Ethnic Enclaves: Instrumental or Detrimental?

As immigration to the United States increases in the 21st century, immigrants (legal and illegal) arriving in America face many obstacles when transitioning into the American way of life. Because of the current economic crisis, unemployment rates have risen for immigrants from 4.7% to its new high of 7.3% in 2008. Although unemployment is an obstacle, they face issues such as ethnic prejudice, the constant fear of deportation, and wage discrimination. The latter, is an important indicator as to where these people will live. Due to the fact that most immigrants come to this country seeking financial stability, they are limited in the prospects from which to choose from when dealing with housing accommodations. Low-wage employment keeps Latinos from making independent decisions and forces them to make the choice less choice to live in ethnic enclaves. Ethnic enclaves become the final destination for most immigrants. These communities are close-knit and they also work as support groups for those that are new to this country. They are spiritual, socially, and economically motivated in helping the surrounding communities. Ethnic enclaves work not only as a security blanket for most, but they also work against the community and shield them from progressing. Assimilating and or integrating into America culture becomes that much harder. While some see ethnic enclaves as a positive transitional phase, opponents argue that ethnic enclaves limit immigrants both socially and occupationally. They are trapped and segregated in these societies, leaving them to stay in what once was considered a transition into American society. Integration and assimilation is the movement of an incoming group away from segregated immigrant communities into the residential areas of the dominant group, a pattern that has received much attention in recent demographic analysis. Due to influx of immigrants to the U.S. over the last fifty years; the issue of residential integration has become a heated topic. In America, Mexican-American immigrants show signs of successful and unsuccessful residential integration because they choose to live in ethnic enclaves. So while some argue that the decision to live in ethnic enclaves are economically based, others would have you believe that is is strictly a personal choice. Although ethnic enclaves can be a positive transition into American life, they become less productive when they are used as permanent living arrangements as opposed to a transitional phase.

Because there is sufficient research and literature on the living arrangements and assimilation of Mexican-American immigrants, we are able to track these ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles and its connection to social and cultural assimilation. Mexican immigrants reside in these communities because they want to feel more comfortable and build long lasting social ties. Many enclaves provide the resources and support necessary for successful transitions into American society. These enclaves are called “zones of transition, in that newcomers use the established ethnic networks in their adjustment to the new society. Residents of the neighborhood form close relationships with the “newcomers” which in turn makes them feel welcomed and appreciated. This provides the residents with opportunities for networking and better employment positions. There are also other benefits of these enclaves, such as the fact that they help Mexican immigrants become part of the new community and economy. In short, these types of communities provide a beneficial and facilitating transition for immigrants arriving to the U.S.
There is a drawback, because of the lack of residential integration most immigrants fail to experience cultural and social awareness. Due to the fact that these societies have large portions of its inhabitants that are immigrants there is a certain amount of outside discrimination. When growing up under these conditions, this may trigger a reactive process, where parental culture becomes a symbol of pride against external threats. When there is little and or no contact with the cultural outside their realm, these ethnic residential boundaries prevents immigrants and their children from becoming acculturated and accustomed to basic American culture. All of this usually leads to the formation of an oppositional culture, developing a deep sense of pride and preference to their own nationality. This makes them more likely to also “stick to their own kind”.

Furthermore, ethnic concentration in certain neighborhoods causes a lack of social interaction which breeds hostility and social resistance from the dominant group. These clearly segregated residential boundaries yield detrimental effects for social relations between those living in and outside of the enclave. Ethnic enclaves limit access between members of different groups, thereby discouraging social contact. This all leads to both physical distance and social isolation. This failure to residentially and socially assimilate leads to hostile reactions from the dominant society. Immigrant enclaves thus increase the permanence of minority groups, which in turn, gives rise to social psychological reactions on the part of the dominant groups. The dominant group my now feel threatened because of the great concentration of the racial groups. Consequently, the ignorance and funneled vision of the dominant members of society will cause them to discriminate against Mexicans and not welcome social integration. Research literature has also been conducted on racial conflicts in the U.S. Here, there also exist a lack of social interaction; they are instances of in your face discrimination. They can no longer be viewed as aberrations or isolated incidents, but rather are indications of unresolved racial issues in the community and society as a whole. Thus, Los Angeles only serves as a small context in observing this world-wide problem of racial tension and cultural ignorance. Because of the before mentioned, greater alienation and isolation are constant dilemmas that people of ethnicity face. These are all issues that immigrants face when coming to the “land of opportunity”. One such issue is, “sociocultural alienation” this can explain some of the behavior and decision making process that leads to segregation by the immigrants.

