Running head: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S.

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UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 2
Abstract

The purpose of this research is to discuss and examine the question: How do

undocumented immigrants gain entry into the United States, and to what extent does their status

affect their future lives? The research focuses on the two main issues which are the methods of

entry and the life experience. Using qualitative analysis to address this problem, the researcher

decided to interview as a research method to obtain information about how these undocumented

immigrants entered the United States. Previous research has been focusing on the impact of

illegal immigrants in the United States. The total number of interviews done was ten. Four

interviews from the individuals who entered the United State through crossing the border and the

other four were from those undocumented immigrants who entered lawfully into the United

States but decided to overstay. The remaining two interviews were conducted with the American

Citizens who also gave their opinions concerning the undocumented immigrants. This research

tries to shed extra light on the issue of the lives of undocumented immigrants in the United

States. The research found that it does not matter how the undocumented individuals entered into

the United States when searching for jobs, what matters more are the legal documents that they

should be having. The researcher further discovered that both of these two groups of

undocumented individuals undergo the same criticism and discrimination at their workplace and

also struggle a lot to find a job despite their methods of entry.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 3
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Immigration into the United States has been an overwhelming and stressful process for

individuals who are planning to stay permanently in the state. There have been a large number of

unauthorized individuals entering the United States for a decade. Most people migrating into the

United States are from Latin and Hispanic countries. Since the 19th century, Latinos have been

consistently entering the United States without giving up so that they can stay permanently

(Warren & Kerwin, 2017: 124-136). They believe that there in the United States, they can obtain

a better life. Most of the Latin and Hispanic immigrants have been making an illegal movement

of struggling to enter the United States without having legal documents. This has become a big

and intense challenge to the U.S. as time goes by and it has raised a strong debate.

Undocumented immigration is a process of entering into the United States by violating the

migration laws. This includes those foreign individuals who have migrated unlawfully and those

who entered lawfully but they have overstayed.

Many immigrants constantly choose to leave their native countries trying to escape from

poverty by seeking higher wages and better employment opportunities. Many families also

immigrate to run away from the violence that is affecting their country and also to reunite with

their families who live in the U.S. They believe that being in United State, they can have a high

standard of living, and also their children can access education opportunities. A lot of immigrants

are not introduced to education and employment opportunities in their home countries. This

causes poverty for many families making the children join their parents in searching for food

rather than going to school (Margulies, 2018). This situation forces the families to try entering

the U.S. to search for a better life. They end up entering the U.S. without being documented but

also face a lot of challenges that are associated with being undocumented. Unfortunately,
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 4
undocumented immigrants do not receive the same advantages as the ones with legal documents.

Most of the illegal immigrants are criticized and abused hence making them struggle hard daily

(Warren & Kerwin, 2017: 124-136). They also undergo discrimination, humiliation and are

denied their freedom. This limits them from full filling their dreams of obtaining better life full

of opportunities.

Many immigrants decide to run from their home country because of the life they see

others having in the U.S. which is promising and desired. Therefore they hope to have the same

life. Many immigrants’ native countries are full of abuse and exploitation that puts barriers to

succeed in life. Those immigrants who had an opportunity to study and obtain their professions

in their home countries also try to enter the United States to do the common jobs (Warren &

Kerwin, 2017: 124-136). Most of the jobs these people do are like babysitting, cleaning homes,

constructions, and many other jobs that do not require proof of documents for identification.

These are the jobs that undocumented people can find and they cannot have high expectations of

being paid more than what they have been offered. They are forced to accept the jobs plus the

payment so that they can have something to depend on. This is because it will be difficult to find

any other job if they lose the ones they have.

In this research, there will be an interview of two groups of individuals to find out the

differences between the individuals who have permission but have overstayed and the ones who

illegally entered the United States without documents. There will be several interviews that will

focus mainly on the differences in job searching experiences these immigrants do face. Many of

the immigrants were forced to use fake identifications and social security numbers hence

becoming dishonest. This makes them stick to one job and do everything possible to avoid

presenting these false documents again inform of searching for another job (Margulies, 2018).
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 5
This situation makes them persevere the mistreatments and swallow their ego in order not to lose

their jobs and be sent back to their native countries. From this research, we will be able to

understand well how undocumented immigrants can access entry into the United States and how

their lives will be affected in the future by being illegal immigrants.

