Michael Sisk

5/9/17
Civics Period E
Immigration Stories

Story #1

Daouda is a woman originally from Mauritania who sought out a life in America to avoid

the economic and education downfalls of her birth country. As a young girl who was forced to

practice Islam, the religion of her nation, much of Daouda’s life was defined by obedience,

mainly to her parents and her god, Allah. This unwavering obedience led Daouda down the path

of living the life others chose for her rather than being able to make the decisions that best suited

her.

The main regret that Daouda is faced with as she currently lives in America is the fact

that she was never able to get a proper education. Back in Mauritania, the struggles of

maintaining income forced Daouda’s family to hold her back from attaining any education as

other children her age began to attend school. Daouda’s father was the main hindrance in her

quest to become educated as he felt that the idea of becoming educated was not important and

that selling at the market to make money was of the utmost importance. Due to the parental

obedience that coincides with the Islamic religion, her father’s choice was final, leading to

Daouda reluctantly remaining uneducated.

Daouda’s immigration to America finally occurred as her husband traveled there is search

of work. Once he was able to find a job and save enough money for his family to travel and live

in America as well, Daouda entered the United States. Although Daouda did not enter the United

States for work or schooling, her husband did which may make other Americans feel more likely
to accept the immigration. This also raises the issue as to whether or not Daouda and her husband

should be allowed to live in the United States as they are taking the jobs of Americans who are

legal to live her. Daouda later became a housekeeper at a hotel in their hometown of Seattle,

Washington. Although Daouda is not the typical American citizen, she has tried her best to

contribute and assimilate to American society which has lead to her children and grandchildren

living better lives in America.

Story #2

Emanuel was living in Jalisco, Mexico, yet felt that opportunities were running low for

him and his family. At the age of 34, Emanuel was injured and unable to continue playing soccer

in Mexico which meant that he needed to find a new source of income that would be able to

support his growing family. However, Mexico did not provide the economic and political

stability that Emanuel felt was optimal to further live in. These reasons along with greater

working opportunities led to Emanuel traveling to San Francisco as an immigrant.

Unfortunately, Emanuel was forced to leave his family back in Mexico temporarily as he

looked to gain more money to support them in San Francisco. Emanuel’s first job were in the

construction industry because options were very limited to him due to his illegal status in

America. Through his long work in construction, however, Emanuel was able to afford to bring

his family to San Francisco as well where they were able to leave the increasingly corrupt

Mexican government. Along with the issues with the Mexican government, other issues with

drug and human trafficking made the switch to America even more urgent.
 As an illegal immigrant, Emanuel had to struggle through low paying construction jobs as

many high-paying jobs will not hire people of illegal status. This meant that Emanuel had to wait

even longer to be able to pay for his family to enter the country. While Emanuel has not become

naturalized as of now, it would be of his best interest to become an American citizen as it will

open up many more opportunities for him and his family. Until then, Emanuel and his family

will continue to work hard and look to support themselves in their new country.

Story #3

An expecting father and his pregnant girlfriend made the decision that their child should

be born and raised in America so that it could be a legal citizen in America, not Mexico. This

plan was not completed without any obstacles, however, as the father was able to find very

limited work in America that resulted a series of odd jobs on a ranch just to pay for rent and

food. What was originally a plan to get a higher paying job than what was available in Mexico.

Eventually, the father and his new family was forced to move into his older brother’s

house in Texas as they had no steady place to live. Money was still fairly difficult to come by

and the child’s father began to dislike their situation in America. The streets where they lived

were not safe as there were still encounters with people who would jump people including the

father’s brother as they looked to still money and other possessions. Mexico was not a viable

option to return to, however, because this violence was even worse.

This story shows a scenario where immigration just to have a child become a citizen of

America may not always be worth the risk. Two parents looked to have their child become an

American citizen at all costs so that they could enjoy all of the rights and privileges that may not
be available in a country like Mexico. Unfortunately, this sacrifice resulted in years of economic

struggle and constant uncertainty of the future. Their sacrifice has led to what should be a more

comfortable life for the child, although, the present may not show so.