Alongside the discussion of social estrangement in these small communities, the sense of belonging to a greater good always comes into play. A person’s relationship to people around them also determines his or her level of social integration in the world around them. The degree in which all people impact these immigrants determines the feeling of acceptance, support and encouragement that will be needed to bring about the feeling of belonging. Therefore, the more social interaction exists between immigrants and the people outside their own confined society, the more likely it is that they will feel supported and will remain here in the United States. However, this social interaction is not just limited to those in their nucleus of people around them but to the general population. Should immigrants feel welcomed and accepted, whether it is by peers, people around their community and or the world at large? In the end it is important that they are integrated into this culture because it is important that they feel well welcomed into this society despite of the fact that they are immigrants. Ethnic subculture is needed since it is much more difficult for a minority to feel accepted by the larger campus community. Thus, enclaves that are in Los Angeles and for that matter anywhere in the U.S., are necessary means for social interaction among humans as a whole. We must all want to promote a cultural involvement while promoting a cultural involvement and a strong support group. These resources enable ethnic people, specifically Latinos, to feel more comfortable in new surroundings, and in the end this makes immigrants more successful and better equipped to take on the world.

Collegiate Education: Undocumented Dreams

The importance of education from a four year institution can never be underestimated. I can't imagine where I would be if the opportunity to pursue higher learning at a university, specifically, the University of Southern California wasn't available. Once I graduate, the doors that will be opened to me because I have earned a college degree will be limitless. With the economy in its present state, and the job market being as competitive as it ever has been, I am comforted because I will be armed with a bachelor's degree that will make it easier to find a career. The friendships and professional relationships I establish in college will help me to step into a career and not some job that pays me minimum wage, or worse, a job I hate. The possibility to pursue the “American Dream” is what every citizen and non-citizen strives for. Even though I am not a citizen of the United States, I do have legal residency to work, live, and pursue an education. I have lived in America for the last twenty one years and I do not know of any other home. Because I come from an improvished background, I was compelled to apply for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA). Without financial assistance, there is no way I would have been able to afford to attend any university, yet alone a private one. The grants that I have been fortunate enough to receive through the school and government agencies have made it possible to follow my dream. This being said, I must speak about the requirements when applying for Federal financial aid. The government mandates that you have some form of legal residency in the U.S. Without any proper documentation, there is no financial assistance, and here is where the problems lies. Many undocumented students are attending and graduating high schools all across America but because they hold no legal residency in the United States, they have no real prospects of ever attending four year institutions. As the law-school bound writer of "Round-up..." put it, "We are left to wonder, what if". She is reluctant to identify herself because of her "illegal status", but she is quick to point out that she has graduated from college and holds a masters degree which she is unable to use. The sacrifices that she has had to make to pay for her own tuition out of her own pockets are staggering, it is amazing that she was able to further her academic career without any assistance. Luckily, I was able to show my legal status and thus received the aid that opened the path for me to continue my education. Other students today aren’t as blessed, they are undocumented an therefore can't participate in what it means to be a citizen, including in its educational realm. They are here through no fault of their own, these men and women have attended and graduated from high schools in the U.S. The "illegals" hope to have the same opportunity to join the ranks of a college student, but for this section of society there will be no going on. They are stopped in their tracks, for them there is no assistance. At a point in my life I was just like them, an undocumented student. The very thought of not being able fulfill my potential and to go after my dreams saddens me. I have found two posts that further illustrates the constant struggles that these students face on a daily basis. They are forced to confront the reality that they may not be able to pursue their education and much worse, the threat of deportation. The first post, ”Round-Up-What is up in the DREAM Act blogosphere?” is written by an unknown writer, the second, “ Immigrant College Grad’s in limbo, Can’t get Jobs” is written by Daniel Gonzalez who again wishes to remain anonymous for fear of deportation. Through an interview he conducted with "Guillermo", he stated that, "It stinks having an education and not being able to use it", when asked about his college degree. Both of these posts advocate for the passage of the Dream Act, a proposal that would have helped many college bound students who are of  AB540 status, my comments in response can be read either by clicking on the links to the actual websites or viewing them below. 

