency, she flipped it around, examining it. “This is fake,” she whispered. “Don’t come back here again.”

Confused and scared, I pedaled home and confronted Lolo. I remember him sitting in the garage, cutting coupons. I dropped my bike and ran over to him, showing him the green card. “ Peke ba ito ?” I asked in Tagalog. (“Is this fake?”) My grandparents were naturalized American citizens — he worked as a security guard, she as a food server — and they had begun supporting my mother and me financially when I was 3, after my father’s wandering eye and inability to properly provide for us led to my parents’ separation. Lolo was a proud man, and I saw the shame on his face as he told me he purchased the card, along with other fake documents, for me. “Don’t show it to other people,” he warned.

I decided then that I could never give anyone reason to doubt I was an American. I convinced myself that if I worked enough, if I achieved enough, I would be rewarded with citizenship. I felt I could earn it.

I’ve tried. Over the past 14 years, I’ve graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist, interviewing some of the most famous people in the country. On the surface, I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American dream.

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• Winter 2021

The State of the American Dream

Surviving or Thriving? What It Takes for Immigrants to Succeed

The American dream is alive for immigrants, but the obstacles can feel nearly insurmountable — and that burden can be felt for generations.

If you were to review my Google search history, the most recent phrase you would find is “top 10 personal finance books.” You might think better budgeting is part of my New Year’s resolutions, or maybe I’m looking to buy a house or save for a big trip (COVID-permitting). Part of that may be true, but I am also the daughter of immigrants — and part of the “1.5 generation” that was born somewhere else but grew up here — and that means the reason I’m devouring any and all tips on personal financial management is a bit more complicated.

For every dollar I save or invest for myself, I save or invest one — sometimes more — for my mother and extended family. 

They fled war and conflict in Afghanistan, lost their livelihoods and professions, and arrived in a completely new environment with its own gargantuan share of challenges. They rebuilt their lives from the ground up. I am deeply proud of them and of their achievements, and I am humbled to be their daughter, niece, and cheerleader. Every opportunity I have had in my life is because of their sacrifice, hard work, and resilience.

Enduring through these experiences and working twice as hard for each step forward, however, takes its toll  — a toll that is felt both socially and economically. Their story is not unique, and neither are the struggles of first- and second-generation families. As we strive to achieve and maintain our American dream, I share just one perspective to help illustrate what it means to attempt to put into practice the idea of America as the land of opportunity.

First generation challenges

Without getting into the why , we will start with facts: People leave their home countries, and people choose to come to the United States. With the caveat that immigrants are not a monolithic group, what challenges might some face when they get here?

At the forefront may be an inability to communicate. As of 2018, almost half of immigrants in the U.S. are not English proficient, according to Pew Research.  It takes time to learn a language, and that time increases with age of migration. This affects immigrants’ ability to access services, navigate the bureaucracy of government institutions, and understand the nuances of things like insurance policies and health care. It also increases their risk of being taken advantage of by those who wish to profit from their lack of language access. The Internal Revenue Service’s list of 2020 tax scams included one specifically targeting nonnative English speakers. A taxpayer receives a phone call purportedly from the IRS threatening jail time, deportation, or revocation of a driver’s license if they don’t provide personal or financial information.

I recently helped my mother call her auto insurance company to argue against an increase in her rate. It turns out that the company automatically estimates her mileage, not based on her history of driving but a seemingly arbitrary number, and puts the onus on the customer to call and report the actual mileage in order to accurately calculate her payment. While practices like these are not inherently nefarious, they require that you (1) understand what the statement is telling you, (2) know what to do about it, and (3) can articulate your argument. If not, you lose more of your money, essentially paying a language penalty.

First-generation immigrants may also face psychological trauma or adverse health effects from the circumstances of migration from their home country, or violence endured during their journey. This is especially true for women and girls, who face an increased risk of gender-based violence, abuse, and trafficking.

For those who were educated, accomplished professionals in their home country, the inability to pursue their original careers — due to language and credentialing requirements, for example —  and need to take low-skilled, low-paying jobs in order to quickly bring in income may result in a loss of value and self-worth. Over time, this may also mean the inability to save for retirement or their children’s education. They may not know that they need to in the first place, and/or may not have the means to do so. And all of this may be compounded by the realities of integrating into a new culture and society that can be a difficult task in and of itself.

Immigrants overcome these obstacles and more with an intense motivation to re-establish their lives and create a brighter future for their children and loved ones. While doing so, they contribute to economic growth, spark innovation and creativity, and enrich the food, art, and musical landscape of America. But that success is not guaranteed, and it may not be enough to reach the level of prosperity and integration that results in socioeconomic advancement and the opportunities it provides. Not every immigrant is stuck in a low-paying job forever, but neither is every immigrant a successful, millionaire entrepreneur.

[Immigrants’] success is not guaranteed, and it may not be enough to reach the level of prosperity and integration that results in socioeconomic advancement and the opportunities it provides.

“1.5”- and second-generation responsibilities

The struggles of first-generation immigrants have social and economic implications for their “1.5”- and second-generation families.

Many children of immigrants spend time translating documents, making phone calls on behalf of their parents, finding relevant information, and generally providing support when needed. While native-born children may do this for native-born parents as well, the difference is that immigrant children start young, often requiring them to grow up faster. It also brings into focus the intricacies of navigating two cultures and environments that may be very different, and, at a young age, can elicit chaos and confusion at seemingly conflicting identities. I still remember what it felt like to stand in line at the then Immigration and Naturalization Service office at 5 a.m.  and then telling my elementary school friends I had an identification card that said I was an “alien.”

As we become adults, go through college and enter the workforce, we recognize the advantages that some of our classmates and colleagues had: the help with school work when needed; understanding the American educational system and how to manage key milestones like taking the SATs or college applications; lack of student loans because one’s parents were able to pay for college; the social connections that lead to internships at major companies or institutions; the ability to take unpaid internships in expensive cities because rent was taken care of; financial management and investing advice shared; vacations paid for and money set aside.

All of this lays bare just how important equitable education systems and policies are in helping immigrants reach the ladder of prosperity that seems to have twice as many rungs for us to climb. We don’t have the benefit of parents guiding us through the pathways to success in America, so we have to find that guidance elsewhere.

It also means that sometimes first- and “1.5”-generation immigrant children don’t have the space to consider pursuing their “dream” job because finding stable, secure, and dignified work becomes the priority. When your early childhood years are filled with uncertainty, and you learn responsibility at a young age, it seems too risky to pursue a career in the arts or other professions without a guaranteed income. Second-generation children and their younger siblings might have that luxury down the line once an immigrant family is more settled and established. And the “1.5”-generation might branch out and pursue their passions later in their adult lives when it seems more feasible to do so.

When your early childhood years are filled with uncertainty, and you learn responsibility at a young age, it seems too risky to pursue a career in the arts or other profession without a guaranteed income.

And as we get older — and our families get older — we worry about our family’s retirement years. Were they able to save enough? What if they have a health crisis? What if they need in-home caregiving?

As a woman, I already face a gender wage gap, a “pink tax” that charges me more than men for the same item, and the need to save more money for retirement because women tend to live longer.  Statistically, I am more likely than a man to be a caregiver for my parents. As a millennial woman — but one of the lucky millennials that is currently employed — I face the reality that Social Security may not exist when I retire, and I may be paying into something that has nothing to give me back. I need to put even more aside to address this eventuality. And as an unmarried woman, I can add the inability to take part in the tax benefits of marriage and children (while also not bearing the associated costs).

How can I ensure that my family is able to continue to live a life of dignity and prosperity, while facing the reality of what it takes to guarantee that for them? Will I be able to guarantee it for myself, and my future family if I have one? 

What Statistics Don’t Tell You

You can look at the statistics of how many immigrants have bought homes or started businesses, but those statistics don’t tell you what it took to get there or the nuances of maintaining those achievements over time.

It also doesn’t tell you that immigrant children carry the emotional weight of what their families lost. It is, after all, part of their immigrant story and heritage too. Part of my identity as a first-generation immigrant who moved here at a young age is enmeshed in the opportunities I have had as a result: to get an education, to pursue work that is meaningful to me, to build a life and stand on my own two feet because I live in a country that allows me the freedom and independence to do that. And I am privileged in many ways within the immigrant community  — in being documented, and in access to higher education, for example.

The part of my identity that is the child of immigrants understands what my family lost — and what they sacrificed — in the process of leaving their home and wants desperately to help them regain some semblance of it. I would not be here and would not have had any of those opportunities had they not made the journey across continents. I owe it to them to try to make life a little bit easier.

The part of my identity that is the  child of immigrants   understands what my family lost — and what they sacrificed — in the process of leaving their home and wants desperately to help them regain some semblance of it.

Educating myself on personal financial management and taking appropriate steps is just one way I’m trying to do that. But it’s worth asking a very important question: do we want immigrants in the United States to survive, or thrive? If the latter, what does it take to get there?

If the American dream and living in the “land of opportunity” means that immigrants are better off here than in their home countries, then perhaps that is a relatively low threshold to reach. But we have a lot of work to do if it means building generational wealth, climbing the socioeconomic ladder, developing social connections and being civically engaged  — to ensure not just access to basic social services but the whole continuum of social, political, and economic integration that builds a strong foundation for success for generations to come. That’s what it looks like for immigrants to thrive in America.

My goal here is not to dive into the specifics of successful immigrant integration policies and programs, but rather to provide a personal perspective of an immigrant family’s enduring struggle to succeed. We can place the challenges immigrants face in discreet buckets of education, inclusive access, economic mobility, etc., but sometimes we fail to connect human faces and stories with those challenges, or to consider the intergenerational aspects of them.

We focus on the beauty of the American dream without evaluating what it means to achieve it and maintain it, especially today. If all I’ve done is spread an ounce more of awareness that contributes to asking better questions, and perhaps more empathetic policy responses, then I will have made my immigrant family proud.

• Previous Article The American Dream is Also About Generosity and Respect An Essay by Joseph Kim, North Korean Refugee and Expert in Residence in the Human Freedom Initiative at the Bush Institute
• Next Article Building Opportunity for Generations An Essay by Andrew Kaufmann, Deputy Director of External Affairs at the George W. Bush Presidential Center

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What Being an Immigrant Taught Me About Success

The modern definition of success lies in the eye of the beholder. As an immigrant, how I define success is largely influenced by my life experiences. Over the years, my perspective has changed: from when I was a child watching my parents struggle to make ends meet to becoming an adult entrepreneur chasing the American dream, and eventually to the present day, as a husband, a father to twin boys and the CEO of an international corporation.

Related: How 5 Successful People Define Success

What has remained constant over that time is my identity as an immigrant. My experience has had a lasting effect on what defines me both personally and professionally. As second-generation Americans, I hope my children maintain that aspect of their identity— grateful for the opportunities afforded to them as citizens, understanding and appreciative of the sacrifices my parents made, and maintaining an emphasis on the value of hard work and determination. Perhaps easier said than done in this hyper-connected age where, as The New York Times noted last year, “For the first time in modern memory, a whole generation might not prove wealthier than the one that preceded it.” But, as I said earlier, success is a personal definition.

As a child, I watched my parents struggle to build a life for our family in America. Like so many immigrants, we experience inauspicious beginnings. My parents exhausted their life savings to emigrate from Armenia and arrived in California—unable to speak English—when I was 6 years old. With the rest of our family still back in Armenia, we had no support network to call on for guidance or assistance. My father eventually secured a position working at a parsley farm. Shortly thereafter, my mother found a job at a local bakery.

My parents’ goal was to provide us with a better future. I saw my parents regularly skip meals to ensure my siblings and I had enough to eat. I saw them work countless hours at multiple jobs, seemingly never sleeping. I saw them sacrifice any semblance of a life of leisure by devoting their time, energy and spirit to the needs of their children.

Related: 5 Qualities You Need to Reach Your Biggest Goals

Although my family struggled, I’m aware that our situation could have been exponentially worse (and for many Americans—recent immigrants or otherwise—that is the unfortunate reality they experience each day). I merely mention some of these struggles to demonstrate how they shaped my perception of success, as well as my motivation and work ethic. Witnessing the sacrifices my parents made in an effort to provide a better life for our family has been the primary source for motivating me to succeed since I was 6 years old. Ensuring their sacrifices were never in vain remains of utmost importance.