Literature Review

For decades, immigrants have continued to increase despite the policies and efforts the

United States has done to tighten its border. There are many different ways to enter the United

States. The first one is in form of visitors (Margulies, 2018). Visitors are those individuals who

entered into the U.S. with legal documents such as visas and decided to overstay hence becoming

undocumented foreigners in the country. They could have avoided the status of being

undocumented by returning to their native countries and deciding to come back again

(Fernández & Rodriguez, 2017: 536-537). But becomes difficult to go back after seeing better

opportunities in the U.S. and then decides to overstay and look for better jobs to do. These

individuals sacrifice their freedom and accept to overstay to search for green pastures. According

to (Margulies, 2018), 629,000 temporary visitors who visited the U.S. remained in the country

with expired visas. These individuals include business people and tourists. A report from the

Department of Homeland Security says that one percent of all visitors are foreign students who

have overstayed in the country with expired visas. Finally, about 2000 undocumented foreigners

managed to settle permanently in the United States while many of them are arrested just at the

border of the U.S language (Fernández & Rodriguez, 2017: 536-537).

According to United States immigrant policy, those people who come into the United

States as visitors, workers, or students are supposed to return to their native country after the

time they were allowed to stay has expired (Bucknor, 2016: 3-26).  But many of them have
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 6
ignored the rules and decided to stay due to the comfort they found in the U.S. Some of these

individuals may have relatives or friends in the country and decide to join them and get jobs and

finally become invisible. Others get married and become legal immigrants and then find decent

jobs that pay them well hence becoming successful. People believe that a lot of immigrants in the

United States are those individuals who have entered the country by crossing the border.

Research done by (Kerwin & Warren, 2017:124-136) shows that in the year 2014, a large

number of the immigrants who entered the United States are those who were accepted with their

Visa and decided to overstay. These individuals take advantage of the invitation and the

permission offered to them and use that offer to overstay in the United State. Some of them

become fortunate enough because they are wanted by the U.S. government but still decide to stay

and keep the mentality of residing in the U.S.

Those individuals who have decided to leave their home countries to come to the U.S.

have introduced some different cultures and even combined some areas with well-defined

societies and communities. For example, the Hispanic people who have migrated to the United

States have faced some discrimination (Bucknor, 2016: 3-26).  This is because a large percentage

of the Hispanic population in the United States are confirmed to be undocumented hence labeling

all Hispanic people as undocumented or illegal immigrants. The continuous entry of Hispanic

immigrants brings threats of dividing the United States into two different people, cultures, and

languages. The rise of immigrants has made the American country develop the fear of losing its

roots and it is also threatened by the development of different cultures and languages that may

emerge from the inflow of more immigrants. A lot of Americans have developed hatred toward

Hispanic immigrants because they are afraid of losing their job opportunities.
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 7
On the other hand, the Hispanic immigrants who came to search for a better life in the

United States defended themselves by arguing that they never came to take away the Americans'

job opportunities. Instead, they came to do the job that the Americans do not want to do. They

went further and argued that it will be difficult to take away the jobs from people who are legally

American citizens or have legal status. A study explained that Hispanic immigrants are given the

most dangerous and poorest paid jobs and have to persevere the danger in the workplace

(Bucknor, 2016: 3-26). The Hispanic immigrants have tried their best to make a place for

themselves mostly in communities all over the United States but they have to endure the hostile

elements in those communities to survive (Fernández & Rodriguez, 2017: 536-537). According

to the article of ‘Hispanic Workers in the United States, the Hispanic immigrants face a lot of

different challenges in the United State labor ket. Some of these challenges are the remaining

effect of the Great Recession while others are long-lived concerns that they have been facing for

decades. These challenges include unemployment, poverty, language barriers, and limited access

to health services (Bucknor, 2016 : 3-26).  Finally, the limitation of health access has affected the

Hispanics who often become ill due to work injuries and stressors that occur in their workplace.

Many of them cannot access the medical covers because they do not have documents.

The National immigration policies of the United States exclude undocumented

immigrants from accessing health care services (Rhodes, 2015: 329-337). These health care

services include access to insurance covers and even medication. Once they are injured, they

cannot be cured because of lacking insurance cover. They find it also difficult to drive in public

because they have no driving licenses. If they are caught by the police while driving, they can be

arrested or deported back to their home countries. All of this perseverance shows how

determined the immigrants are to stay in the United States (Bucknor, 2016: 3-26).  They continue
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 8
to struggle and fight hard to achieve what they have dreamed of when they decided to leave their

countries. Deportation refers to the formal elimination of foreign immigrants such as

undocumented individuals from the United States for violating the immigration law. Every

unauthorized immigrant never wishes to be deported back to their country because it is the worst

punishment they will ever experience (Rhodes, 2015: 329-337). If they are deported, they will be

banned completely to enter again into the U.S. and also one can lose everything they owned in

the United States hence welcoming poverty again.

