Interview Analysis
Lindsey martinez
I
It is hard to believe that someone would not come to this country for economic reasons. Most of the migration stories deal with the ever so common theme of “in search for a better life.” Jesus’s story is not like most immigrant stories. His journey to the United States was not based on a dream for a better life. Nor did he struggle in his journey to get here.
One of the main points Jesus kept emphasizing was the fact that it was different for him. He mentions how his journey was easy and how he went through things differently than most migrants. We often hear the stories of people crossing illegally; there are many stories of death and hardships. Then there are tales of waiting years to get approved for residency. Jesus’ case was very much different. It seemed to me that he wanted me to know although his migration was easy, his story is rare.
It was not surprising to find out that Jesus experienced discrimination. With the many stories of migration comes many stories of prejudice and discrimination. The author of New Pioneers in the Heartland, made the case of discrimination, prejudice, and racism of the Hmong very apparent. Although the Hmong were refugees they still experienced discrimination. Jesus case was much the same. He believed it was due to his accent and ethnicity that he experienced prejudice.
I found it interesting that Jesus did not display an interest in returning back to his homeland. I have heard and read many stories of immigrants wanting to eventually return home. As mentioned in the book In and Out of Morocco, Moroccan immigrants dream of returning back home for retirement. This is also a likely dream for many other immigrants as well. It may be that Jesus's situation is different. As he mentions he has spent most of his life here in the states. Like he mentions, all he knows is here in the United States, his family and his home.
Jesus also mentioned the issue of his culture which I also found to be quite interesting. According to Jesus he feels like the culture he holds is different from the culture of his parents. He attributes this to generational changes as well as his influence by family in the U.S. This issue was discussed in the book Voyages. The author discussed the cultural differences from the migrant generation to the American generation and the changes in cultural traditions. Jesus acknowledges cultural differences.
The idea of transnationalism, that stems from the article Transnationalism: A new Analytic Framework for understanding Migration, fits in well with Jesus. Transmantionalism defines a migrants link their native country and their country of settlement. Although Jesus has no desire to move back permanently to the United States he still speaks of visiting and going out there for a while. Also, just in the way he professes his love for his country and culture goes to show that he keeps his culture alive.
There are many theories as to the push and pull factors associated with migration flows into the U.S. Sassen, author of “Why Migration” mentions that people migrate as an outcome of economic, political and social issues. When Jesus migrated into this country in the early 1980’s Mexico was experiencing a peso devaluation. This economic crisis may have well contributed to his decision to leave for the United States.
Although Jesus journey may not be your typical immigrant story, there is still a lot to learn from his story. Not only does his story represent an alternate view of migration but his story also gives us insight into many common migrant issues. It is with Jesus story that we can see the similarities and differences in migrant journeys and migrant stories of settlement.