My childhood perspective helped me understand the important of taking nothing for granted. That environment instilled a hunger inside of me, a desire to succeed at all costs. My parents were never shy about conveying the ills, and in some cases atrocities, present in our native Armenia, and reminding us of what life would be like if we didn’t succeed in America. For me, this instilled a visceral fear of failure and strengthened my appreciation for our new life. That fear generated motivation and a sense of urgency and necessity. Necessity is often referred to as “the mother of invention,” which I believe often determines the success of immigrants during their first years in America—for if they don’t succeed, their only remaining option is failure. These factors influenced and pushed me to succeed as an entrepreneur .

The impetus for immigrating to America is traditionally rooted in a desire for a better life. Whether that involves seeking freedom from persecution, obtaining an education, securing a successful career or simply forging a new beginning that provides greater opportunities, the common denominator among immigrants is typically the hope for a better future.

Related: The Major Key to Your Best Future Is You

Last year, a Pew Research study found that the poverty rate among second-generation Americans was actually lower than that among all U.S. adults. Additionally, the study found that children of immigrants are more educated than their peers and—when compared to the general public—place more importance on hard work and success.

A 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor U.S. report that was issued jointly by Babson College and Baruch College indicated that “first-generation immigrants are starting businesses at nearly twice the rate of their children’s generation and a 27 percent higher rate than Americans who are not immigrants.” Donna J. Kelley, lead author of the study and an associate professor of entrepreneurship at Babson college concluded that first-generation Americans “ see more opportunities , perhaps because they view their surroundings with a different frame of reference than those who have been in the U.S. for a long time.”

Perhaps there is a unique sense of urgency, an appreciation for how devastating failure would be, that serves to motivate American immigrants, and is somewhat responsible for their success. From my experience, achieving success has much to do with the magnitude of one’s initial sacrifice. Immigrants often risk everything for the opportunity at a better life.

Having achieved financial and professional success, my greatest challenge now comes from my role as a father. How will I raise my children—proverbial “trust fund babies” who will never want for anything—to be self-motivated and maintain that sense of urgency, to appreciate the sacrifices my parents and I have made, and to strive to achieve success themselves. What will be their motivation to become productive members of society, given their level of privilege?

Related:  10 Tips to Achieve Anything You Want in Life

I’ve worked hard to ensure they have every advantage in life. But to maintain my identity as a second-generation American (not to mention a respectable citizen with morals and convictions), I want them to appreciate how fortunate they are. I want them to live their lives with a work ethic that reflects that of my parents. I want them to learn to never take anything for granted and—once they reach an appropriate age—will insist they undertake traditional jobs of the manual labor or fast-food service variety. They will be introduced to the concept of work as if they had no advantages, and it is my hope that, in doing so, they will understand how fleeting and uncertain success and financial stability can be.

A positive aspect of all this is that once they have developed a strong work ethic and demonstrated their appreciation for the privileges they are blessed to have, they will eventually have the freedom to pursue any field, unencumbered and with the unconditional support of their parents. My children’s success will entail pursuing a field of work for which they have a true passion, and striving to meet and exceed their potential for excellence . They will be successes to me if they apply a respectable work ethic in each of their endeavors, and demonstrate an appreciation for the value of hard work, regardless of what they do or much money they make. If they live their lives to reflect that, failure is impossible.

Some might argue that the American dream is not what it used to be, that the opportunity to become a self-made success story is growing increasingly impossible. I am living proof that the American dream is alive and well, and the opportunity to achieve one’s dream remains possible for anyone willing to make the effort and devote themselves entirely to it.

Related: 7 Steps to Achieve Your Dream

Sam Solakyan

Sam Solakyan is CEO and founder of S3 Capital, Inc., a private investment firm featuring a diverse portfolio of 14 companies spanning the industries of healthcare, entertainment, hospitality, financial management and more.

A prolific entrepreneur, Solakyan has founded numerous companies including: Global Holdings, Vital Imaging and Paramount Management Services, all of which attained unparalleled success during Solakyan’s tenure as CEO.

Solakyan is a committed philanthropist, serving on the board of directors in several renowned national organizations including: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Youth Foundation and Covenant House California. As a benefactor, Solakyan generously supports a variety of organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children. 

A George Washington University MBA graduate, Solakyan resides in Glendale, California with his wife and twin boys.

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• Criminal Justice

My immigrant family achieved the American dream. Then I started to question it.

by Amanda Machado

In summer 2007, I returned home from my freshman year at Brown University to the new house my family had just bought in Florida. It had a two-car garage. It had a pool. I was on track to becoming an Ivy League graduate, with opportunities no one else in my family had ever experienced. I stood in the middle of this house and burst into tears. I thought: We’ve made it.

That moment encapsulated what I had always thought of the “American dream.” My parents had come to this country from Mexico and Ecuador more than 30 years before, seeking better opportunities for themselves. They worked and saved for years to ensure my two brothers and I could receive a good education and a solid financial foundation as adults. Though I can’t remember them explaining the American dream to me explicitly, the messaging I had received by growing up in the United States made me know that coming home from my first semester at a prestigious university to a new house meant we had achieved it.  

• I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American. I've failed.

And yet, now six years out of college and nearly 10 years past that moment, I’ve begun questioning things I hadn’t before: Why did I “make it” while so many others haven’t? Was this conventional version of making it what I actually wanted? I’ve begun to realize that our society’s definition of making it comes with its own set of limitations and does not necessarily guarantee all that I originally assumed came with the American dream package.

I interviewed several friends from immigrant backgrounds who had also reflected on these questions after achieving the traditional definition of success in the United States. Looking back, there were several things we misunderstood about the American dream. Here are a few:

1) The American dream isn’t the result of hard work. It’s the result of hard work, luck, and opportunity.

Looking back, I can’t discount the sacrifices my family made to get where we are today. But I also can’t discount specific moments we had working in our favor. One example: my second-grade teacher, Ms. Weiland. A few months into the year, Ms. Weiland informed my parents about our school’s gifted program. Students tracked into this program in elementary school would usually end up in honors and Advanced Placement classes in high school — classes necessary for gaining admission into prestigious colleges.

My parents, unfamiliar with our education system, didn’t understand any of this. But Ms. Weiland went out of her way to explain it to them. She also persuaded school administrators to test me for entrance into the program, and with her support, I eventually earned a spot.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Ms. Weiland’s persistence ultimately influenced my acceptance into Brown University. No matter how hard I worked or what grades I received, without gifted placement I could never have reached the academic classes necessary for an Ivy League school. Without that first opportunity given to me by Ms. Weiland, my entire educational trajectory would have changed.  

The philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” But in the United States, too often people work hard every day, and yet never receive the opportunities that I did — an opportunity as simple as a teacher advocating on their behalf. Statistically, students of color remain consistently undiscovered by teachers who often , intentionally or not, choose mostly white, high-income students to enter advanced or “gifted” programs , regardless of their qualifications. Upon entering college, I met several students from across the country who also remained stuck within their education system until a teacher helped them find a way out.

Research has proved that these inconsistencies in opportunity exist in almost every aspect of American life. Your race can determine whether you interact with police, whether you are allowed to buy a house , and even whether your doctor believes you are really in pain . Your gender can determine whether you receive funding for your startup or whether your attempts at professional networking are effective. Your "foreign-sounding" name can determine whether someone considers you qualified for a job. Your family’s income can determine the quality of your public school or your odds that your entrepreneurial project succeeds .

These opportunities make a difference. They have created a society where most every American is working hard and yet only a small segment are actually moving forward. Knowing all this, I am no longer naive enough to believe the American dream is possible for everyone who attempts it. The United States doesn’t lack people trying. What it lacks is an equal playing field of opportunity.  

2) Accomplishing the American dream can be socially alienating

Throughout my life, my family and I knew this uncomfortable truth: To better our future, we would have to enter spaces that felt culturally and racially unfamiliar to us. When I was 4 years old, my parents moved our family to a predominantly white part of town, so I could attend the county’s best public schools. I was often one of the only students of color in my gifted and honors programs. This trend continued in college and afterward: As an English major, I was often the only person of color in my literature and creative writing classes. As a teacher, I was often one of few teachers of color at my school or in my teacher training programs.

While attending Brown, a student of color once told me: “Our education is really just a part of our gradual ascension into whiteness.” At the time I didn’t want to believe him, but I came to understand what he meant: Often, the unexpected price for academic success is cultural abandonment.

In a piece for the New York Times , Vicki Madden described how education can create this “tug of war in [your] soul”:

To stay four years and graduate, students have to come to terms with the unspoken transaction: exchanging your old world for a new world, one that doesn’t seem to value where you came from. … I was keen to exchange my Western hardscrabble life for the chance to be a New York City middle-class museum-goer. I’ve paid a price in estrangement from my own people, but I was willing. Not every 18-year-old will make that same choice, especially when race is factored in as well as class.

So many times throughout my life, I’ve come home from classes, sleepovers, dinner parties, and happy hours feeling the heaviness of this exchange. I’ve had to Google cultural symbols I hadn’t understood in these conversations (What is “Harper’s”? What is “après-ski”?). At the same time, I remember using academia jargon my family couldn’t understand either. At a Christmas party, a friend called me out for using “those big Ivy League words” in a conversation. My parents had trouble understanding how independent my lifestyle had become and kept remarking on how much I had changed. Studying abroad, moving across the country for internships, living alone far away from family after graduating — these were not choices my Latin American parents had seen many women make.  

An official from Brown told the Boston Globe that similar dynamics existed with many first-generation college students she worked with: “Often, [these students] come to college thinking that they want to return home to their communities. But an Ivy League education puts them in a different place — their language is different, their appearance is different, and they don’t fit in at home anymore, either.”

A Haitian-American friend of mine from college agreed: “After going to college, interacting with family members becomes a conflicted zone. Now you’re the Ivy League cousin who speaks a certain way, and does things others don’t understand. It changes the dynamic in your family entirely.”

A Latina friend of mine from Oakland felt this when she got accepted to the University of Southern California. She was the first person from her to family to leave home to attend college, and her conservative extended family criticized her for leaving home before marriage.

“One night they sat me down, told me my conduct was shameful and was staining the reputation of the family,” she told me, “My family thought a woman leaving home had more to do with her promiscuity than her desire for an education. They told me, ‘You’re just going to Los Angeles so you can have the freedom to be with whatever guy you want.’ When I think about what was most hard about college, it wasn’t the academics. It was dealing with my family’s disapproval of my life.”

We don’t acknowledge that too often, achievement in the United States means this gradual isolation from the people we love most. By simply striving toward American success, many feel forced to make to make that choice.

3) The American dream makes us focus single-mindedly on wealth and prestige

When I spoke to an Asian-American friend from college, he told me, “In the Asian New Jersey community I grew up in, I was surrounded by parents and friends whose mentality was to get high SAT scores, go to a top college, and major in medicine, law, or investment banking. No one thought outside these rigid tracks.” When he entered Brown, he followed these expectations by starting as a premed, then switching his major to economics.

This pattern is common in the Ivy League: Studies show that Ivy League graduates gravitate toward jobs with high salaries or prestige to justify the work and money we put into obtaining an elite degree. As a child of immigrants, there’s even more pressure to believe this is the only choice.

Of course, financial considerations are necessary for survival in our society. And it’s healthy to consider wealth and prestige when making life decisions, particularly for those who come from backgrounds with less privilege. But to what extent has this concern become an unhealthy obsession? For those who have the privilege of living a life based on a different set of values, to what extent has the American dream mindset limited our idea of success?  

The Harvard Business Review reported that over time, people from past generations have begun to redefine success. As they got older, factors like “family happiness,” “relationships,” “balancing life and work,” and “community service” became more important than job titles and salaries. The report quoted a man in his 50s who said he used to define success as “becoming a highly paid CEO.” Now he defines it as “striking a balance between work and family and giving back to society.”

• Vox First Person: If ambition is ruining your life, you need to read Thoreau

While I spent high school and college focusing on achieving an Ivy League degree, and a prestigious job title afterward, I didn’t think about how other values mattered in my own notions of success. But after I took a “gap year” at 24 to travel, I realized that the way I’d defined the American dream was incomplete: It was not only about getting an education and a good job but also thinking about how my career choices contributed to my overall well-being. And it was about gaining experiences aside from my career, like travel . It was about making room for things like creativity, spirituality , and adventure when making important decisions in my life.

Courtney E. Martin addressed this in her TED talk called “The New Better Off,” where she said: “The biggest danger is not failing to achieve the American dream. The biggest danger is achieving a dream that you don't actually believe in.”