According to a study done by (Rhodes, 2015: 329-337), many lives of immigrant families

have been affected by the fear of deportation. This study says how the children are affected by

this nightmare of being deported anytime they are caught. They experience difficulties in

concentrating in school because they know they can go home anytime and find their houses

empty. A lot of immigrant parents are also scared to leave their houses even going to the grocery

but only when taking their kids to school (Bucknor, 2016: 3-26). This situation of being deported

has created a day to day anxiety and fear because it is a situation that can happen at any time. It

has caused the immigrants to be powerless, depressed, anxious, and withdrawn. Others have

become vulnerable to serious diseases such as heart attack, diabetes, and stress disorders.

Forcing the immigrants for deportation is a violation of the immigrant convention

(Randall, 1987: 465-480). Forced deportation involves deporting the immigrants and yet the

migrant does not want to be deported. This is where the migrant involuntarily returns to the

home country. Other immigrants can volunteer to be deported back home after being caught by

law enforcement officers (Randall, 1987: 465-480). In these instances of forced deportation,

harassment may be precisely involved during deportation where the immigrant may be arrested

by law enforcement officers and imprisoned before being transported back to their native
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 9
countries. On the other hand with voluntary or assisted return, the harassment may be indirectly

and not physical (Randall, 1987: 465-480). Indirect harassment on a migrant means that there are

no lawful options left rather than leaving the country of the United States and going back to

origin country. This forceful deportation has encouraged many immigrants to present false

documents to find jobs and also to avoid being deported by working in one workplace for a long

time.

Going to the United States has been a dream for many people to live in their country of

origin and live in the United States. For the Hispanic immigrants, it has been a challenge for

them to be accepted by the American culture (Bucknor, 2016: 3-26). They have been forced to

lose their culture by speaking English which is a spoken language in the United States and not

Hispanic language (Fernández & Rodriguez, 2017: 536-537). The government of the United

States has introduced some immigrant policies which have influenced many workplaces not to

hire individuals without proper and legal documents. This forces them to fix themselves in a

populated area such as home depot where they can find daily jobs such as landscaping,

construction, and roofing (Randall, 1987: 465-480). If they perform well, they can be hired more

than once and be paid by the companies who come to buy their supplies at home depot.

Whether the undocumented immigrants came with Visa or entered through crossing the

border, they all face some struggles and difficulties in their various workplaces (Fernández &

Rodriguez, 2017: 536-537). The procedure of coming into the United States may be different and

for some immigrants, it may be easier yet both of these methods of entry have effects on the

status of these immigrants residing in the country U.S. The individuals with an expired visa and

the undocumented immigrants are both treated as foreigners and both can face the act of

deportation or both can be arrested regardless of the method used to enter into the U.S (Randall,
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 10
1987: 465-480). The kind of treatment these individuals receive at their workplace is not

determined by the way they entered the country, but because of their lack of being documented

and their illegality status. They are treated differently from those individuals who have legal

documents because they have no option rather than to accept the treatment and the payment they

are offered whether good or bad. The United States government has decided to put some

measures to reduce the number of illegal immigrants because it is creating a huge burden on the

economy of the U.S.

Theories applied

The theories that will be used in this research analysis are ethical theories and social

theories. The ethical theory protects foreign immigrants from the harassment and discrimination

they undergo in the United States. It emphasizes the practice of doing right and acting justly to

these undocumented individuals (Sackey-Ansah, 2021). According to this theory, immigration

should be taken as a noble problem that must be taken into account in the settings of global

justice. This theoretical approach focuses on situations where ethics should be applied. There is

Unavoidable tension initiated between the Christian moral values and the unlawful means of

surviving in the United States. This theory approach involves the argument of the catholic

bishops to the issue of the undocumented immigrants in the United States defending the pastoral

letter, "Stranger no longer: Together on a Journey of Hope" this letter highlights the ethical

classification of human rights and justice for undocumented immigrants (Sackey-Ansah, 2021).