“Round-Up-What is up in the DREAM Act blogosphere?”
Comment

I first want to emphasize how hard it is to find updated and relevant information regarding undocumented students pursuing education beyond high school, secondly, I want to thank you for taking the time to bring such an important topic to the consciousness of America. Your post is both a mixture of facts and insight into what undocumented students face in their everyday lives. They face the prospect of not being able to afford tuition, while at the same time the possibility that if they are discovered to be of illegal status, deportation is all but expected. According to your post, there are thousands of undocumented students that gradu

ate with diplomas from four year institutions and are unemployed. They have no real hope for the future and are left in limbo because of their status. These people lack proper documentation to apply for the very careers that they went to the four year institutions for in the first place. Undocumented university grads are forced to take on low paying jobs that don’t require a college education. They struggle to pay back the loans that they acquired throughout their undergrad careers. Again, there are many undocumented students out there that do not recognize their rights, and more often than not they are intimidated by all the propaganda out there discouraging them to look for help because of the fear of deportation. Another issue that you brought up in your post was the fact that government agencies were conducting raids in worksites that they believed "illegals" were being employed. The government does not realize that they aren't just deporting a person (see right), but in  actuality, the bread winner in the family, the father, a mother, and sometimes the brother and or sister. Your post included information on the federal DREAM Act, which would allow students brought illeglly to this country the ability to gain legal status in order to collect Federal Financial Aid and eventually lead to citizenship. You call for President Obama’s administration to take a stand and vote in legislation that will help the undocumented youth of America. I specifically love the way you incorporated people’s posts with your own. Your blog is also a great resource for current information regarding legislation or the lack thereof for undocumented students. The links that you supplied were really helpful in understanding the full story. My questions revolve mostly on the non-passage of the DREAM Act, where do we go from here? Is the bill really dead in congress and or is there a possibility that Obama will somehow reintroduce the legislation to make it a law? In the end I commend you for going out on the limb and informing us and allowing each individual to make up his or her mind when it comes to such a contested subject.

“ Immigrant College grad’s in limbo can’t get jobs”

Comment

I want to first take the opportunity to thank you for your post, I believe that immigration legislation should be more of a priority in the current administrations agenda. It took me awhile to find your post but after reading it I was astonished to find that (as stated by your post) there was estimated to be 1 million undocumented students between the ages of 5 and 25 in the United States. That is a staggering number, and it alone stands as proof as to why we need to make changes to the current system before it gets to the "point of no return". The most shocking element of your post was to find out that ASU founded a "special program" to make sure that undocumented students receive the same opportunity that men and women with "papers" received to attend college. The problem is that this program has run out of money and can no longer continue without governmental help. Carmen Cornejo director of Cadena, (a local grass roots group) pushing for the DREAM Act, when asked what she thought of the current lack of immigration legislation responded, "It is petty. When someone tries to rise from the ground up we try and squash them". I was astonished that young men and women were graduating top of their class with honors in engineering and still could not get their careers started because they did not have legal residence (see left). Again, immigration reform has fallen out of the public realm and as far as it being a priority, it is not. The reason that students remain unemployed is that legislation is taking to long, we need to realize that this section of society only wishes to become a productive and inspirational citizens. DREAM Act, had promised students the chance to become legalized if they either served in the armed forces or completed some college. But the legislation stalled in congress (2001) and has yet to see the light of day again. Perhaps one of the problems that DREAM Act faces today is the current state of the economy, but we need to realize by creating jobs and productive people we are in turn helping the common wealth of the U.S. With so many Americans out of work, many fear that if this legislation bill is passed it would only further hinder “Americans” in the workforce.There are opponents that believe that immigrants shouldn't gain legalized status or for that matter any help with tuition. They argue that this would only take away jobs that were meant for Americans in the first place. They also go on to say that if we make an exception for them, it will inspire other to come to America illegally thus producing more problems with illegal immigration. Undocumented youths will continue to face harsh realities if legislation is not changed, the fact is that because they are without "papers", they are not guaranteed a career after college or for that matter not even a dead-end job. Daniel states, " They are doing jobs that are not related to their education or degrees, that is the sad part of all this". Daniel, I am curious, what do most of the undocumented students do to prepare themselves for the realities of their situation? Do you see a solution to not only the problem of undocumented students already here in the United States but to illegal immigration as a whole?

Racial Profiling: Living While Brown

Discrimination, prejudice, and racism are all part of the American fabric. On the other hand, so too are concepts of equality, tolerance, and the freedom to pursue happiness despite one’s spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, and national heritage, a part of American society that holds true today within the Latino population. Latinos are told that all citizens are equal under the law and hold the same fundamental civil rights. However, if this is true, why are we disproportionally convicted of crimes based upon our ethnicity? According to the ACLU, racial profiling can be defined as “ the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for the suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin." Within nearly all diverse communities incidences of racial profiling have become routine. For example, in New York city there is a fear of walking while “Brown" (this might happen, see right). The police department has a reputation for enforcing tactics they commonly refer to as “stop and frisk” based solely on the color of one’s skin. The practice is indisputable and it is unfortunately a reality for the city's residents. While Blacks comprise 25.6 percent of the City’s population they represent approximately 50 percent of all traffic stops. Hispanics account for 23.7 percent of the population, yet constitute 33 percent of all cars pulled-over within NYC. This argument is only bolstered when one considers that although 43.4% of the city is Caucasian, they constitute only 12% of all traffic investigations. The type of tactics employed by the NYPD are not isolated to the East Coast, but can also be seen here in Los Angeles. Regardless of location, racial profiling is a common form of discrimination and police misconduct. Although serving as a law enforcement officer in a diverse population is extremely difficult, the presence and tolerance of racial profiling across America is unacceptable and preventive means must be adopted to curb this discriminatory practice.