Those realizations ultimately led me to pursue my current work as a travel writer.  Whenever I have the privilege to do so, I attempt what Martin calls “the harder, more interesting thing”: to “compose a life where what you do every single day, the people you give your best love and ingenuity and energy to, aligns as closely as possible with what you believe.”

4) Even if you achieve the American dream, that doesn’t necessarily mean other Americans will accept you

A few years ago, I was working on my laptop in a hotel lobby, waiting for reception to process my booking. I wore leather boots, jeans, and a peacoat. A guest of the hotel approached me and began shouting in slow English (as if I couldn’t understand otherwise) that he needed me to clean his room. I was 25, had an Ivy League degree, and had completed one of the most competitive programs for college graduates in the country. And yet still I was being confused for the maid.

I realized then that no matter how hard I played by the rules, some people would never see me as a person of academic and professional success. This, perhaps, is the most psychologically disheartening part of the American dream: Achieving it doesn’t necessarily mean we can “transcend” racial stereotypes about who we are.

It just takes one look at the rhetoric by current politicians to know that as first-generation Americans, we are still not seen as “American” as others. As so many cases have illustrated recently, no matter how much we focus on proving them wrong, negative perceptions from others will continue to challenge our sense of self-worth.

For black immigrants or children of immigrants, this exclusionary messaging is even more obvious. Kari Mugo, a writer who immigrated to the US from Kenya when she was 18, expressed to me the disappointment she has felt trying to feel welcomed here: “It’s really hard to make an argument for a place that doesn’t want you, and shows that every single day. It’s been 12 years since I came here, and each year I’m growing more and more disillusioned.”

I still cherish my college years, and still feel immensely proud to call myself an Ivy League graduate. I am humbled by my parents’ sacrifices that allowed me to live the comparatively privileged life I’ve had. I acknowledge that it is in part because of this privilege that I can offer a critique of the United States in the first place. My parents and other immigrant families who focused only on survival didn’t have the luxury of being critical.

Yet having that luxury, I think it’s important to vocalize that in the United States, living the dream is far more nuanced than we often make others believe. As Mugo told me, “My friends back in Kenya always receive the message that America is so great. But I always wonder why we don’t ever tell the people back home what it’s really like. We always give off the illusion that everything is fine, without also acknowledging the many ways life here is really, really hard.”

I deeply respect the choices my parents made, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities the United States provided. But at this point in my family’s journey, I am curious to see what happens when we begin exploring a different dream.

Amanda Machado is a writer, editor, content strategist, and facilitator who works with publications and nonprofits around the world. You can learn more about her work at her website .

First Person  is Vox's home for compelling, provocative narrative essays. Do you have a story to share? Read our  submission guidelines , and pitch us at  [email protected] .

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Eight brilliant student essays on immigration and unjust assumptions.

Read winning essays from our winter 2019 “Border (In)Security” student writing contest.

For the winter 2019 student writing competition, “Border (In)Security,” we invited students to read the YES! Magazine article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the “Constitution-Free Zone” by Lornet Turnbull and respond with an up-to-700-word essay. 

Students had a choice between two writing prompts for this contest on immigration policies at the border and in the “Constitution-free zone,” a 100-mile perimeter from land and sea borders where U.S. Border Patrol can search any vehicle, bus, or vessel without a warrant. They could state their positions on the impact of immigration policies on our country’s security and how we determine who is welcome to live here. Or they could write about a time when someone made an unfair assumption about them, just as Border Patrol agents have made warrantless searches of Greyhound passengers based simply on race and clothing.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye.

Middle School Winner: Alessandra Serafini

High School Winner: Cain Trevino

High School Winner: Ethan Peter

University Winner: Daniel Fries

Powerful Voice Winner: Emma Hernandez-Sanchez

Powerful Voice Winner: Tiara Lewis

Powerful Voice Winner: Hailee Park

Powerful Voice Winner: Aminata Toure

From the Author Lornet Turnbull

Literary Gems

Middle school winner.

Alessandra Serafini

Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

Broken Promises

“…Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These words were written by Emma Lazarus and are inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. And yet, the very door they talk about is no longer available to those who need it the most. The door has been shut, chained, and guarded. It no longer shines like gold. Those seeking asylum are being turned away. Families are being split up; children are being stranded. The promise America made to those in need is broken.

Not only is the promise to asylum seekers broken, but the promises made to some 200 million people already residing within the U.S. are broken, too. Anyone within 100 miles of the United States border lives in the “Constitution-free zone” and can be searched with “reasonable suspicion,” a suspicion that is determined by Border Patrol officers. The zone encompasses major cities, such as Seattle and New York City, and it even covers entire states, such as Florida, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. I live in the Seattle area, and it is unsettling that I can be searched and interrogated without the usual warrant. In these areas, there has been an abuse of power; people have been unlawfully searched and interrogated because of assumed race or religion.

The ACLU obtained data from the Customs and Border Protection Agency that demonstrate this reprehensible profiling. The data found that “82 percent of foreign citizens stopped by agents in that state are Latino, and almost 1 in 3 of those processed are, in fact, U.S. citizens.” These warrantless searches impede the trust-building process and communication between the local population and law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, this lack of trust makes campaigns, such as Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something,” ineffective due to the actions of the department’s own members and officers. Worst of all, profiling ostracizes entire communities and makes them feel unsafe in their own country.

Ironically, asylum seekers come to America in search of safety. However, the thin veil of safety has been drawn back, and, behind it, our tarnished colors are visible. We need to welcome people in their darkest hours rather than destroy their last bit of hope by slamming the door in their faces. The immigration process is currently in shambles, and an effective process is essential for both those already in the country and those outside of it. Many asylum seekers are running from war, poverty, hunger, and death. Their countries’ instability has hijacked every aspect of their lives, made them vagabonds, and the possibility of death, a cruel and unforgiving death, is real. They see no future for their children, and they are desperate for the perceived promise of America—a promise of opportunity, freedom, and a safe future. An effective process would determine who actually needs help and then grant them passage into America. Why should everyone be turned away? My grandmother immigrated to America from Scotland in 1955. I exist because she had a chance that others are now being denied.

Emma Lazarus named Lady Liberty the “Mother of Exiles.” Why are we denying her the happiness of children? Because we cannot decide which ones? America has an inexplicable area where our constitution has been spurned and forgotten. Additionally, there is a rancorous movement to close our southern border because of a deep-rooted fear of immigrants and what they represent. For too many Americans, they represent the end of established power and white supremacy, which is their worst nightmare. In fact, immigrants do represent change—healthy change—with new ideas and new energy that will help make this country stronger. Governmental agreement on a humane security plan is critical to ensure that America reaches its full potential. We can help. We can help people in unimaginably terrifying situations, and that should be our America.

Alessandra Serafini plays on a national soccer team for Seattle United and is learning American Sign Language outside of school. Her goal is to spread awareness about issues such as climate change, poverty, and large-scale political conflict through writing and public speaking.

  High School Winner

Cain Trevino

North Side High School, Fort Worth, Texas

Xenophobia and the Constitution-Free Zone

In August of 2017, U.S. Border Patrol agents boarded a Greyhound bus that had just arrived at the White River Junction station from Boston. According to Danielle Bonadona, a Lebanon resident and a bus passenger, “They wouldn’t let us get off. They boarded the bus and told us they needed to see our IDs or papers.” Bonadona, a 29-year-old American citizen, said that the agents spent around 20 minutes on the bus and “only checked the IDs of people who had accents or were not white.” Bonadona said she was aware of the 100-mile rule, but the experience of being stopped and searched felt “pretty unconstitutional.”

In the YES! article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’” by Lornet Turnbull, the author references the ACLU’s argument that “the 100-mile zone violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.” However, the Supreme Court upholds the use of immigration checkpoints for inquiries on citizenship status. In my view, the ACLU makes a reasonable argument. The laws of the 100-mile zone are blurred, and, too often, officials give arbitrary reasons to conduct a search. Xenophobia and fear of immigrants burgeons in cities within these areas. People of color and those with accents or who are non-English speakers are profiled by law enforcement agencies that enforce anti-immigrant policies. The “Constitution-free zone” is portrayed as an effective barrier to secure our borders. However, this anti-immigrant zone does not make our country any safer. In fact, it does the opposite.

As a former student from the Houston area, I can tell you that the Constitution-free zone makes immigrants and citizens alike feel on edge. The Department of Homeland Security’s white SUVs patrol our streets. Even students feel the weight of anti-immigrant laws. Dennis Rivera Sarmiento, an undocumented student who attended Austin High School in Houston, was held by school police in February 2018 for a minor altercation and was handed over to county police. He was later picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in a detention center. It is unfair that kids like Dennis face much harsher consequences for minor incidents than other students with citizenship.

These instances are a direct result of anti-immigrant laws. For example, the 287(g) program gives local and state police the authority to share individuals’ information with ICE after an arrest. This means that immigrants can be deported for committing misdemeanors as minor as running a red light. Other laws like Senate Bill 4, passed by the Texas Legislature, allow police to ask people about their immigration status after they are detained. These policies make immigrants and people of color feel like they’re always under surveillance and that, at any moment, they may be pulled over to be questioned and detained.

During Hurricane Harvey, the immigrant community was hesitant to go to the shelters because images of immigration authorities patrolling the area began to surface online. It made them feel like their own city was against them at a time when they needed them most. Constitution-free zones create communities of fear. For many immigrants, the danger of being questioned about immigration status prevents them from reporting crimes, even when they are the victim. Unreported crime only places more groups of people at risk and, overall, makes communities less safe.

In order to create a humane immigration process, citizens and non-citizens must hold policymakers accountable and get rid of discriminatory laws like 287(g) and Senate Bill 4. Abolishing the Constitution-free zone will also require pressure from the public and many organizations. For a more streamlined legal process, the League of United Latin American Citizens suggests background checks and a small application fee for incoming immigrants, as well as permanent resident status for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients. Other organizations propose expanding the green card lottery and asylum for immigrants escaping the dangers of their home countries.

Immigrants who come to the U.S. are only looking for an opportunity to provide for their families and themselves; so, the question of deciding who gets inside the border and who doesn’t is the same as trying to prove some people are worth more than others. The narratives created by anti-immigrant media plant the false idea that immigrants bring nothing but crime and terrorism. Increased funding for the border and enforcing laws like 287(g) empower anti-immigrant groups to vilify immigrants and promote a witch hunt that targets innocent people. This hatred and xenophobia allow law enforcement to ask any person of color or non-native English speaker about their citizenship or to detain a teenager for a minor incident. Getting rid of the 100-mile zone means standing up for justice and freedom because nobody, regardless of citizenship, should have to live under laws created from fear and hatred.

Cain Trevino is a sophomore. Cain is proud of his Mexican and Salvadorian descent and is an advocate for the implementation of Ethnic Studies in Texas. He enjoys basketball, playing the violin, and studying c omputer science. Cain plans to pursue a career in engineering at Stanford University and later earn a PhD.  

High School Winner

Ethan Peter

Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Mo.

I’m an expert on bussing. For the past couple of months, I’ve been a busser at a pizza restaurant near my house. It may not be the most glamorous job, but it pays all right, and, I’ll admit, I’m in it for the money.

I arrive at 5 p.m. and inspect the restaurant to ensure it is in pristine condition for the 6 p.m. wave of guests. As customers come and go, I pick up their dirty dishes, wash off their tables, and reset them for the next guests. For the first hour of my shift, the work is fairly straightforward.

I met another expert on bussing while crossing the border in a church van two years ago. Our van arrived at the border checkpoint, and an agent stopped us. She read our passports, let us through, and moved on to her next vehicle. The Border Patrol agent’s job seemed fairly straightforward.

At the restaurant, 6 p.m. means a rush of customers. It’s the end of the workday, and these folks are hungry for our pizzas and salads. My job is no longer straightforward.

Throughout the frenzy, the TVs in the restaurant buzz about waves of people coming to the U.S. border. The peaceful ebb and flow enjoyed by Border agents is disrupted by intense surges of immigrants who seek to enter the U.S. Outside forces push immigrants to the United States: wars break out in the Middle East, gangs terrorize parts of Central and South America, and economic downturns force foreigners to look to the U.S., drawn by the promise of opportunity. Refugees and migrant caravans arrive, and suddenly, a Border Patrol agent’s job is no longer straightforward.

