Artifact 5: Illegal Immigrant Work

     When coming to the United States for work it can be extremely easy to find a job if you have your green card and legal documents, but if you come into America without either of those things, life can be extremely difficult when trying to obtain a job. If you come to America, illegally, and happen to land a job you most likely will be paired minimum wage instead of a full paying job. If you and your family are suffering from intense debt and you are completely broke, trying to find work illegally for minimum wage doesn't seem like a bad idea. In fact, it seems like a wonderful idea if it gives your family a better chance at life.

     In this article about illegal aliens taking U.S. jobs it explains how most of the illegal immigrants try to find work without their green card or any legal documents. An estimated 71.4% of illegal immigrants can get a job here, most getting paid the least possible. But, in the long run, coming to the United States and getting a job, with full risk of prison time, pays off because you are able to provide for your family with all the money you make and there is a possibility your family can join you in America. Overall, the smartest thing to do as an immigrant is to get your green card so you can legally work in America and get paid what you deserve.   

     In the book, The Distance Between Us, the Man Behind The Glass chose to migrate to the United States so that he can send his family money and he can try to build a beautiful new house for his family. Due to the lack in jobs in his home country, the father moves to America as an illegal immigrant and tries to find work but in the beginning it is very hard for him to land a job because he is an illegal alien. However, after a long time in search he job his job and his green card which can help him find a better and
higher paying job.
   

Artifact 4: Child Migration

     Before this year, children never crossed the border unless they were with there parent or guardian. In just this year alone, due to the Obama administration, over 57,000 minors have arrived and over $3.7 million were put toward this intense surge of emigrants. "The United States is ill-equipped to deal with the influx of child migrants" (Dara Lind). The main reason for this rising number of child migrants is because the United States offers a much better system of education and we have many jobs for minors starting at the age of 14. Here, we can offer more money a day than countries like El Salvador and Honduras offer in a week.

     
     Unfortunately, when young girls are migrating towards Texas from Central America undergo sexual assault and harassment, drug dealing, and violence. Another negative effect of child migration is once the child makes it to their destination, they don't know if they are being handed to their actual family but to a potential trafficker.

   
     In the book, Reyna and her siblings decide to go to America to have a better, more educated life. Once Reyna, Carlos, and Mago arrive in the United States they soon realize that El Otro Lado isn't as wonderful as they heard about. In fact it is completely opposite of what they thought. The hardest thing for Reyna to overcome was her inability to learn and speak english fluently. When "The Man Behind The Glass" tells Reyna to take advantage of everything America has to offer, especially education, it doesn't stop her determination to learn the language.

Artifact 3: Violence

     In many countries where migration is a large part of their community, one of the main reasons for it is due to violence and crime rates in their country.Violence is a growing pattern in many countries, especially in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Males of an age above 30 have a greater risk of homicide than males in their late teens. Noticing that facts contributes to one of the reasons for family migration. If, in your home country, one in every 280 males between the ages of 30-44 died because of a homicidal cause, would it make you considering migrating to a country were the rate is much lower and you know that you can survive
another day easily and provide for you family much safer?
   
     In many 3rd world countries, children and women suffer from traumatizing images of death, killings, narcotics and more. These unsettling events cause for many health issues in their future and just that alone cause people and families to want to migrate to a safer country where they know their loved ones will be protected all the time. The trip across the border is just an terrifying though, because every second that you are traveling you are risking putting you and your whole family in jail, possible rape and sexual harassment, and trafficking.
   
     In the Distance Between Us, Reyna and her siblings witness an almost fatal fight between her two uncles caused by alcohol. This event happened after her mother fled for America again, leaving her them all behind. Unfortunately, all of this was happening when Reyna was very young, so the thought of joining her mother and father in America hadn't even crossed her mind until later in her life.

Artifact 2: Ellis Island

Between 1892 and 1954, the number one place for a pit stop between your home and America was Ellis Island, known as the biggest immigration inspection station in the nation. Located in New York City, almost 12 million people came to Ellis Island as they made their way into America. Most of the immigrants who came to Ellis Island were from Europe, mostly because the Atlantic Ocean connects the two counties and that is the closest immigrant station.

Ellis Island

   
 The journey to Ellis Island alone was hard enough, with about 3000 people per boat, traveling there wasn't considered a luxury. Once you arrived on Ellis Island you couldn't just walk through the gates and into your new home. You had to go through hours of inspection and registry and more. The first step into freedom was immediate inspection, those who looked healthy enough could continue and the other had to wait on boats for a more in-depth inspection for diseases and other contagions. If you passed the inspection you walked into step two, getting your luggage inspected and registry. Registry was held in an enormous room where you were once again inspected, medically and legally. If you were an unmarried women or a person under 16 you were detained and sent home. If you had any signs of trachoma or other diseases you were set aside for further inspection. Once you have passed registry you move onto what was called "The Stairs of Separation." This is where you were categorized by your destination. If you were detained, you were put in the middle. If you were going north or towards New York, you were on the left and those going west and south were on the right side. From there, you continue onto "The Kissing Post," where those who can continue as an immigrant meet up with their loved ones and settle in Amerca.

Artifact 1: Why Do People Migrate?

     Why is more than half of the world considered an immigrant today? People become emigrants generally because their origin of country is suffering from poverty, over population, etc. Over 20% of immigrants move to the United States because we offer better living situations and jobs than their country. In the book The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, young Reyna suffers most her childhood living under horrible conditions because her mom and dad migrated to the United States to send money for her and her siblings to live. Unfortunately, that money wasn't spent on her and her family but on her caretaker, her grandmother.
 
     In the video, people explain why they migrated and what was given in the country they migrated to. Most of the reasons include poverty, better work opportunities, over population and more. Reasons why people migrate vary by place and time period. In the past, millions of people migrated because of depression in their country. That is still a large reason for migration, except now it is mostly for work in other countries. When people decide they want to migrate to another country, it isn't just an easy one way trip to paradise, its an intense and very scary ride across the border.

     In the book, Reyna explains El Otro Lado as a worry-free place, as most emigrants do. Poverty was the biggest issue for the Grande family and as a resolution their father fled to El Otro Lado and sent money back home but soon the mom joined them and the kids thought of themselves as orphans. Soon enough the children found themselves on the other side, experiencing a proper form of education and work. But the children find out that this place that seemed like heaven at one point isn't what it is cracked up to be.