What Can You Discover in San Diegos Cultural DNA?

The Annotated Bibliography

How does the life of an undocumented migrant worker compare to that of a citizen?
What are the ethical issues behind illegal migrant workers in San Diego?
Dornsife: San Diego USC. Web. 7 Nov. 2014

This is a study conducted by the University of Southern California about the amount of
immigrants in San Diego, their socioeconomic standing and their impact to the culture here in
San Diego. The general amount of immigrants living in san diego is approximately 698,000,
comprising 23% of the total population. About 76% of all immigrants have arrived since 1980,
with 24% arriving in the last decade. San Diegos immigrant population is largely comprised of
Mexican immigrants (47%), a group that has grown in the past two decades. They state how the
closeness of the border has made San Diego a hostile region towards immigrants. Regardless,
91% of the 78% of immigrants in the workforce are employed, with only 9% unemployed. This
brings to question the reasoning behind the hostility towards those working for San Diego.
Replogle, Jill. Labor Trafficking of Undocumented Migrants Rampant In San Diego.
KPBS, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2014

In this article, the author states that one out of three unauthorized immigrants working in San
Diego is a victim of labor trafficking. Not only that, but also that labor trafficking in San Diego
county is mostly made up of unauthorized spanish speaking migrant workers. The forms of
unfairness that migrant workers experience range from lack of sleep or adequate food to being
threatened with deportation. It is also very common for the workers to not receive the job they
had been told they'd be given and being payed less than promised. Because they are viewed as
criminals for lack of documentation, a lot of these abuses are never reported.

Berestein, Leslie. Highway Safety Sign Becomes Running Story on Immigration. UT-San
Diego, 10 Apr. 2005. Web. 9 Nov. 2014

This article talks about the iconic sign on Highway 5 that depicts a picture of a family running
across the freeway with the words CAUTION over them. It talks about the reaction from the
public this sign had and it talks about the way its even been turned into a souvenir image. What I
found most interesting about this article was when she states what the reasoning was behind
those who liked it and those who hated it,Some Latinos felt insulted by the faceless silhouettes,
which they found reminiscent of animal-crossing signs. Anti-illegal immigration advocates were
angry that a state agency would be trying to protect people who had broken the law. Some people
feared the signs would be misread as indicating safe places to cross. This article shines a light

on the culture around immigration and the way they are viewed by citizens. Its interesting to see
the way people react to them differently.

Fleming, Omari. Protesters Block Buses of Undocumented Immigrants in Murrieta. NBC,

2 Jul. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014

This article talks about a current issue that happened here in San Diego. Thousands of
immigrants crossed the border undocumented and there was no where for them to go, most of
them were children. As they were being taken to a immigration processing facility in southern
California, they were stopped by protesters who didn't want them there. Protesters said that this
crisis was a huge burden for border patrol officers and it was impeding their abilities to
effectively secure the border. The executive director of border angels argues that if we say we
are americas finest as we so often call ourselves, then this is the time to show it and welcome
the kids that are coming. This is a further study of how San Diegans react to immigrants and the
culture that surround the word.
Manson, Bill. Soon There Wont Be a Barrio Logan San Diego Reader, 30 Sep. 2009.
Web. 10 Nov. 2014

This article talks about Barrio Logan and how its being turned from a close knit community into
downtown and yet another expensive community in San Diego. It tells it from the the point of
view of a person the author met there, which makes it so it showcases what life is like there
firsthand. It talks about how its a lot like Mexico. Its not just about money, but culture,
language, history, outlook. This is relevant to my article because Barrio Logan is made up of a
lot of immigrants, some undocumented, and it is a community that is filled with history and hosts
many events in San Diego. This is an important community regardless of the documentation of
the people who live there.
Garske, Monica. Thousands Celebrate Chicano Park Day NBC, 21 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Nov.
2014

This article gave a specific number of people who attend Chicano Park Day, an important
celebration hosted in Chicano Park in Barrio Logan that celebrates the heritage of Chicanos. This
is a huge event that 30,000 to 40,000 thousand people attend every year. I talk about this event in
my article because it shows how present mexican culture is in San Diego and how many of the
events that take place here are led by people who are of another country's heritage. This is also
where a member of this event was interviewed and he said It feels like [Chicanos] are being
recognized in this society. Which in a sense is what my whole article is about. The recognition
of immigrants.
Cook, Roy. Untitled Independent. Unknown. Web. 11 Nov. 2014

This website was a short overview and history of Chicano Park day and the dances that you see
at the event, specifically the Aztec dances. I used this in order to get a deeper understanding of
the dances and of the history and importance of Chicano Park day. It gives a very clear image od
what the dancing is like and what it represents, which was very interesting to read about because
although I went and watched the dance for myself, there is a lot of it that I just didn't understand
because I don't know enough about it and what they believe. This helped to clear some of that
confusion up and explain the history behind a lot of the dance.

Bray, Ilona. Who Is an Undocumented Immigrant? Nolo Law for All. 2014. Web. 9 Nov.
2014

This was an informational website that defined what is considered an undocumented immigrant.
It gave an estimate of how many undocumented migrants live in the US and an estimate of how
much it costs to deport just one person. This proved helpful because after reading this I could
better explain what I meant when I said undocumented migrant in my essay. By being able to
define that properly and accurately, I believe it helped make my essay more professional and
trustworthy. It also helped me to further prove my point of how inconvenient it would be to
deport all those who are living here illegally by giving an actual figure of how much it costs to
deport.

Sacchetti, Maria. The Unforgotten The Boston Globe. Unknown Date. Web. 14 Nov. 2014

This article talks about the sad stories of those attempting to cross the border illegally. It talks
about how they get lost and it gives a couple numbers about those who attempt to cross and
never make it. This puts it all into a perspective that makes you think twice about whether or not
the way they are being treated is fair. This helped to make my article better because it further
supports my main idea of how unfair it is to criminalize people because of lack of
documentation.
Unknown. Secure Enough The Economist. 22 Jun. 2013. Web 14 Nov. 2014

This article talks about how important and helpful immigrants are to our economy and how by
working on getting them papers rather than deporting them could help the overall economy of
the country by billions of dollars. This further helps me make a point of the importance to accept
that this country runs smoothly thanks to immigrants and we would not be the same without
them. They are an incredibly important culture that brings good to the country and they should
be treated as such.