I turn from the TVs in anticipation of a crisis exploding inside the restaurant: crowds that arrive together will leave together. I’ve learned that when a table looks finished with their dishes, I need to proactively ask to take those dishes, otherwise, I will fall behind, and the tables won’t be ready for the next customers. The challenge is judging who is finished eating. I’m forced to read clues and use my discretion.

Interpreting clues is part of a Border Patrol agent’s job, too. Lornet Turnbull states, “For example, CBP data obtained by ACLU in Michigan shows that 82 percent of foreign citizens stopped by agents in that state are Latino, and almost 1 in 3 of those processed is, in fact, a U.S. citizen.” While I try to spot customers done with their meals so I can clear their part of the table, the Border Patrol officer uses clues to detect undocumented immigrants. We both sometimes guess incorrectly, but our intentions are to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.

These situations are uncomfortable. I certainly do not enjoy interrupting a conversation to get someone’s dishes, and I doubt Border Patrol agents enjoy interrogating someone about their immigration status. In both situations, the people we mistakenly ask lose time and are subjected to awkward and uncomfortable situations. However, here’s where the busser and the Border Patrol officer’s situations are different: If I make a mistake, the customer faces a minor inconvenience. The stakes for a Border Patrol agent are much higher. Mistakenly asking for documentation and searching someone can lead to embarrassment or fear—it can even be life-changing. Thus, Border Patrol agents must be fairly certain that someone’s immigration status is questionable before they begin their interrogation.

To avoid these situations altogether, the U.S. must make the path to citizenship for immigrants easier. This is particularly true for immigrants fleeing violence. Many people object to this by saying these immigrants will bring violence with them, but data does not support this view. In 1939, a ship of Jewish refugees from Germany was turned away from the U.S.—a decision viewed negatively through the lens of history. Today, many people advocate restricting immigration for refugees from violent countries; they refuse to learn the lessons from 1939. The sad thing is that many of these immigrants are seen as just as violent as the people they are fleeing. We should not confuse the oppressed with the oppressor.

My restaurant appreciates customers because they bring us money, just as we should appreciate immigrants because they bring us unique perspectives. Equally important, immigrants provide this country with a variety of expert ideas and cultures, which builds better human connections and strengthens our society.

Ethan Peter is a junior. Ethan writes for his school newspaper, The Kirkwood Call, and plays volleyball for his high school and a club team. He hopes to continue to grow as a writer in the future. 

University Winner

Daniel Fries

Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

Detained on the Road to Equality

The United States is a nation of immigrants. There are currently 43 million foreign-born people living in the U.S. Millions of them are naturalized American citizens, and 23 million, or 7.2 percent of the population, are living here without documentation (US Census, 2016). One in seven residents of the United States was not born here. Multiculturalism is, and always has been, a key part of the American experience. However, romantic notions of finding a better life in the United States for immigrants and refugees don’t reflect reality. In modern history, America is a country that systematically treats immigrants—documented or not—and non-white Americans in a way that is fundamentally different than what is considered right by the majority.

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states,“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” When a suspected undocumented immigrant is detained, their basic human rights are violated. Warrantless raids on Greyhound buses within 100 miles of the border (an area referred to by some as the “Constitution-free zone”) are clear violations of human rights. These violations are not due to the current state of politics; they are the symptom of blatant racism in the United States and a system that denigrates and abuses people least able to defend themselves.

It is not surprising that some of the mechanisms that drive modern American racism are political in nature. Human beings are predisposed to dislike and distrust individuals that do not conform to the norms of their social group (Mountz, Allison). Some politicians appeal to this suspicion and wrongly attribute high crime rates to non-white immigrants. The truth is that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. In fact, people born in the United States are convicted of crimes at a rate twice that of undocumented non-natives (Cato Institute, 2018).

The majority of immigrants take high risks to seek a better life, giving them incentive to obey the laws of their new country. In many states, any contact with law enforcement may ultimately result in deportation and separation from family. While immigrants commit far fewer crimes, fear of violent crime by much of the U.S. population outweighs the truth. For some politicians, it is easier to sell a border wall to a scared population than it is to explain the need for reformed immigration policy. It’s easier to say that immigrants are taking people’s jobs than explain a changing global economy and its effect on employment. The only crime committed in this instance is discrimination.

Human rights are violated when an undocumented immigrant—or someone perceived as an undocumented immigrant—who has not committed a crime is detained on a Greyhound bus. When a United States citizen is detained on the same bus, constitutional rights are being violated. The fact that this happens every day and that we debate its morality makes it abundantly clear that racism is deeply ingrained in this country. Many Americans who have never experienced this type of oppression lack the capacity to understand its lasting effect. Most Americans don’t know what it’s like to be late to work because they were wrongfully detained, were pulled over by the police for the third time that month for no legal reason, or had to coordinate legal representation for their U.S. citizen grandmother because she was taken off a bus for being a suspected undocumented immigrant. This oppression is cruel and unnecessary.

America doesn’t need a wall to keep out undocumented immigrants; it needs to seriously address how to deal with immigration. It is possible to reform the current system in such a way that anyone can become a member of American society, instead of existing outside of it. If a person wants to live in the United States and agrees to follow its laws and pay its taxes, a path to citizenship should be available.

People come to the U.S. from all over the world for many reasons. Some have no other choice. There are ongoing humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, and South America that are responsible for the influx of immigrants and asylum seekers at our borders. If the United States wants to address the current situation, it must acknowledge the global factors affecting the immigrants at the center of this debate and make fact-informed decisions. There is a way to maintain the security of America while treating migrants and refugees compassionately, to let those who wish to contribute to our society do so, and to offer a hand up instead of building a wall.

Daniel Fries studies computer science. Daniel has served as a wildland firefighter in Oregon, California, and Alaska. He is passionate about science, nature, and the ways that technology contributes to making the world a better, more empathetic, and safer place.

Powerful Voice Winner

Emma Hernandez-Sanchez

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore.

An Emotion an Immigrant Knows Too Well

Before Donald Trump’s campaign, I was oblivious to my race and the idea of racism. As far as I knew, I was the same as everyone else. I didn’t stop to think about our different-colored skins. I lived in a house with a family and attended school five days a week just like everyone else. So, what made me different?

Seventh grade was a very stressful year—the year that race and racism made an appearance in my life. It was as if a cold splash of water woke me up and finally opened my eyes to what the world was saying. It was this year that Donald Trump started initiating change about who got the right to live in this country and who didn’t. There was a lot of talk about deportation, specifically for Mexicans, and it sparked commotion and fear in me.

I remember being afraid and nervous to go out. At home, the anxiety was there but always at the far back of my mind because I felt safe inside. My fear began as a small whisper, but every time I stepped out of my house, it got louder. I would have dreams about the deportation police coming to my school; when I went to places like the library, the park, the store, or the mall, I would pay attention to everyone and to my surroundings. In my head, I would always ask myself, “Did they give us nasty looks?,” “Why does it seem quieter?” “Was that a cop I just saw?” I would notice little things, like how there were only a few Mexicans out or how empty a store was. When my mom went grocery shopping, I would pray that she would be safe. I was born in America, and both my parents were legally documented. My mom was basically raised here. Still, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

I knew I shouldn’t have been afraid, but with one look, agents could have automatically thought my family and I were undocumented. Even when the deportation police would figure out that we weren’t undocumented, they’d still figure out a way to deport us—at least that was what was going through my head. It got so bad that I didn’t even want to do the simplest things like go grocery shopping because there was a rumor that the week before a person was taken from Walmart.

I felt scared and nervous, and I wasn’t even undocumented. I can’t even imagine how people who are undocumented must have felt, how they feel. All I can think is that it’s probably ten times worse than what I was feeling. Always worrying about being deported and separated from your family must be hard. I was living in fear, and I didn’t even have it that bad. My heart goes out to families that get separated from each other. It’s because of those fears that I detest the “Constitution-free zone.”

Legally documented and undocumented people who live in the Constitution-free zone are in constant fear of being deported. People shouldn’t have to live this way. In fact, there have been arguments that the 100-mile zone violates the Fourth Amendment, which gives people the right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures of property by the government. Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld these practices.

One question that Lornet Turnbull asks in her YES! article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’” is, “How should we decide who is welcome in the U.S and who is not?” Instead of focusing on immigrants, how about we focus on the people who shoot up schools, rape girls, exploit women for human sex trafficking, and sell drugs? These are the people who make our country unsafe; they are the ones who shouldn’t be accepted. Even if they are citizens and have the legal right to live here, they still shouldn’t be included. If they are the ones making this country unsafe, then what gives them the right to live here?

I don’t think that the Constitution-free zone is an effective and justifiable way to make this country more “secure.” If someone isn’t causing any trouble in the United States and is just simply living their life, then they should be welcomed here. We shouldn’t have to live in fear that our rights will be taken away. I believe that it’s unfair for people to automatically think that it’s the Hispanics that make this country unsafe. Sure, get all the undocumented people out of the United States, but it’s not going to make this country any safer. It is a society that promotes violence that makes us unsafe, not a race.

Emma Hernandez-Sanchez is a freshman who is passionate about literature and her education. Emma wan ts to inspire others to be creative and try their best. She enjoys reading and creating stories that spark imagination. 

  Powerful Voice Winner

Tiara Lewis

Columbus City Preparatory Schools for Girls,

Columbus, Ohio

Hold Your Head High and Keep Those Fists Down

How would you feel if you walked into a store and salespeople were staring at you? Making you feel like you didn’t belong. Judging you. Assuming that you were going to take something, even though you might have $1,000 on you to spend. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. This is because people will always judge you. It might not be because of your race but for random reasons, like because your hair is black instead of dirty blonde. Or because your hair is short and not long. Or just because they are having a bad day. People will always find ways to bring you down and accuse you of something, but that doesn’t mean you have to go along with it.

Every time I entered a store, I would change my entire personality. I would change the way I talked and the way I walked. I always saw myself as needing to fit in. If a store was all pink, like the store Justice, I would act like a girly girl. If I was shopping in a darker store, like Hot Topic, I would hum to the heavy metal songs and act more goth. I had no idea that I was feeding into stereotypes.

When I was 11, I walked into Claire’s, a well-known store at the mall. That day was my sister’s birthday. Both of us were really happy and had money to spend. As soon as we walked into the store, two employees stared me and my sister down, giving us cold looks. When we went to the cashier to buy some earrings, we thought everything was fine. However, when we walked out of the store, there was a policeman and security guards waiting. At that moment, my sister and I looked at one another, and I said, in a scared little girl voice, “I wonder what happened? Why are they here?”

Then, they stopped us. We didn’t know what was going on. The same employee that cashed us out was screaming as her eyes got big, “What did you steal?” I was starting to get numb. Me and my sister looked at each other and told the truth: “We didn’t steal anything. You can check us.” They rudely ripped through our bags and caused a big scene. My heart was pounding like a drum. I felt violated and scared. Then, the policeman said, “Come with us. We need to call your parents.” While this was happening, the employees were talking to each other, smiling. We got checked again. The police said that they were going to check the cameras, but after they were done searching us, they realized that we didn’t do anything wrong and let us go about our day.

Walking in the mall was embarrassing—everybody staring, looking, and whispering as we left the security office. This made me feel like I did something wrong while knowing I didn’t. We went back to the store to get our shopping bags. The employees sneered, “Don’t you niggers ever come in this store again. You people always take stuff. This time you just got lucky.” Their faces were red and frightening. It was almost like they were in a scary 3D movie, screaming, and coming right at us. I felt hurt and disappointed that someone had the power within them to say something so harsh and wrong to another person. Those employees’ exact words will forever be engraved in my memory.

In the article, “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’,” Lornet Turnbull states, “In January, they stopped a man in Indio, California, as he was boarding a Los Angeles-bound bus. While questioning this man about his immigration status, agents told him his ‘shoes looked suspicious,’ like those of someone who had recently crossed the border.” They literally judged him by his shoes. They had no proof of anything. If a man is judged by his shoes, who else and what else are being judged in the world?

In the novel  To Kill a Mockingbird , a character named Atticus states, “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let’em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.” No matter how much you might try to change yourself, your hairstyle, and your clothes, people will always make assumptions about you. However, you never need to change yourself to make a point or to feel like you fit in. Be yourself. Don’t let those stereotypes turn into facts.

Tiara Lewis is in the eighth grade. Tiara plays the clarinet and is trying to change the world— one essay at a time. She is most often found curled up on her bed, “Divergent” in one hand and a cream-filled doughnut in the other.

