Immigration has always existed in societies due to push and pull factors. People seek out better opportunities for themselves and their loved ones and if moving is the way to go about it that it what they will sacrifice in order to achieve their objectives. Immigration is how all Nations came to become their own nation by people leaving and establishing their own societies. In fact the United States is made purely of immigrants all over the world which is why it is known as the melting pot and why many immigrants sought their opportunity for their dreams to come true. A massive population that continues to immigrate to the United States is the people of Mexico, just south of the United States. Mexican migration has occurred in the United States ever since the U.S. became industrialized and had better opportunities for its workers. Even today, Mexican people still attempt to get to the United States because of necessity.
When my father first traveled to the United States he was 18 years old. He managed to get himself a passport which enabled him to get from Tijuana and enter 125 miles into the United States for 72 illegally. From there he traveled to California where he would send his passport back to Mexico so if immigration would get him he could redo it. It wasn't until 1987 when my father finally became a resident in the U.S. and eventually became a legal citizen. He had spent over 20 years working illegally in the U.S. When my father applied to become a resident he did it by proving that he worked his entire time here by using his income tax reports as evidence. My father endured many deportations and hardships but he said the most difficult part of being an illegal immigrant was changing his identity and not being able to tell anyone your true identity. Otherwise, you could get caught and deported. My father would move between California and Arizona until he finally made his way to Chicago Illinois where he brought my mother and had my sister, brother, and myself.
Many Mexican families look for this opportunity as well and some have similar success while others sadly do not. However it is still important to analyze how it is that these opportunities rose for them. An example could be found in 1942, when Mexico signed a treaty with the United States allowing for Mexican migration to the United States. Also, many times American Corporations would often hire Mexican immigrants for cheap labor, and that set off a chain of people who wanted to work to come to the U.S. This also meant that these labor jobs would need massive employees and since immigrants are the cheaper option, corporations choose them to do the labor as opposed to paying a citizen minimum wage. Corporations like Smithfield allowed for massive trade of pork to be made between the U.S. and Mexico, but more importantly hired Mexican workers.
Mexican immigrants come to the U.S. in order to seek better fortunes for themselves and their loved ones. The United States provided the means for massive amounts of immigrants to come into the nation and work and earn a living. However the controversy now is the numbers are beginning to worry the political figures and anger the working class claiming that immigrants are stealing jobs from Americans. It is why even now laws towards immigration are a very touchy subject and one that most political figures prefer to stay away from. However it is an issue that needs to be addressed because putting it off will solve nothing. I do personally feel that Mexican immigrants come to the U.S. with honest intentions and due to the current situation that is occurring in Mexico at the moment, however it is also very necessary for something to change in Mexico internally otherwise people will only seek to leave it.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-24/news/ct-oped-0225-krauthammer-20130223-2_1_legal-status-lawful-prospective-immigrant-immigration-bill
http://www.pbs.org/kpbs/theborder/history/timeline/17.html
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