The United States: A Nation Founded by Immigrants, Struggles with Immigration Today
Throughout my upbringing as the daughter of a Chinese immigrant, I witnessed my mother spend much of her life working an unsustainable job from dawn to dusk to provide for her family. The concept of the American Dream, the idea that the United States will provide immigrants with the idealistic opportunity for both social and economic upward mobility, incited my mother’s motive for immigrating to the United States, specifically New York City.
Like my mother, many people today perceive New York City as the center of economic success, inducing an increase in migrant rates. However, the lack of preparation for necessities, such as accessible housing, food, and employment opportunities, in New York City for these migrants is proving to be unsustainable for everyone, resident or not. For instance, the quality of New York City’s living conditions is quickly deteriorating, and the cause traces back to the influx of migrants, indirectly creating prejudice against them. Similarly, in July 2023, in an international river near Eagle Pass, Texas, there was a deployment of a 1,000-foot string of large floating devices. Governor Greg Abbott initiated this deployment to essentially discourage the illegal moving of migrants into the state of Texas and to address issues of cross-border drug possession. Both of these events illustrate a deep-rooted issue in our country today: anti-migrant sentiments.
Since April 2022, New York City witnessed the arrival of approximately 110,000 migrants over the past year. Because the city is legally bonded to provide shelter to anyone who requests it, there has been a great rise in the shelter population rates, causing the city to be in a state of crisis and emergency. These rising population rates strain the city’s social service networks and budget, causing poor living conditions for everyone. Consequently, many residents in New York City attribute these conditions to migrants, spreading discrimination against them.
On September 6, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams hosted a town hall meeting on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to discuss different local issues, mainly the “asylum crisis” currently happening in New York City. During this community discussion, he adamantly stated that New York City lacks support for this national crisis. He has constantly criticized President Biden and Governor Kathy Hochul for the lack of federal government support and state funding. While Mayor Eric Adams’s urgency towards solving the migrant crisis is understandable, his degrading comments during this town hall meeting unintentionally contribute to the country’s anti-migrant sentiments. During the community hearing, he specifically stated that he “does not see an ending” to the migrant crisis and that “this issue will destroy New York City.”
In response, the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless claim that Mayor Adams’s comments “dehumanize and villainize people who fled unimaginable situations in their home countries merely for an opportunity to provide for their families and secure a better life.”
New York City has constantly welcomed the diversity associated with its important immigrant population, and for Mayor Adams to disregard this exact ideology incites great hostility, violence, and racism toward migrants. To hear a political leader constantly in the eyes of the public express that “the city we knew is going to be lost” is unacceptable.
In addition to how the floating barriers were originally implemented to essentially discourage the moving of migrants in the Rio Grande humanitarian crisis, there are unnecessary personnel located on these obstructions to patrol any movement of migrants, observing them inhumanely. For personnel to monitor migrants as uncivilized, hostile human beings contributes to the hatred towards migrants in the U.S. today. Additionally, the barriers have already caused multiple migrant drownings as multiple dead bodies were found in the river. Although this act violates civil law regarding the Rio Grande’s blocked navigational ability or use of the river stated in treaties with Mexico, these floating barriers are more accurately a physical embodiment of xenophobic anti-migrant beliefs that cause great harm.
It’s prime hypocrisy and ignorance to enforce these types of acts and to publicly degrade migrants when our country’s founding fathers were originally migrants on foreign soil. The federal court agrees. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta argued that these barriers not only violate issues regarding federal authorization but also pose humanitarian issues. The fact that there was the inspiration and implementation of this incident signifies the country’s rooted xenophobia and hatred for migrants. It makes me question whether the almighty image of the country is appropriate.
Catrina Chen is a high school Junior from New York City.