Hailee Park

 Wielding My Swords

If I were a swordsman, my weapons would be my identities. I would wield one sword in my left hand and another in my right. People expect me to use both fluently, but I’m not naturally ambidextrous. Even though I am a right-handed swordsman, wielding my dominant sword with ease, I must also carry a sword in my left, the heirloom of my family heritage. Although I try to live up to others’ expectations by using both swords, I may appear inexperienced while attempting to use my left. In some instances, my heirloom is mistaken for representing different families’ since the embellishments look similar.

Many assumptions are made about my heirloom sword based on its appearance, just as many assumptions are made about me based on my physical looks. “Are you Chinese?” When I respond with ‘no,’ they stare at me blankly in confusion. There is a multitude of Asian cultures in the United States, of which I am one. Despite what many others may assume, I am not Chinese; I am an American-born Korean.

“Then… are you Japanese?” Instead of asking a broader question, like “What is your ethnicity?,” they choose to ask a direct question. I reply that I am Korean. I like to think that this answers their question sufficiently; however, they think otherwise. Instead, I take this as their invitation to a duel.

They attack me with another question: “Are you from North Korea or South Korea?” I don’t know how to respond because I’m not from either of those countries; I was born in America. I respond with “South Korea,” where my parents are from because I assume that they’re asking me about my ethnicity. I’m not offended by this situation because I get asked these questions frequently. From this experience, I realize that people don’t know how to politely ask questions about identity to those unlike them. Instead of asking “What is your family’s ethnicity?,” many people use rude alternatives, such as “Where are you from?,” or “What language do you speak?”

When people ask these questions, they make assumptions based on someone’s appearance. In my case, people make inferences like:

“She must be really good at speaking Korean.”

“She’s Asian; therefore, she must be born in Asia.”

“She’s probably Chinese.”

These thoughts may appear in their heads because making assumptions is natural. However, there are instances when assumptions can be taken too far. Some U.S. Border Patrol agents in the “Constitution-free zone” have made similar assumptions based on skin color and clothing. For example, agents marked someone as an undocumented immigrant because “his shoes looked suspicious, like those of someone who had recently crossed the border.”

Another instance was when a Jamaican grandmother was forced off a bus when she was visiting her granddaughter. The impetus was her accent and the color of her skin. Government officials chose to act on their assumptions, even though they had no solid proof that the grandmother was an undocumented immigrant. These situations just touch the surface of the issue of racial injustice in America.

When someone makes unfair assumptions about me, they are pointing their sword and challenging me to a duel; I cannot refuse because I am already involved. It is not appropriate for anyone, including Border Patrol agents, to make unjustified assumptions or to act on those assumptions. Border Patrol agents have no right to confiscate the swords of the innocent solely based on their conjectures. The next time I’m faced with a situation where racially ignorant assumptions are made about me, I will refuse to surrender my sword, point it back at them, and triumphantly fight their ignorance with my cultural pride.

Hailee Park is an eighth grader who enjoys reading many genres. While reading, Hailee recognized the racial injustices against immigrants in America, which inspired her essay. Hailee plays violin in her school’s orchestra and listens to and composes music. 

Aminata Toure

East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

We Are Still Dreaming

As a young Muslim American woman, I have been labeled things I am not: a terrorist, oppressed, and an ISIS supporter. I have been accused of planning 9/11, an event that happened before I was born. Lately, in the media, Muslims have been portrayed as supporters of a malevolent cause, terrorizing others just because they do not have the same beliefs. I often scoff at news reports that portray Muslims in such a light, just as I scoff at all names I’ve been labeled. They are words that do not define me. 

In a land where labels have stripped immigrants of their personalities, they are now being stripped of something that makes them human: their rights. The situation described in Lornet Turnbull’s article, “Two-Thirds of Americans are Living in the ‘Constitution-Free Zone’,” goes directly against the Constitution, the soul of this country, something that asserts that we are all equal before the law. If immigrants do not have protection from the Constitution, is there any way to feel safe?

Although most insults are easy to shrug off, they are still threatening. I am ashamed when I feel afraid to go to the mosque. Friday is an extremely special day when we gather together to pray, but lately, I haven’t been going to the mosque for Jummah prayers. I have realized that I can never feel safe when in a large group of Muslims because of the widespread hatred of Muslims in the United States, commonly referred to as Islamophobia. Police surround our mosque, and there are posters warning us about dangerous people who might attack our place of worship because we have been identified as terrorists.

I wish I could tune out every news report that blasts out the headline “Terrorist Attack!” because I know that I will be judged based on the actions of someone else. Despite this anti-Muslim racism, what I have learned from these insults is that I am proud of my faith. I am a Muslim, but being Muslim doesn’t define me. I am a writer, a student, a dreamer, a friend, a New Yorker, a helper, and an American. I am unapologetically me, a Muslim, and so much more. I definitely think everyone should get to know a Muslim. They would see that some of us are also Harry Potter fans, not just people planning to bomb the White House.

Labels are unjustly placed on us because of the way we speak, the color of our skin, and what we believe in—not for who we are as individuals. Instead, we should all take more time to get to know one another. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, we should be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin. To me, it seems Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is a dream that should be a reality. But, for now, we are dreaming.

Aminata Toure is a Guinean American Muslim student. Aminata loves spoken-word poetry and performs in front of hundreds of people at her school’s annual poetry slam. She loves writing, language, history, and West African food and culture. Aminata wants to work at the United Nations when she grows up.

From the Author 

Dear Alessandra, Cain, Daniel, Tiara, Emma, Hailee, Aminata and Ethan,

I am moved and inspired by the thought each of you put into your responses to my story about this so-called “Constitution-free zone.” Whether we realize it or not, immigration in this country impacts all of us— either because we are immigrants ourselves, have neighbors, friends, and family who are, or because we depend on immigrants for many aspects of our lives—from the food we put on our tables to the technology that bewitches us. It is true that immigrants enrich our society in so many important ways, as many of you point out.

And while the federal statute that permits U.S. Border Patrol officers to stop and search at will any of the 200 million of us in this 100-mile shadow border, immigrants have been their biggest targets. In your essays, you highlight how unjust the law is—nothing short of racial profiling. It is heartening to see each of you, in your own way, speaking out against the unfairness of this practice.

Alessandra, you are correct, the immigration system in this country is in shambles. You make a powerful argument about how profiling ostracizes entire communities and how the warrantless searches allowed by this statute impede trust-building between law enforcement and the people they are called on to serve.

And Cain, you point out how this 100-mile zone, along with other laws in the state of Texas where you attended school, make people feel like they’re “always under surveillance, and that, at any moment, you may be pulled over to be questioned and detained.” It seems unimaginable that people live their lives this way, yet millions in this country do.

You, Emma, for example, speak of living in a kind of silent fear since Donald Trump took office, even though you were born in this country and your parents are here legally. You are right, “We shouldn’t have to live in fear that our rights will be taken away.”

And Aminata, you write of being constantly judged and labeled because you’re a Muslim American. How unfortunate and sad that in a country that generations of people fled to search for religious freedom, you are ashamed at times to practice your own. The Constitution-free zone, you write, “goes directly against the Constitution, the soul of this country, something that asserts that we are all equal before the law.”

Tiara, I could personally relate to your gripping account of being racially profiled and humiliated in a store. You were appalled that the Greyhound passenger in California was targeted by Border Patrol because they claimed his shoes looked like those of someone who had walked across the border: “If a man is judged by his shoes,” you ask, “who else and what else are getting judged in the world?”

Hailee, you write about the incorrect assumptions people make about you, an American born of Korean descent, based solely on your appearance and compared it to the assumptions Border Patrol agents make about those they detain in this zone.

Daniel, you speak of the role of political fearmongering in immigration. It’s not new, but under the current administration, turning immigrants into boogiemen for political gain is currency. You write that “For some politicians, it is easier to sell a border wall to a scared population than it is to explain the need for reformed immigration policy.”

And Ethan, you recognize the contributions immigrants make to this country through the connections we all make with them and the strength they bring to our society.

Keep speaking your truth. Use your words and status to call out injustice wherever and whenever you see it. Untold numbers of people spoke out against this practice by Border Patrol and brought pressure on Greyhound to change. In December, the company began offering passengers written guidance—in both Spanish and English—so they understand what their rights are when officers board their bus. Small steps, yes, but progress nonetheless, brought about by people just like you, speaking up for those who sometimes lack a voice to speak up for themselves.

With sincere gratitude,

Lornet Turnbull

Lornet Turnbull is an editor for YES! and a Seattle-based freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter  @TurnbullL .

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

After my parents argued with the woman, they told me if you can fight with fists, you prove the other person’s point, but when you fight with the power of your words, you can have a much bigger impact. I also learned that I should never be ashamed of where I am from. —Fernando Flores, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

Just because we were born here and are privileged to the freedom of our country, we do not have the right to deprive others of a chance at success. —Avalyn Cox, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

Maybe, rather than a wall, a better solution to our immigration problem would be a bridge. —Sean Dwyer, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

If anything, what I’ve learned is that I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to change our world. I don’t know how to make a difference, how to make my voice heard. But I have learned the importance of one word, a simple two-letter word that’s taught to the youngest of us, a word we all know but never recognize: the significance of ‘we.’ —Enna Chiu, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, N.J.

Not to say the Border Patrol should not have authorization to search people within the border, but I am saying it should be near the border, more like one mile, not 100. —Cooper Tarbuck, Maranacook Middle School, Manchester, Maine.

My caramel color, my feminism, my Spanish and English language, my Mexican culture, and my young Latina self gives me the confidence to believe in myself, but it can also teach others that making wrong assumptions about someone because of their skin color, identity, culture, looks or gender can make them look and be weaker. —Ana Hernandez, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

We don’t need to change who we are to fit these stereotypes like someone going on a diet to fit into a new pair of pants. —Kaylee Meyers, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

If a human being with no criminal background whatsoever has trouble entering the country because of the way he or she dresses or speaks, border protection degenerates into arbitrariness. —Jonas Schumacher, Heidelberg University of Education, Heidelberg, Germany

I believe that you should be able to travel freely throughout your own country without the constant fear of needing to prove that you belong here . —MacKenzie Morgan, Lincoln Middle School, Ypsilanti, Mich.

America is known as “the Land of Opportunity,” but this label is quickly disappearing. If we keep stopping those striving for a better life, then what will become of this country? —Ennyn Chiu, Highland Park Middle School, Highland Park, N.J.

The fact that two-thirds of the people in the U.S. are living in an area called the “Constitution-free zone” is appalling. Our Constitution was made to protect our rights as citizens, no matter where we are in the country. These systems that we are using to “secure” our country are failing, and we need to find a way to change them. —Isis Liaw, Brier Terrace Middle School, Brier, Wash.

I won’t let anyone, especially a man, tell me what I can do, because I am a strong Latina. I will represent where I come from, and I am proud to be Mexican. I will show others that looks can be deceiving. I will show others that even the weakest animal, a beautiful butterfly, is tough, and it will cross any border, no matter how challenging the journey may be. —Brittany Leal, The East Harlem School, New York City, N.Y.

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Essay on Life As An Immigrant

Students are often asked to write an essay on Life As An Immigrant in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Life As An Immigrant

Introduction.

Immigrants are people who move to another country for a better life. They leave their homes, family, and friends behind. This essay will explore the life of an immigrant.

Why People Immigrate

Challenges faced.

Immigrants face many challenges. They might not know the language of the new country. They might miss their family and friends. They might feel alone or different.

Opportunities Gained

Despite the challenges, immigrants can also find new opportunities. They can get better jobs or education. They can learn about new cultures and make new friends.

250 Words Essay on Life As An Immigrant

Starting a new life.

Moving to a new country is like starting a new chapter in life. Imagine packing your bags and going to a place where you don’t know anyone. This is what life as an immigrant is like. You leave your home, your friends, and your family to seek better opportunities.

Learning a New Language

One of the first challenges an immigrant faces is language. If you move to a country where people speak a different language, you must learn it. You need it to talk to people, to buy things, and even to find a job. It’s like learning to talk all over again.

Understanding the Culture

Every country has its own ways of doing things. They have different foods, different holidays, and different manners. As an immigrant, you must learn these new customs. It’s like being a student in a school where everything is new.

Feeling of Being Different

Being an immigrant can sometimes make you feel different. You might look different or sound different. People might not understand your traditions or your way of life. This can make you feel alone. But remember, it’s okay to be different. Your differences make you unique.