Illegal immigrants are indeed breaking the law by staying without legal documents but

according to ethical and moral perspectives, not all methods of breaking the law are convicted.

Every person whether a foreign or a citizen has rights and they should not be violated. Finally,

the ethical theories defend the immigrants by stating that the country of the U.S. should not
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 11
violate the right of immigrants but can implement the immigrant laws. The deportation process

does not apply the ethical theory and approaches to immigration in the United States. The theory

states that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to enter the U.S. and then the

government formulates the process for their legal residency (Sackey-Ansah, 2021). The theory

emphasizes that the main reason for the increase of immigrant flow is to have a better life and

develop new projects and achieve their dreams. The dreams they have could not be achieved in

their home countries which are full of poverty and have no promising job opportunities. The

Latin immigrants have also endured a lot of discrimination from the Americans and accepted the

low paying jobs to avoid being deported back

The social theories are used to explain the social problems which cause more damage to

families, countries, and even globally. Illegal immigration falls into the group of social problems

that affect the world most specifically the United States. The American citizens fail to notice the

importance of immigration on economic growth but just believe in the misconceptions that are

associated with being foreign in their Country (Wickramasinghe & Wimalaratana, 2016: 13-32).

One of the social theories is the symbolic interaction theory. This theory focuses mainly on the

interactions and the relationship among the individuals in a society. This theory uses

communication which according to this case is the exchange of meaning through symbols.

People tend to act towards others based on the meaning they interpret from them. This applies to

the immigrants where the Americans have contradicted the meaning of the word “immigrant”

(Goodfriend, 2015). When they hear about immigrants, they tend to connect the word with other

words such as poor people, uneducated, and Mexican. They forget that others immigrants who

come into the United States are university-educated students who have come for specific jobs.
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 12
Finally, this symbolic interaction theory helps us embroider how people’s approach to definite

issues contributes to their attitudes.

Secondly, the social conflict theory helps us magnify the social problems of the

immigrants. According to sociological perspectives, many societies have a continuous fight for

resources and power (Goodfriend, 2015). The social conflict theory brings out an idea of the

struggle between the upper class and the working class (Wickramasinghe & Wimalaratana,

2016:13-32). This is where the lower class works for low and cheap labor while the high-class

society enjoys the benefits of labor. The most conflict that happens because of immigration is

that the more inflow of the immigrants into the United States, the lesser the availability of job

opportunities for the American citizens (Goodfriend, 2015). The competition in jobs favors the

immigrant workers because it will be cheaper to hire them rather than hiring the educated and

qualified people who definitely will expect high pay (Wickramasinghe & Wimalaratana, 2016).

This shows how individualism and dedication to producing more profits create access to lower

wages offered. The immigrants then decide to take these low-paying jobs and work in horrible

conditions because of are desperate to get money. Finally, social conflict theory also explains

how the citizens of the United States receive a lot of benefits while the undocumented

immigrants do not receive even small benefits. The theory further states that in the United States,

the rich remain to be rich, and the poor remain to be poor and this has been happening for many

years mostly affecting the immigrants.

Research Methods

The research focuses on two individuals who managed to enter the United States by

crossing the border and those who came to the U.S. with an authorized Visa but decided to

overstay. The method that will be used to collect data will be an interview of these two groups of
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 13
individuals (Gill et al., 2008:291-295). The research involved ten interviewees, four interviewees

from each group, and two interviews from the American citizens. The interview was done on one

individual at a time without any interruption from the surroundings. The place used for

interviews was free from other people who could have listened to our conversations and started

judging them or exposing them to the authorities. We ensured all times, there was continuous

attention to research ethics (Guberek et al., 2018:1-15). The interviews that were done were not

recorded because the topics discussed were very sensitive and the recording may compromise the

process of the conversations. Therefore, there were some notes written down later highlighting

the key points from the interviews. The interviews were challenging because the undocumented

immigrants were afraid and had doubts about exposing their information which may attract the

attention of national authorities. The main purpose of these interviews was to obtain the key

issues they face in their day-to-day lives as being undocumented immigrants and how this illegal

status has affected their lives completely mostly when searching for jobs. We ensured to

maintain these comprehensive objectives throughout the research.

During the research of these two groups of undocumented individuals, attention was

seriously paid to research ethics. The security and safety of these undocumented immigrants

were the priority during the study. A lot of these people had fled from their home countries and

suffered a lot on their ways to the United States while the overstayed ones have experienced

some discrimination and abuse at their workplaces (Guberek et al., 2018:1-15). Many of them

live in vulnerable positions in their locations and could be removed away anytime against their

will. Disclosing the activities of these undocumented immigrants, the place where they

congregated, and the people they were in touch with could have endangered their lives.

