SUMMARY

Connotations of “Other”

Throughout their essay, “How Immigrants Become ‘Other,”’ Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco and Carola Suárez-Orozco display what risks and stereotypes are put on immigrants in America. Both authors come from college education jobs as Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco is a chancellor at the University of Massachusetts and Carola Suárez-Orozco is a professor of psychology and human development. They go into depth about various stories that exemplify how immigrants in America are always at risk of deportation and persecution. Overall the essay shines a light on why it’s important for U.S. citizens to understand what is going on with “illegal” immigrants.

Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco start by defining the term “illegal”: “No human being can be illegal” (66). In other words, no one should ever be labeled by their actions. Through negative labeling, Americans have created a “caste of untouchables,” the lowest rank of the United States (Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco 66). A caste system creates inequalities, stereotypes, and persecution amongst a group of people. Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco prefer the word “unauthorized” rather than “illegal” and “undocumented” to describe people.

Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco zoom in on stories revolving around people with unauthorized statuses who are trying to do better for others. The first story is about Sonia Martinez, who had to make better money for her children when she lost her husband to cancer. This caused her to move between borders with the help of coyotes, smugglers, she paid to take her illegally. She freely moved back and forth to see her children in Southern Mexico until 9/11 happened and borders were shut down. Making the trip difficult and too much of a risk for Sonia to see her children. Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco explain, “She has stayed behind a trap door on this side of the border and has not seen her children since then” (70).  Even though Sonia was stuck, the reward of a better life for her children was worth the loneliness in America.

The other aspect of unauthorized immigrants is the children they have in America. While not all immigrants’ children are citizens by birth, some unauthorized children grow up becoming Americanized by attending U.S. schools, making friends, and outright living in America for all of their lives. Even though this group becomes a part of the U.S. population the government outcasts the immigrant group causing families to have instability in housing and food. Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco state that immigrants have “deep structural roots in American institutions” (71) that are essential to the U.S. workforce. The economic system of America starts with immigrant labor which makes businesses thrive and households not fall apart. At the end of the day every undocumented immigrant has “work and fear [as] two constants” (Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco 72). If one is of illegal status they are always in danger of being ripped away from family at any moment through arrest or deportation.

COMMENTARY/RESPONSE

The Challenge Given

While reading “How Immigrants Become ‘Other,”’ I was presented with the reality of fear that unauthorized immigrants in America have to deal with. The cruelty and harsh conditions families put themselves in just to make life back home more manageable are heartbreaking. The story of Sonia Martinez gives me respect for what a mother would do for her children. Unfortunately, I have heard many stories like Sonia's of those who have been locked on the American side of the border, sacrificing their time with their children for the hope of a better life. Even in today’s more modern world, citizenship in America is a lengthy process taking at least eight years. I have heard, only one or two family members get full citizenship while others have to wait. The script gets flipped compared to Sonia's case, as you have family members who are legal citizens living in America while others are still stuck at the border desiring to get in. Everyone wants a better life and America is often an immigrant's first choice despite the discrimination.

Discrimination seems unavoidable, but in this essay, Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco do a good job of trying to make people aware while getting rid of stereotypes. The cruel component of how people use labels such as “illegal” towards immigrants is condensing whenever used. For me, the term illegal is to be avoided at all costs. In America, citizens often look to disregard the unwanted even though everyone is a fundamental part of our society. This is why we need to change the stereotype of unauthorized citizens and get them citizenship and the rights they deserve. Even when they get their citizenship, I believe the country needs to do a better job of accepting the new and realizing their importance to society. Immigrants don’t want to ruin American society but add to its economy, market, and workforce.

Overall I chose the essay, “How Immigrants Become ‘Other,”’ because the writing has broadened my scope of the injustice in America. I felt the story-based writing that Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco incorporated throughout the essay incorporated emotion which makes a stronger argument. Reading it gave me the opportunity to see many different perspectives on how Americans treat immigrants through many case studies. The main effect the essay had on me was how immigrants are essential to America yet we cast them out. With my new knowledge of inequality towards immigrants, I have to give myself the responsibility to help make a more just society.

Work Cited

Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo M. and Carola Suárez-Orozco.  “How Immigrants Become ‘Other.”’ 2012. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, edited by Gary Colombo et al.,12th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2022, pp. 65–74.