Reflections on Immigration and Democracy in the United States

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Reflections on Immigration and Democracy in the United States
Immigration has resulted in so many changes within different social settings and institutions, both to the hosting country and the immigrants themselves. With immigration comes exposure to rich culture, food, and a different outlook on the world. Immigration influences the dating scene, family, work, and education.
The dating scene has especially been influenced by immigration because people are curious about other cultures and want to experience what it feels to be in a relationship with someone from a different culture. Also, immigration has increased the dating pool, especially among people who are open-minded and not restrained by their cultural values.
For a majority of immigrants, moving to the U.S. usually marks the beginning of a new life and part of the new life involves dating. The dating scene in the U.S. allows people to freely express their sexuality and preferences without the societal reprimand experienced in a majority of other countries.
Immigration also facilitates intercultural marriages. The need to explore about other cultures does not stop at the dating stage. Immigrants in the past have married Native Americans, albeit for different reasons. For some, the marriage institution creates a perfect means of citizenship. In some way, this has made the marriage institution a commodity or a means to an end, contrary to what marriages are meant for.
In line to this, immigration has also affected families, both in the U.S. and in the home country. Immigrant families usually experience apprehension and anxiety once they settle in the new country. To assimilate into the culture of people in the new country, family values might get lost. Picture a teenage Muslim girl who wants to get rid of her Hijab because she wants to fit in with her new friends in school. Upon realization of her intentions, her parents’ reaction can cause friction between the family members. Assimilating into the American culture may lead to loss of some family values.
For immigrants in the U.S., Trump’s administration has been especially hard on families where children have been separated from their parents due to their illegal status. Children who are legal U.S. citizens end up witnessing the deportation of their parents who are illegally in the U.S., and this is a reality that is damaging the family unit.
The Trump administration has made an effort to eliminate this kind of marriages. One of the approaches towards curbing immigration has been on reducing entry into the U.S. in the name of marriage or blood relations.
Americans have always believed that immigrants contribute to a lack of employment and economic stagnation in the country. It has been revealed that immigrants have caused a reduction in the wages that Native Americans receive (Abramitzky and Boustand 1312). When immigrants come to the U.S., they do so in pursuit of the American dream, and upon arriving in the country, they take up any manual job on the offer, as long as they receive the minimum wage. This is especially the case when it comes to unskilled and low-skilled labor, given that most of the immigrants lack the certificatio...