Therefore only a section of the broad knowledge acquired during the research could be shared
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 14
and made public. The study research tried to follow the guidelines and international standards of

data protection regulations which provide basic rules on how to conduct research. This research

also ensured to maintain and manage the confidentiality and anonymity of these undocumented

immigrants.

The purpose of doing interviews was to narrow the information from this group of

individuals regarding their point of view, feelings, and knowledge (Gill et al., 2008:291-295).

This research used the interview as a qualitative research method. The qualitative research

method helped the researchers to understand the reasons and benefits of the data that needed to

be collected (Guberek et al., 2018:1-15). The interview questions in this research were open-

ended giving out the ability to gather sensitive information. The purpose of the questions was to

bring out the general thoughts and opinions of undocumented immigrants and how their status

affects their staying in the United States. On the other hand, Americans also have different

perspectives and theories on undocumented immigrants. The interviewees were sorted by sex

and documentation status and those who fitted in those profiles were chosen. The interview

sessions were carried at community organizations, meeting rooms, urban hotels, and cultural

centers and occasionally in the workplace of the participants. The interviews were conducted in

English by the researcher.

Through doing face-to-face interviews, the undocumented immigrants expressed

themselves and how they feel concerning the treatment they receive mostly in their workplaces.

The face-to-face interviews helped the researcher to gather accurate information and had a good

interaction with the undocumented immigrants. It also helped in capturing verbal and non-verbal

cues. One could see the body language reaction of these people when they were asked some

questions to capture the level of uneasiness. This qualitative research method of the face-to-face
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 15
interview was convenient because it maintains the focus of the researcher and it helped in

distinguishing the questions that were intense and tough to these illegal immigrants (Gill et al.,

2008:291-295). This study was conducted through convenient sampling where the main subject

was the interviewees who were conveniently located by the researcher around a certain location.

The other sampling that was used in this research was snowball sampling. This is because the

undocumented individuals chosen for research interviews were obtained from acquaintances.

The researcher happened to have friends and families who are immigrants in the United States

hence helping a lot during the research. The interview of both groups of undocumented

immigrants helped a lot in differentiating the kind of life they have in the United States and how

it has been affected by their current illegal status.

The communities and societies in the United States have their perspectives about the

undocumented immigrants who come to reside in the country for better job opportunities. Using

an interview as a research method helped the researcher to understand what these undocumented

individuals have been going through to have jobs or receive health care services. Obtaining a job,

health care services, and other benefits as an American citizen or legal resident requires a lot of

lawful documents such as papers that proof of being able to work in the United States and social

security cards. The challenges that were associated with the face-to-face interview is that these

groups of Illegal immigrants live with fear hence it was difficult to convince them to open up and

share their information. They feared losing everything they have gained and being deported by

disclosing their identities to unknown people. Other undocumented individuals refused to answer

all questions hence limiting the information.

The method of sampling used in this research makes the information to be reliable

because the interviewee gained some trust in the researcher. They both reacted differently to
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 16
these interviews by being defensive and overprotective about the questions while others became

emotional. Others answered the questions openly and confidently without showing any fear.

Additionally, there were guiding questions that were prepared well before the interviews that

made the process of interviewing easier and saved time too. If the interviewee refused to answer

one question, the next question was asked immediately to save time and make them comfortable

and not to feel pressured. Finally, the two American citizens were also interviewed and gave

their different perspectives concerning Undocumented immigrants. Their opinions also helped

the researcher to compare the information given to come up with convenient information that

could be released to the public. Every individual interview lasted for an average of 40 minutes.