Final Thoughts

Life as an immigrant can be hard. It’s like starting a new life, learning a new language, understanding a new culture, and feeling different. But it can also be a great adventure. You get to learn new things, meet new people, and experience a different way of life. It’s a journey that can make you stronger and wiser.

500 Words Essay on Life As An Immigrant

When an immigrant first arrives in a new country, it can feel very strange. They might not know the language well. They might not know how to get around or where to buy food. It can be hard to find a place to live or a job. Everything is different from what they are used to.

One of the biggest challenges for immigrants can be learning a new language. If they don’t speak the language of the new country, it can be hard to talk to people. It can also be hard to understand what is going on around them. Many immigrants take language classes or use language learning apps to help them learn.

Missing Home

Even though immigrants might have left their home country for good reasons, they often miss it. They might miss their family and friends. They might miss the food, the music, or the way of life. Feeling homesick can be very hard.

Making New Friends

Working hard.

Many immigrants work very hard. They might take on tough jobs that other people don’t want to do. They might work long hours. They do this to make a better life for themselves and their families. They also contribute to the economy of the new country.

Contributing to the New Country

Being an immigrant can be tough. It means starting over in a new place. It means learning a new language and making new friends. But it can also be a chance for a better life. It’s a chance to work hard and make a difference. Life as an immigrant is full of challenges, but it’s also full of opportunities.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Being an Immigrant American

This writing piece is about how first generation immigrants view living in America, versus second generation immigrants and some of the struggles they go through to really feel American. You will see these peoples experiences and perspectives of what being American means to them.

If you ask a person if they know any immigrants, or if they know any second generation immigrants, who are a child of a immigrant, the answer is probably yes. America is filled with first and second generation immigrants, and the number of them is growing. Many first generation immigrants don't feel as American as their children who are born here do. This could be caused by a plethora of things, whether its a unwelcoming attitude to people not born in America or their dedication to the countries they were born in. These both can cause first generation immigrants to not feel as American as others. These diverse peoples, who are a large part of our country, show that they’re American in different ways although some struggle with grasping it.

Over the years of my life I have noticed a difference between how a first generation immigrant views living America verse a second generation. Personally, I have been able to experience that, being a second generation immigrant to my father, who was born and raised in Wales. My mother is also a second generation immigrant because both of her parents were born and raised in England, and traveled to America after their marriage. These are multiple perspectives of immigrants right in my own family. In an interview with my mother and Grandmother they explain their differences in their views of being truly American, being that one was born in America and the other not. According to my Grandmother she said that she would never be completely American even though she is a citizen and lives here. She says that, “there is always someone who treats them different and makes them feel like they don't belong in America.” However she does express how many people do make them feel like America is home and those are the people who really count. This shows how people born in America view being American different. It is like their birthright, while immigrants have to work to truly become American. Although these people still feel American and are American on paper they will always carry some of their heritage and culture. Immigrants have the hard job of fitting into a country where the citizens have a extreme love for their country, and don't have room for other countries to share the spotlight.

First generation immigrants also have a harder time succeeding in America compared to natural born Americans or they’re children. Overall, these people who may not act like or look like what an American is expected to, have a higher chance at being discriminated against. Every country and culture has different ways of doing things. The customs in America are going to be unique and different compared to India or Mexico. Many other countries also promote a strong sense of national pride, that wont change when coming to America. If you don't look like what many Americans do, which is of Caucasian heritage, you seem different and are sometimes not as welcomed. Being unable able to speak the native language is another issue because you're immediately seen as a less intelligent then a white, educated person would seem. Many other countries don't have a education system like America which leaves them at a disadvantage. Even if you are born in America, there is still some struggle to having heritage so strongly connected to another country and not being able to look or act like many "Americans". According to a article from the Odyssey written by Lilibeth Ariceaga , a second generation immigrant whose parents both came from Mexico, “They work harder than anyone I have ever met, they came from poverty and left everything they have ever known… to work for their American dream.” This shows how people that immigrated here do want to be American and do have a sense of pride for America. It is showing them striving for a better life that they do have to work for unlike others. Her parents sense of being American is working to get by and live the best life possible while hers is to succeed as much in education and less focused on survival. If you aren’t a citizen your opportunities are more limited which leads them to be more focused on necessities to live then choices to make life enjoyable. The level of education America offered was shocking to her and being able to have a education was something that she loves about America. While her parents will have a different sense of America, also valuing it but because it eventually brought them prosperity. Although America has brought them well being and struggle they may never feel so strongly about America as others do. Overall they always have a connection to home, whether it’s looks, language or opportunity that holds them back from being a complete American.

Everyone feels differently about America. Whether it has brought you success or created more hardships than you had before, there is a part of everyone that is American. Not being necessarily from here, or not having all American heritage, has a different place then being directly American. Immigrants of all types have a place in America and show it by making America their own. America is a home to everyone and is shown in many different ways but will always be made up of complex people and cultures that make America what it is. 

• Written by Malia E.
• From Royal Oak High School
• In Michigan
• Group 7 Created with Sketch Beta. Upvote
• immigration
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Royal Oak High School AP Lang 2019

Personal responses to American Creed, the documentary.

More responses from AP Lang 2019

More responses from royal oak high school, more responses from michigan, more responses from "american" and "immigration".

My Family’s American Dream Didn’t Go Quite as Planned — But Here’s How I Succeeded Anyway

This article was originally written for freshu.io by Miguel Paulo Flores . It has been given minor edits before re-posting.

Just like any other immigrant family that comes to the United States, we have hopes and dreams of living a happy and successful life. I came to the United States to fulfill my dream of becoming a computer engineer, to have my own home, my own family, and my own business. Amidst the joy that I felt when I stepped on the soil of this foreign land, my family wasn’t prepared for the worst. All they knew was that once we set foot on the U.S. life will be alright and our lives will be moving forward. Two to three months of living in the U.S., my mom was unemployed with no flowing income, just the money she saved before coming here. I can tell by mother’s face that she needed help. Fortunately, she found a part-time job at a clothing retail store and a full-time job as a cashier at our local grocery store – she got paid minimum wage which is better than not having a job! Realizing the financial burden we have, I helped her by working as a tutor at a local middle school while balancing my duties and responsibilities as a freshman honor student, a section leader of our high school marching band, and a secretary of the Student Council. That was the time I realized that life here in the U.S. wasn’t going to be easy.

Sophomore year in high school, my mom had asked me to quit my job so I can focus on my schooling. The school that I went to was very diverse in terms of student population; however, there are some instances that I got stereotyped. Sometimes I would cry at night thinking what did I do wrong, or do I deserve to be treated like this? Once, I broke down in front of my teacher after a classroom presentation. I was feeling sorry for myself, pitying myself, and asking myself why I get treated like a piece of trash that always gets kicked around. My teacher comforted me and told me to keep my head up high because in the end no matter how terrible are the people around you, you always have yourself — don’t be afraid to stand out. And that’s exactly what I did.

Junior year in high school, things got better. I remained a consistent member of the National Honor Society, held several leadership positions at various school clubs and organizations, and was a distinguished student at our school. I got an internship at the State Capitol and I was awarded as an outstanding student of the year. My family finally got some financial assistance; we receive SNAP/EBT benefits monthly, my brother and I are listed as free and reduced lunch students (we don’t have to worry about not having money in our school lunch accounts), we also get waivers for school dues on exams or tests, and my mom found a better job. All of these happened in one year and without my teacher’s motivation I wouldn’t have the drive to succeed in that short amount of time.

Senior year was the best year I had. I felt like a burden was lifted off of my shoulders when I found out that I was a Dell Scholar. I can now go to college without worrying about paying for my tuition or for my books. At graduation, I was ranked 1st in our class and I graduated as a valedictorian. I got accepted to over 30 schools and they all offered me scholarships. At graduation day, my smile was from ear to ear because my family and I know that I finally made it, despite of all the hardships we went through.

Today, I am currently attending the University of California Davis on a partial scholarship and I am majoring in computer engineering. I am also a high school mentor where my aim is to empower and encourage students to have hope and trust in themselves that whatever they’re going through, they’ll surpass it in the end. I learned a lot from the experiences that I had in high school and I hope that experience will strengthen and motivate me in the years to come.

Through all the obstacles I’ve been through, there are a few things I want to share to everyone: don’t be afraid to stand out. Ignore all the negativity and absorb all the positivity in your life. Laugh from time to time, be humble, and always thank the people who made a difference in your life. Remember that in every beginning of any journey there’ll be always challenges, but if you persevere and work hard toward your goals, nothing’s impossible.

Related: A High School Valedictorian Just Used Her Graduation Speech to Come Out as an Undocumented Immigrant

By Sara Delgado

By Ashleigh Carter

By Livia Caligor

By Adaira Landry

I’m a First-Generation American. Here’s What Helped Me Make It to College

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My father is an immigrant from Mexico who decided to sacrifice his home to give me a better life. He grew up with the notion that the United States had one of the best education systems in the world and he saw that education as my ticket to participate in the pursuit of happiness.

When he moved to America, he chose Flushing, Queens, in New York City—which this year became an epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis—because the public elementary school was highly regarded for its academics and safety. But navigating the public school system was extremely difficult, marked with constant reminders that the system was not designed for students like me. These difficulties and inequities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis and will continue to impact students if they remain unaddressed.

My father always lived with the fear that if people found out I was the son of a Mexican immigrant, I would be ostracized in the classroom. From the first day of elementary school, he prayed that no one would bother me for being Mexican American, and that I would learn English quickly so I could defend against attacks on my identity. I have gone through all my academic career fighting the stereotypes that Mexicans are all “lazy” and “undocumented.”

I have experienced an interesting duality as a Mexican American, one that has played a formative role in my education and development. I have two languages, two countries, two identities. I learn in English but live in Spanish. I am Mexican at home but American at school.

I first became aware of this code-switching in middle school. The ways I interacted with my white, wealthy peers were far different from with my Latinx friends. I understood that English held more power than Spanish. Many people associate an accent or different regional variants of English to be unsophisticated, so I worked to be perceived as “articulate” and “well-spoken” at my local elementary and middle schools. In fact, it was my attention to coming across as “articulate” that helped me get into the high school that I attended.

I wanted to attend a high-achieving high school, but I did not perform well on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and therefore failed to be admitted into one of New York City’s specialized high schools. But the principal of Millennium High School, a selective public high school in Manhattan, offered me a spot—and gave me a shot. Principal Colin McEvoy saw more than the student who failed to get into a SHSAT school. He saw a well-spoken kid who was determined to find a school that would have the resources to achieve his goal of graduating and going to college. My father had sacrificed everything so I could go to college, and I saw Millennium as the means to get there.

Not every student can have the same opportunity I did, but every school community and educator can take certain steps to support students who feel at odds within a system that was not designed for them. Here are three steps that will help students like me:

1. Play an active role in their students’ lives outside of academics. While this is important during “normal” times, it is even more important now during the global pandemic when students are worried about their family, cut off from friends, and unsure what the future holds. Each student should be assigned a teacher who also serves as adviser, an additional adult figure in their life to help guide and assist them—even if this is done virtually. At Millennium, each student in the beginning of the high school experience is assigned an adviser and meets in advisory class three days a week to complete college-preparatory activities and check in with their adviser about academics and their personal life.

2. Acknowledge how political developments may affect students. Schools should provide students who may be affected by a policy decision with the tools to protect their education. I have many friends who have been affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and had to go through the complex process of ensuring they could study in the country without their parents. This June, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind DACA, but immigrants’ fight for protection under the law is far from over. It is important for teachers to understand how politics can impact the well-being of students—and how the fear of those impacts often take a toll on students’ academics.

3. Offer guidance on how to apply to college and options aside from college. My former high school requires every student to meet with the college guidance counselor at least twice, once each in their junior and senior years. As the first in my family to apply to college, these meetings were essential for me to figure out the application process, as well as for navigating financial aid and scholarships. It was only with this guidance that I applied for a Posse Foundation scholarship and earned a full scholarship to Middlebury College—opportunities that I would not have even known about otherwise.

As the COVID-19 vaccine gets rolled out more widely, there remain a lot of unknowns in higher education and in many families’ financial futures. Educators can help students explore alternate opportunities during this difficult time, including community college, internships, apprenticeships, gap years, or service-learning options.

Students of marginalized communities are both fighters and academics. Going through the American education system is difficult, and there are active ways that schools and educators can help their students navigate it. This is not a matter of doing the work for the students but acknowledging that there are several challenges present in students’ lives—challenges that may be exacerbated during a pandemic—and helping them navigate them.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how should i address being a first-generation immigrant in my college essay.

