Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Antonio Vargas Documented : The Challenges Immigrants Face
Introduction
Immigration has been a hotly contested topic for many years. Many people, especially in developing nations, want to move to developed countries like the United States to seek better ways of livelihood and better-paying jobs. However, the traditional way of being registered as a migrant is long and tiresome and ends up denying numerous persons the opportunity to move to the US. As a result, innumerable persons opt to use dubious and illegal methods to get to the states. Vargas was born in the heart of the Philippines to a poor single mother and then sent to live with family in the United States at twelve years old in hopes of finding greater economic freedom and the chance to provide financial support for his family back at home. As a young man, Vargas witnessed his grandparents hard work as they sent money back home to their less fortunate relatives who were experiencing economic depression. While immigration has been happening since time immemorial, undocumented immigrants still face countless challenges, such as language barriers, prejudice, isolation, cultural differences, and unequal employment opportunities. This essay highlights the plight of undocumented immigrants, basing its arguments on the film, Documented by Jose Antonio Vargas.
Language barriers and prejudice
First, immigrants face language barriers as well as prejudice. With Jose starting school, he became very confused as to why he sounded different than the majority of the students. He was very insecure with how he spoke compared to everyone around him. He started to watch American movies in order to construct a more American accent. Id compare Jose with Panchito because they both taught themselves how to develop their brain on their own. Not only is he smart, but he is successful. During one of his interviews, when that guy started to interrogate him about how those people should go back to their home, Jose explains that he pays his taxes and was raised in America (Vargas, 2017). The guy then quickly changes his attitude about what he was saying. I couldnt be in the closet about two things at once, is what Jose says in one of his speeches to a crowd full of students. In order to get out of one of them, he spoke up a junior year in history class about being gay. It seemed more comfortable at the time, but now the ability to marry will be challenging. Not only that, but his grandparents did not take it well. His grandmother became very angry, and Jose, obviously disappointed, moved out.
Living in the shadow
Second, undocumented immigrants do not have any legal paper to demonstrate, they have to live in the shadow, but they still have to pay bills and taxes to get legal resident status. According to Jose Antonio Vargas, whose video is Documented, In 2000, undocumented people like me paid $11.2 billion in taxes. Most Americans prejudge, Undocumented immigrants are unproductive people who live depending on governmental subsidization, and cannot support themselves. Jose wants to oppose that he and the undocumented immigrants are not useless, and they still have to work hard to pay taxes for government, not spongers in some of Americans thought. This personal story of one undocumented immigrant shows that Jose had to work under the table to get less than the standard way and pay the other expenses (Vargas, 2017). Well into his teenage years, Vargas learns of his status as an undocumented immigrant following an unexpected encounter involving his forged documentation. Shocked at the news, he begins to live, as he describes, a life of fear and paranoia brought about by a fear of being sent back to the Philippines. Eventually, he attends college and becomes a successful journalist. Vargas becomes a regular contributor on news media conglomerates such as CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News. Soon, he wins a Pulitzer Prize for his work in journalism. However, throughout much of his life, the secret Vargas has carried with him begins to eat at him, and he decides to expose himself as an undocumented immigrant. He soon faces an onslaught of criticism, prejudice, and calls for deportation as he begins his activist campaign in the United States. The film continues by following Vargas as he hopes to challenge widespread stigmas of both undocumented and documented immigrants of the United States.
Isolation
Third, immigrants face isolation. The scene where Jose is having a Skype conversation with his mother, who still lives in the Philippines and whom he has not seen since he was twelve, is extremely sad. It isnt surprising, but the scene is overwhelmingly powerful and has the strength to move. Is the reason he cant visit his mother because he fears he would be unable to return? If so, is his love to be with his mother not enough to go to the Philippines and live where he was born? He probably thinks about these things every day, and it is crazy to me how many laws and regulations still stand today. When Jose found out his green card was fake, everything was very confusing to him. He realizes his life is practically a lie, and the people who care about him most and who have brought him up to have lied to him his whole life. As a teenager, I would also lose my trust in my guardians (Vargas, 2017). At least he has something to fall back on, like education, and says, School was my second home. He eventually realized his skills for journalism and described it as writing my way to become a citizen.
Cultural differences
Fourth, undocumented immigrants face cultural differences. One moment in the film accurately represents popular stereotypes of immigrants in the United States. When speaking at a high school about his status as an undocumented immigrant, Vargas asks a class what comes to mind when they picture an immigrant in their head. One student says that most people would think of an individual from Mexico. Vargas agrees with this remark, then shocks the class when he reveals his immigration status to them (he had not announced his immigration status to the public by this point in the film.) Through this, Vargas does well to expose the United States to immigrants who challenge prejudice and racist ideas of immigration, showing himself as a real-world representation of the American Dream in the United States. Starting from nothing, Vargas journey through America ended with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalistic career, all while an undocumented immigrant of the United States.
A significant deterrent to immigration reform is the bigotry of the descendants of yesterdays illegal immigrants. Many Americans simply dont want foreigners coming into their country. This is ironic considering America, the country nicknamed the melting pot, was a country built on immigration. A lot of xenophobic views stem from ignorance. During the movie, people at a Mitt Romney rally were asking Vargas why he wont become a legal citizen. They had no idea that there was no way for Vargas to do so. They were also surprised to find out that Vargas does pay taxes and is a successful journalist for the New York Times. Many Americans have negative connotations towards illegal immigrants because they make judgments based on prejudices. They generalize all undocumented immigrants as lazy and on welfare when thats not the case. There needs to be more education and awareness about undocumented Americans lives, so the misconception about them disappears, making way for an America ready to accept comprehensive immigration reform.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the film does an effective job of representing undocumented immigrants life and hardships in the United States. The films themes included said difficulties, the challenges of prejudice, and the harmful intention of the phrase illegal alien. As an immigrant, Vargas represents how the American Dream is fulfilled every day in the lives of undocumented Americans throughout the country. Laws cannot be based on emotion. Immigration laws cannot be based on who has family in the United States versus who doesnt, or who is skilled enough to come into the country versus who is not. Its too complicated. That is why amnesty for all law-abiding undocumented Americans is the answer, along with a more accepting process for entry into the country legally and a more secure border. Immigration is a core American value, and we should stop ignoring the fact that we are a country of immigrants.
Reference List
Vargas, J. A. (2017). Documented. Film Movement LLC.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.