Police stations all over the country are being accused of some form of racial profiling, in a recent article, it was reported that the ACLU held the LAPD responsible for more than 810,000 field stops between 2003 and 2004, with most of the stops consisting of either the black or Latino population. As stated by Amnesty International USA, the truth about racial profiling is that approximately "32 million people in all" are exposed to this type of discrimination. What is more astonishing is the spectrum of ethnicities that are subjected to racial profiling, which include, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, an many more people of ethnic backgrounds including immigrants and visitors to this country. Racial profiling allows for the the harassed to be victimized by the system twice. They first must endure the initial questioning of the officers and prove their right to be in the U.S. and secondly, their treatment by the officers that will likely lead to being physically brutalized. In the end this ever- growing disconnect between the community and law enforcement agencies that are there to protect them. Another realm in which racial profiling can clearly be seen involves our borders. Border Patrol agents in Lake Elsinore are pressured into reaching their arrest quotas, and are therefore encouraged to single-out Latino men. They often harass and interrogate the individual while assuming that he or she is an “illegal,” convicting them based upon their ethnicity. What ever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? One particularly revealing incident can be found at PE.com where Luis Espinoza, a U.S. citizen, was randomly puled over for not yielding at a stop sign. After confirming his citizenship, he was let go without any further incident or explanation regarding why he had been pulled over in the first place. These allegations come not only from within the community, but from ex-border patrol agents themselves. In one interview, former patrol agent Tony Plattel was quoted as saying that, “pressure to increase arrests that started in December of 2007 caused agents to randomly question Latinos who they believed (see left) looked like recently arrived immigrants." Further, he went on to say that, “he never saw an agent question non-Latinos.”

More and more Hispanic males are being harassed under false "pretenses.” For instance, they might “fit the description” of the suspects. These occurrences are only encouraged through the use of “special” gang units in Los Angels entrusted to “protect and serve” the communities. In reality they do more harm than good and alienate the population. Ultimately, police officers are more likely to stop Hispanic and Black residents than they are white residents. As a consequence of this are invoked personal memories of “driving while brown,” as I myself have been witness to this type of racial profiling. When confronted with the issue of the rise in racial profiling cases, an LAPD spokesman, “had no immediate comment."To every side of a story there is a counter story, and the LAPD rejects any and all findings of racial profiling by officers. In an article in the L.A. Times, high ranking LAPD officials dispute the study and instead confirm that more Latinos were being stopped and searched but in no way was this racial profiling. Police Chief William J. Bratton was quoted as saying, “We live in am imperfect world. There are many issues and questions for which unfortunately there are no perfect answers. This issue of bias and racial profiling is one of those issues”. He went on to state, “I have a lot of concerns about their conclusions. This department does not engage in racial profiling”. One of the main problems that Police Chief Bratton had with the Ayres’ report is that it did not take into consideration all the circumstances that come into play when an officer executes a routine stop. The ACLU countered that argument by pointing out that the Ayres’ report did in fact take this into account.

Although I would love to say that New York and Los Angeles are the only major cities where racial profiling is out of control, this of course would be untrue. As recently as February 10, 2009, both San Francisco immigrants and legal residents claimed that racial profiling and police brutality were occurring without any supervision by high standing officials in the SFPD. There are allegations that people are getting pulled over, handcuffed, and humiliated in front of their loves only to be let go if they can prove that they have legal residency. Although the SFPD claims that they spend countless hours training their police officers on the proper way to pull over and stop individuals, one can not help but think if it is time to stop counting the hours dedicated to these programs and actually start supervising them with some form of community based organizations. Whether in the East or West Coast, racial profiling is a problem that law enforcement has long tried to ignore. Throughout this post I have indicated the negative impact discriminatory practices have on the relationships between citizens and officers. One of the solutions that may help relations between the two parties involved may be to integrate new training programs assisting our police officers in becoming more sensitive and better equipped to deal with the communities in which they work. If this does not work, we could enact harsher penalties for those who are found guilty of denying civil rights regardless of citizenship and or immigration status. Overall we need to have independent agencies (watch dog groups) investigating allegations of racial profiling and at the same time we must police law enforcement not only as communities but as individuals too.