As a first-generation immigrant, I feel like my experiences have shaped me significantly. I want to express this in my college essay, but I'm not sure how to best approach it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

It's great that you want to share your unique experiences as a first-generation immigrant in your college essay! This can be a powerful way to show how your background has shaped your perspective and contributed to your growth. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

1. Start with a specific anecdote that captures your experience as an immigrant. This could be a moment of challenge, triumph, or personal growth. This will help draw your readers in and provide a clear focus for your essay.

2. Reflect on the impact of your experiences on your identity. How have they shaped your values, beliefs, and aspirations? Think about how these experiences have prepared you for college and your future career.

3. Be authentic and genuine in your storytelling. Share your emotions, thoughts, and insights in a way that feels true to who you are. Don't be afraid to show vulnerability or discuss challenges you've faced.

4. Finally, proofread your essay and seek feedback from others to ensure it is polished and engaging. Good luck!

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The Immigration Story Nobody Is Talking About

By John Cassidy

Last week, President Joe Biden announced a crackdown on migrants trying to cross the southern border. The responses from immigrants’-rights groups, civil-rights groups, and some Democratic politicians were instantaneous. Senator Alex Padilla, of California, said that the new policy—which empowers border agents to quickly deport people who cross between ports of entry, by drastically restricting their ability to claim asylum—“undermined American values and abandoned our nation’s obligations to provide people fleeing persecution, violence, and authoritarianism with an opportunity to seek refuge in the U.S.”

But at least one economist, who strongly favors liberal immigration policies, was more sympathetic to the White House’s move. “The situation at the southern border has been chaotic,” Giovanni Peri, who directs the Global Migration Center at the University of California, Davis, told me. “It has been hurting the case for immigration because people have only been talking about that, and not talking about all the migrants who have been coming here and working and boosting the economy.”

Michael Clemens, an economist at George Mason University who is an expert on immigration, said that some of the coverage of the new policy, particularly online, had been misleading. Under certain exceptions enumerated in the plan, at least sixty thousand migrants—with access to parole pending an asylum or other court hearing—are likely to be lawfully admitted to the U.S. each month, about six times as many as under Donald Trump , Clemens said. “This is not a return to Trump,” he told me. “There is no comparison.” Biden’s plan, which went into effect on Wednesday, does limit most asylum claims for migrants crossing between ports of entry, until the daily average of migrant arrests falls and stays below certain thresholds. But Clemens pointed out that migrants could still schedule appointments to appear at border posts, or could apply under a separate, special admissions program that the Biden Administration has set up for residents of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Nevertheless, he and Peri both agreed that there is an urgent need to accompany the new policy with more legal-entry options for the migrants who are trying to cross the southern border. “We can easily absorb these people, and the economy needs them,” Peri said. Clemens also argued that expanding legal channels is necessary to secure the border: “Just denying access is very likely to encourage more clandestine entry. It may be completely ineffective.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, net immigration to the U.S. surged to 2.6 million in 2022 and 3.3 million in 2023, and the majority of this increase came in the form of migrants who were granted parole either pending an asylum hearing or for other reasons. In a much discussed paper that was published a few months ago, Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, two economists at the Brookings Institution, argued that the entry of many of these new migrants into the U.S. helped enable the economy to grow and increased total employment, even as the Fed raised interest rates sharply to bring down inflation. New migrants contribute to economic growth in two ways: by working and by spending. Their presence in unexpectedly high numbers “explains some of the surprising strength in consumer spending and overall economic growth since 2022,” Edelberg and Watson wrote. “Moreover, we expect immigration flows to further boost economic growth in 2024.”

When I called up Edelberg, she said it was hard to predict exactly what impact the new border policy would have. But, if it worked out as planned, the policy would eventually reduce the number of people seeking asylum only by about twenty-five per cent. “What Biden is doing is relatively modest in relation to the broader economy,” Edelberg said. “It’s not nothing, but it’s not going to have a dramatic effect immediately.”

This analysis illustrates a more general point about immigration policy, which right-wing politicians have ruthlessly demagogued for decades. The tropes that tend to dominate public discussion often have little basis in fact, and the facts that should be at the center of the discussion often go ignored. Take, for example, the claim often made by Republicans that the country is being “swamped” by migrants crossing the southern border. It’s certainly true that a surge in unauthorized immigration during the past couple of years has created considerable challenges for communities in border states, and for cities such as New York and Chicago, which have received large inflows of migrants. But it is barely mentioned that this recent surge—which is largely rooted in people fleeing poverty and dysfunction in troubled Latin American countries, such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela—comes after a decade in which the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States declined.

According to recent estimates by the Department of Homeland Security, in 2010 there were 11.6 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States. In 2022, there were eleven million. So, even though the number of unauthorized arrivals has risen sharply in the past couple of years, this follows a period in which large numbers of undocumented immigrants returned home, especially to Mexico, causing the over-all number still living here to fall slightly. It’s also true that during the past two decades the number of foreign-born people living in the United States has increased significantly—from 31.1 million in 2000 to 46.2 million in 2022, according to the Census Bureau. But legal immigration has accounted for most of this jump, and many of the arrivals have been skilled workers. “Since 2000, net immigration has become massively more concentrated among highly educated workers,” Peri, of the Global Migration Center, pointed out.

To be sure, many of the migrants crossing the southern border don’t have an advanced education. But two more unsung realities are relevant here. Based on news coverage, particularly on television, it’s easy to get the impression that most of the migrants are unable to work and are languishing in taxpayer-funded shelters. That impression is almost certainly inaccurate. Migrants who have been given asylum-processing appointments or granted humanitarian parole are eligible to apply for temporary work permits. “Looking at payroll-employment data, it is very consistent with high labor-participation rates among recent migrants,” Edelberg said. “They appear to be working in a very similar pattern to other recent waves of immigration.” Some commentators have queried this argument, saying there is little evidence of a jump in over-all financial remittances by migrants to their home countries. Edelberg said that the remittances data merely suggest to her that “brand-new migrants aren’t yet sending a lot of money home.”

The second important reality is that, in the coming decades, we are going to need many more of these types of workers to keep the U.S. economy growing and to fill essential jobs in industries such as construction, agriculture, food processing, hospitality, and long-term care. The potential shortage of workers is based on inexorable demographic trends: declining fertility rates and the aging of the U.S. population. According to this year’s Economic Report of the President, which is prepared by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, between 2023 and 2052, the share of workers aged twenty-five to fifty-four is expected to grow at an average annual rate of just 0.2 per cent. That’s a fifth of the growth rate between 1980 and 2021. And even this puny 0.2 per-cent rate depends on large numbers of new immigrants arriving year after year. “Without positive net migration, the U.S. population is projected to begin shrinking by about 2040,” the report said.

Sustaining healthy economic growth alongside a stable or declining population is theoretically conceivable: it would depend on making existing workers significantly more productive every year. A.I. optimists would say that should be possible. But the experience of Japan, where the population has declined in the past decade and a half, and where economic growth has stagnated, demonstrates the challenge that the United States would face if immigration was severely curtailed, as Trump and other Republicans have called for. “Our economy needs immigrants to grow over the long term,” Edelberg said. “What we really need to do is open up more pathways for legal immigration.”

Peri emphasized the importance of making such pathways readily available not only to highly trained workers, such as computer engineers headed to Silicon Valley, but also to the types of migrants who have been crossing the southern border. During the past few years, labor shortages have already emerged in parts of the economy where low-skilled immigrants tend to work, such as construction and elderly care. (Earlier this year, the Associated Builders and Contractors trade group said that the industry would need to attract half a million workers beyond its usual rate of hiring to meet demand in 2024.) “In the next ten or twenty years, it will be even more important to do proper and comprehensive immigration reform,” Peri said. “If we only deal with border security and don’t do anything about expanding legal immigration, we are not really doing anything.” ♦

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Family-based immigrant visas and sponsoring a relative

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to sponsor a family member for a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Learn about the process and who is eligible.

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Check the U.S. Department of State’s chart of immigrant visa categories to learn more about each category of immediate relative and family sponsored visas .

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To sponsor your family member, submit a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-130 . Each person you sponsor needs a separate Form I-130. You can submit the form online or by mail.

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Eight Recommended YA Books That Celebrate Immigrants

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Immigrant Heritage Month provides a chance for all of us to connect with our heritage, learn more about each other, and explore how immigration has contributed to the rich diversity of our nation.

As far back as 13,000 years ago, when the lower sea levels allowed people to trek over a land bridge from Asia to North America, people came to the continent we call home in search of something more. Migration has always been integral to human existence and human progress. Modern immigrants continue to arrive to the US from far and wide, and each immigrant story is unique. People come to pursue education, to escape political, social, or religious dangers, for economic opportunity, to reunite with family—the list of reasons is long, but the goal is always the same: a safe, happy life.

The benefits of immigration are not just personal, though. As findings from the White House and independent economic research indicate, the fact has always been that immigration is a net benefit to our country. It boosts our GDP, it reduces prejudice, and it offsets the population decline happening in the US . But of course, despite the beauty and benefits of immigration, it is not all rosy. Leaving behind one’s home for another is difficult, and often dangerous. And not everyone is welcoming to people who they label “foreign.” 

The following YA reads are a fantastic way to better understand contemporary immigrant experiences. Whether you’re looking for a summer reading list or are searching for titles to integrate into your classroom in the fall, these books offer unique and poignant perspectives and celebrations of immigrants. These books can also be used with Facing History’s modular ELA collection, Borders & Belonging .

Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed In this unforgettable debut novel, an Indian American Muslim teen copes with Islamophobia, cultural divides among peers and parents, and a reality she can neither explain nor escape. Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There's the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems "suitable." And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and pursuing a boy she's known from afar since grade school.

But in the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she's known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.

Our Stories Carried Us Here, A Graphic Novel Anthology  edited by Tea Rozman and Julie Vang

This is a bold and unconventional collection of first-person stories told and illustrated by immigrants and refugees living across the United States. Stanford scientist, deaf student, indigenous activist, Black entrepreneur—all immigrants and refugees—recount journeys from their home countries in ten vibrantly illustrated stories. Faced by unfamiliar vistas, they are welcomed with possibilities, and confronted by challenges and prejudice. 

Each story compellingly details a variety of experiences the individual immigrant or refugee had, highlighting differences between stories that too often are lumped together or not given an opportunity to be heard. Each storyteller was paired with an illustrator from a similar linguistic and cultural heritage. The thoughtfulness of the matches shines through, as every panel authentically conveys the narrators' poignant and emotional memories, highlighting the beauty of their homelands and the cultures they still identify with. The narratives show the struggles and triumphs of acclimating to a new language, culture, and worldview as well as dealing with obstacles like racism and microaggressions. - Green Card Voices

West Virginia University Press

Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story) by Daniel Nayeri

In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees—starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane-to-anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the US. Implementing a distinct literary style and challenging western narrative structures, Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore. - Levine Querido

Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia When Neema Avashia tells people where she’s from, their response is nearly always a disbelieving “There are Indian people in West Virginia?” A queer Asian American teacher and writer, Avashia fits few Appalachian stereotypes. But the lessons she learned in childhood about race and class, gender and sexuality continue to inform the way she moves through the world today: how she loves, how she teaches, how she advocates, how she struggles.

Another Appalachia examines both the roots and the resonance of Avashia’s identity as a queer desi Appalachian woman, while encouraging readers to envision more complex versions of both Appalachia and the nation as a whole. - West Virginia University Press

Levine Querido

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

Había una vez . . .

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children—among them Petra and her family—have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet, and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? - Levine Querido

Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities edited by Ismée Williams and Rebecca Balcárcel

When identities cross boundaries, with love that knows no bounds. From platonic and romantic love to grief and heartbreak, these stories explore navigating life at the intersection of identities, and what it means to grow up surrounded by a multitude of traditions, languages, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics.

