Immigration is a political conflict that seems to transcend through the history of the United States. America used to be seen as an open door to start a new life. As the population and government grew, more laws have been put in place to restrict immigration. This conflict was mentioned in the introduction with a poem “Unguarded Gates” written by Thomas Bailey Aldrich. The first stanza of the poem describes America as a land full of opportunity, with lush landscapes and dreams accomplished. The poem ends up second guessing America’s unguarded gates. It describes the people entering as a “motley crew” with “tiger passions, here to stretch their claws.” If America is a land of freedom and opportunity, why is Aldrich dehumanizing the immigrants who have come for a better life? Shouldn’t everyone have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams? The text had an illustration on page 19, which was very striking to me. The illustration depicted a concerned looking statue of liberty with an overcrowded Staten Island obtaining the title of “Immigrant Dumping Site.” I know for a fact my great grandfather Peder Larsen was not simply “dumped” at Staten Island. He had a goal in mind for his life in America and was not a just stagnant immigrant. “Unguarded Gates” and “The Proposed Emigrant Dumping Site” shine immigration in such a negative light. Today, immigration is still viewed in this negative light. There are people today that think immigrants are taking away jobs, not stimulating the economy and think they shouldn’t even have been allowed to come to America. This is especially a hot topic in Texas and other southern states because they share borderlines with Mexico. The United States has made it incredibly hard for an immigrant to obtain a visa or even legally be in the country that many are being smuggled over the border. This problem of illegal immigrants could be solved if America relaxed some of the immigration laws.
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