Returning to a father's homeland. Trying to fit in at chaotic weddings and lavish birthday parties where not all are welcome. Processing grief at family gatherings. Figuring out how to share the news of a new relationship with loved ones. This collection celebrates multicultural and multiracial characters at the helm of their own narratives, as they approach life with a renewed sense of hope and acceptance. - Inkyard Press

Triangle Square

Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience edited by Alyssa Raymond and Patrice Vecchione

With authenticity, integrity, and insight, this collection of poems addresses the many issues confronting first- and second- generation young adult immigrants and refugees, such as cultural and language differences, homesickness, social exclusion, human rights, racism, stereotyping, and questions of identity. These poems encourage readers to honor their roots as well as explore new paths, offering empathy and hope for those who are struggling to overcome discrimination. Many of the struggles immigrant and refugee teens face head-on are also experienced by young people everywhere as they contend with isolation, self-doubt, confusion, and emotional dislocation. - Triangle Square

SanTana’s Fairy Tales by Sarah Rafael Garcia

SanTana's Fairy Tales is an oral history, storytelling project initiated by author Sarah Rafael García, which integrates community-based narratives to create contemporary fairytales and fables that represent the history and stories of Mexican/Mexican-American residents of Santa Ana. - Raspa Magazine

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U.S. law generally requires visa applicants to be interviewed by a consular officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. After relevant information is reviewed, the application is approved or denied, based on standards established in U.S. law.

While the vast majority of visa applications are approved, U.S. law sets out many standards under which a visa application may be denied. An application may be denied because the consular officer does not have all of the information required to determine if the applicant is eligible to receive a visa, because the applicant does not qualify for the visa category for which he or she applied, or because the information reviewed indicates the applicant falls within the scope of one of the inadmissibility or ineligibility grounds of the law. An applicant’s current and/or past actions, such as drug or criminal activities, as examples, may make the applicant ineligible for a visa.

If denied a visa, in most cases the applicant is notified of the section of law which applies. Visa applicants are also advised by the consular officer if they may apply for a waiver of their ineligibility. Several of the most common reasons for visa ineligibilities are explained below. For more information, review the  visa ineligibilities  in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

How does a visa applicant qualify for a visa?

You, as a visa applicant, qualify for a visa by being eligible under all applicable U.S. laws for the visa category for which you are applying. During your visa interview, the consular officer at the U.S Embassy or Consulate will determine if you are qualified for the type of visa for which you are applying.

The sole authority to approve or deny (called adjudicate) visa applications, under U.S. immigration law  section 104(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act , is given to consular officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates.

What does being found ineligible mean?

If a consular officer finds you are not eligible to receive a visa under U.S. law, your visa application will be denied (refused), and you will be provided a reason for the denial. There are many reasons a visa applicant could be found ineligible for a visa. These reasons, called ineligibilities, are listed in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and other immigration laws. Some ineligibilities can be overcome, either by you, the visa applicant, or the U.S. petitioner, in certain immigrant visa cases. Other ineligibilities are permanent. This means that every time you apply for a visa, you will be found ineligible under the same section of law, unless a waiver of that ineligibility is authorized by the Department of Homeland Security. Learn about  waivers of ineligibility .

Here are some examples of visa ineligibilities, with INA references, which are explained further below.

The visa applicant:

• Did not fully complete the visa application and/or provide all required supporting documentation - INA section 221(g)
• Did not establish eligibility for the visa category being applied for or overcome the presumption of being an intending immigrant - INA section 214(b)
• Was convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude - INA section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I)
• Was convicted of a drug violation - INA section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(II)
• Has two or more criminal convictions for which the total sentence of confinement was 5 years or more - INA section 212(a)(2)(B)
• Did not provide an adequate affidavit of support when one was required; therefore denied under public charge - INA section 212(a)(4)
• Misrepresented a material fact or committed fraud to attempt to receive a visa – INA section 212(a)(6)(C)(i)
• Previously remained longer than authorized in the United States - INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(i)

For a complete list of all visa ineligibilities contained in the Immigration and Nationality Act, see  Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws .

I was found ineligible for a visa. Can I get my money back?

No. The fee that you paid is a non-refundable application processing fee.

Can I reapply for a visa?

After being found ineligible for a visa, you may reapply in the future. If you reapply for a visa after being found ineligible, with the exception of 221(g) refusals, you must submit a new visa application and pay the visa application fee again. If you were found ineligible under section 214(b) of the INA, you should be able to present evidence of significant changes in circumstances since your last application. See more information below under  INA section 214(b) .

Can a friend or relative inquire about my denied visa application?

Department of State visa case records are confidential under INA section 222(f), so information can only be provided to visa applicants, with some exceptions. Certain information can be provided to U.S. sponsors, attorneys representing visa applicants, members of Congress, or other persons acting on behalf of and with the permission of applicants.

INA Section 221(g) - Incomplete Application or Supporting Documentation

What does a visa denial under INA section 221(g) mean?

A visa denial under section  221(g) of the INA  means that the consular officer did not have all of the information required to conclude you are eligible to receive a visa. This means you are not eligible for the visa now, for one of two reasons:

• Your application is incomplete and/or further documentation is required -  Applicants whose application forms or other documentation are incomplete are refused. If further documents are required to complete your case, you will be informed what is needed and how to provide it to the embassy or consulate. You will also be given a letter stating your application has been denied under 221(g) and listing which documents you need to provide.
• Administrative processing -  The consular officer could not conclude you were elegible for the visa sought and additional administrative processing of your application is required. You will be given a letter stating this; the embassy or consulate will contact you when the administrative processing is complete.

Is there something I can do about a refusal under section 221(g)?

If your application was denied because documentation or information is missing, you can provide the missing documents or information as soon as possible. After submitting the documentation, your visa application can then be re-assessed to determine whether you qualify for a visa. You have one year from the date you were refused a visa to submit the additional information. Otherwise, if you do not provide the required additional information within one year, you must reapply for the visa and pay another application fee.

If your application requires further administrative processing, this takes additional time after your interview. Processing times can vary based on individual circumstances. For more information, review  Administrative Processing .

INA Section 214(b) - Visa Qualifications and Immigrant Intent

What does a visa denial under INA section 214(b) mean?

This law applies only to nonimmigrant visa categories. If you are refused a visa under  section 214(b) , it means that you:

• Did not sufficiently demonstrate to the consular officer that you qualify for the nonimmigrant visa category you applied for; and/or
• Did not overcome the presumption of immigrant intent, required by law, by sufficiently demonstrating that you have strong ties to your home country that will compel you to leave the United States at the end of your temporary stay. (H-1B and L visa applicants, along with their spouse and any minor children, are excluded from this requirement.) 

What are considered strong ties to my home country?

Ties are the various aspects of your life that bind you to your home country. Strong ties vary from country to country, city to city, and person to person, but examples include:

• Your home; and/or
• Your relationships with family and friends.

While conducting visa interviews, consular officers look at each application individually and consider the applicant's circumstances, travel plans, financial resources, and ties outside of the United States that will ensure the applicant’s departure after a temporary visit.

Is a refusal under section 214(b) permanent?

No. A refusal, or ineligibility, under section 214(b) is for that specific application, so once a case is closed, the consular section cannot take any further action. There is no appeal process. If you feel there is additional information that should be considered related to the visa decision, or there are significant changes in your circumstances since your last application, you may reapply for a visa. To reapply, you must complete a new application form, pay the application fee, and schedule an appointment for a new interview. Review the  website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate  where you plan to reapply to learn about any reapplication procedures.

INA Section 212(a)(4) - Public Charge

Why was I refused under INA section 212(a)(4)?  What is meant by “public charge”?

A visa refusal, or ineligibility, under section  212(a)(4) of the INA  means that the consular officer determined that you are likely to become a public charge in the United States.

Is a refusal under section 212(a)(4) permanent?

A refusal, or ineligibility, under section 212(a)(4) can be overcome in certain circumstances, as explained below.

Immigrants -  Most immigrant visa applicants are required to submit an Affidavit of Support from the U.S. sponsors who filed petitions for them. If your U.S. sponsor does not meet the requirements of the Affidavit of Support, you may present a second Affidavit of Support from a qualifying joint sponsor. Learn more about the  Affidavit of Support .

Some categories of immigrant visa applicants are not required to have Affidavits of Support. These are categories where no U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative filed a petition on your behalf, including most employment-based immigrants and diversity visa (DV) applicants.

If you are applying for an immigrant visa category where the Affidavit of Support Form is not required, the following are examples of how you could demonstrate to the consular officer that you will have financial support in the United States:

• Your own personal funds;
• A job offer in the United States; and/or
• Sponsorship from a U.S. resident.

Examples of sponsorship from a U.S. resident include:

• A letter from the U.S. resident stating financial support of you while in the United States;
• Documents showing that the U.S. resident can financially support you, such as tax transcripts, bank statements or pay stubs; and/or
• An Affidavit of Support (Form I-134).

The consular officer will review the additional evidence of financial support you submit to determine whether it is sufficient to overcome your ineligibility under section 212(a)(4).

Nonimmigrants -  You must demonstrate sufficient financial support during your temporary stay in the United States. Public charge denials are less frequent for nonimmigrant visa applications, but can occur, for example, in the case of a visa applicant seeking medical treatment in the United States without adequate funds to pay for treatment. Learn more about applying for a visitor visa for  medical treatment .

In order to overcome a denial for public charge reasons, you must demonstrate you will have sufficient financial support in the United States. The consular officer will review the additional evidence you submit to determine whether it is sufficient to overcome your ineligibility under section 212(a)(4).

INA Section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) - Fraud and Misrepresentation

What does a denial under INA section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) mean?

You were refused, or found ineligible, for a visa under  section 212(a)(6)(C)(i)  because you attempted to receive a visa or enter the United States by willfully misrepresenting a material fact or committing fraud. This is a permanent ineligibility, so every time you apply for a visa, you will be found ineligible for this reason.

You will be advised by the consular officer if you can apply for a waiver of this ineligibility. Review  Waivers of Ineligibility  for more information.

What is meant by misrepresentation of a material fact?

Misrepresentation means that you falsely presented facts and were not truthful in an attempt to receive a visa or enter the United States. A fact is considered material, as it pertains to this section of the INA, when, had the truth been known, you would not have been eligible to receive a visa or enter the United States.

INA Section 212(a)(9)(B)(i) - Unlawful Presence in the United States

What does a denial under INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(i) mean?

You were refused, or found ineligible for, a visa under  section 212(a)(9)(B)(i)  because you were considered to have been unlawfully present in the United States, if:

• You stayed in the United States after the expiration date for the period of stay authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for you, without the required authorization to extend your stay; or
• You entered and were present in the United States without receiving the required authorization from CBP.

When denied a visa for unlawful presence, you are ineligible for a visa for the following length of time:

• When unlawfully present in the United States for 180 days or longer but less than one year, you are ineligible for a visa for 3 years after departure from the United States; or
• When unlawfully present in the United States for one year or longer, you are ineligible for a visa for 10 years after departure from the United States. 

List of Ineligibilities

This webpage discusses some of the more common visa ineligibilities. For a complete list of visa ineligibilities and more information from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and amended laws, review  Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws  on this site.

Waivers of Ineligibility

What is a waiver?

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) contains provisions that may allow a visa applicant who was denied a visa for a particular ineligibility to apply for a waiver of that ineligibility. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) adjudicates all waivers of ineligibility. Waivers are discretionary, meaning that there are no guarantees that DHS will approve a waiver for you. If the waiver is approved, you may be issued a visa.

Can every applicant who is ineligible apply for a waiver?

No. If you are found ineligible for a visa, the consular officer will inform you if can apply for a waiver of ineligibility. The following factors will determine if you may apply for a waiver:

• Whether a waiver of ineligibility is available for the particular section of law you are ineligible under;
• You must be fully qualified for the visa you applied for, except for that specific ineligibility, in order to be able to apply for the waiver;
• If you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa, generally whether the consular officer who found you ineligible recommends to DHS that you receive a waiver; and
• If you are applying for an immigrant visa, whether a waiver is available for your particular situation. (For example, for certain visa ineligibilities when applying for an immigrant visa, you can only apply for a waiver if you have a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent who would endure extreme hardship if you were not able to immigrate.)

How do I apply for a waiver?

If you can apply for a waiver, the consular officer at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you applied will inform you how to apply.

Immigrant Visa and K Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants - If you can apply for a waiver, you must mail  Form I-601 , Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, directly to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Lockbox facility, with few exceptions. Learn more on the  USCIS  website.

Further Questions

I was found ineligible for a visa, and I have further questions. Who should I contact?

You should contact the  U.S. Embassy or Consulate  where you applied.

More Information

A-Z Index Latest News Diversity Visa Program What is a U.S. Visa? Visa Waiver Program Fraud Warning Find a U.S. Embassy or Consulate Straight Facts on U.S. Visas

Immigrant Visa Interview-Ready Backlog Report

Global Visa Wait Times

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