Research Findings

The question that guides us in research is ‘how do undocumented immigrants gain entry

into the United States, and to what extent does their status affect their future lives?’ The main

goal of this research was to find how the status of being undocumented can affect the lives of

illegal immigrants in the United States now and in the future. This research consist of 10

interviews, 4 interviews from the individuals who came to the United States with Visa and they

have overstayed and four interviews from the immigrants who entered the United States through

crossing the border. The remaining two interviews were conducted on the Citizens of America

to find out their opinions about these undocumented immigrants. Even though the two groups are

both considered to be undocumented, their lives and struggles are somehow different based on

the methods of entry into the United States. Each interview was different because the

interviewees reacted differently to the questions that were asked. The interviews went well and

there were no disruptions from the surroundings and the interviewee tried a lot to give out the

information required.
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 17
Findings: Interviews with Immigrants Who Crossed the Border to Enter Into the United

States

The four individuals who were interviewed for entering the United States by crossing the

border were able to explain the main difficulties and struggles they have undergone in managing

their lives and searching for jobs. Everyone explained the reasons they flew their country to enter

the United States. A lot of reasons given were the search for a better life by expecting better job

opportunities in the United States than in their home countries. Many of them came from poor

countries which are surrounded by poverty and violence hence making them not fit to stay. Many

of their dreams have been altered because of not having the required documents. The following

statement was given by an interviewee during the interview:

“If you do not have the legal documents in this country, finding a job becomes difficult.

You do not get the same opportunities as the others because of your status. You just walk

into a building searching for a job but in reality, you know you may be rejected or hired but

paid small wages because of not having the papers to present. You may have all the qualities

they are looking for but still choose not to hire you. This process of walking around searching for

jobs also puts our lives in danger because you can be caught by the authorities and be deported

back or imprisoned. You just wake up looking for a job knowing that you may come back

without one or even never come back”.

Being, multilingual, having all qualities, capacities, and abilities do not matter at all to

undocumented immigrants because they cannot chase their dream in the United States as they

thought unless they present the legal documents to prove their status. A lot of these immigrants

have some good qualities such as being self-motivated, hardworking, and determined to achieve
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 18
hence can work better if given better jobs to do. Many of them are not disabled hence they can

work in any environment. These hostile situations forced many of them to use fake documents to

get some good jobs that pay well. Fortunately, some employers never recognized the fake

documents but others could recognize the falseness of the documents and finally turn them away

or call the police to arrest them. Others use their fellow friends who are legal citizens to get

decent jobs without any proof. Another interviewee who used fake documents gave the following

statement:

“One day I woke and went to an agency to fill out an application. There were others also

who came to apply for the same job but had documents. When it was time to hand over the

documents to them, I gave them my fake documents. Unfortunately, they were very keen when

looking at the documents because they always knew others may use fake documents. So when

the gentleman who was handling the application saw my documents, she confirmed that my

documents are fake and threatened me by trying to call the police. I had to run away from that

place because no illegal immigrant will want to find himself in the hands of the police. I had to

save myself hence ran away to hiding. I tried to use those fake documents once again but my

conscience never allowed me to put my life at risk once more. I am willing to accept any job that

is read to pay me off the books. Because we are not even allowed to have the national ID and the

driving licenses, then we decided to have our fake green cards and security cards.”

The United States has become a diverse country because the issue of illegal immigration

has been going on for many years. This increase of immigrants has attracted the attention of the

policymakers and the public who focuses on the cost associated with these undocumented

immigrants rather than the benefits they bring to the economy and the country as a whole.

According to the interviews done with these individuals, a lot of them came for a better life while
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 19
others came while too young hence they could not decide if they wanted to come to the United

States or not. Among the interviews that were done, one of them was with an interviewee who

came to the U.S. at a young age and he has stayed there for 20 years and now he is an adult.

These were the statements that he gave during the interview:

“When I came to the United States, I was very young that I did not understand why my

parents decided to leave home and come to this country. My parents decided on my behalf and

brought me here when I was only 5 years. Therefore I was brought here without my consent. My

childhood life has not been easy in this country. We could even sleep without eating and

sometimes we spent our lives on the streets until we found a place to stay. I did not go to school

all day like other kids. I used to walk miles away from home to school and back because we

could not afford bus fare daily. The worst situation is that my parents were tortured at their

workplaces and became ill due to the hostile environment they were in. they could not access

health care because they had no documents. They got very ill at home and eventually died.”

Many interviewees confirmed that they wish they could have stayed in their home

countries. They wish that they never tried to cross the border but it was now too late. Others said

that they have never heard anything from the families and relatives they left back home. One

interviewee said that: “just a day after I began my journey to cross the border and enter the

United States, I wanted to give up on the way and turn back home. The journey its self was

hectic full of sleepless nights. Reaching at the border, I had a second thought of going back home

but it was a long journey full of difficulties. I could not want to experience the same by going

back. So I decided to cross the border but was very scared on how to start a life in the United

States without having documents. During my first days in the United States, everything was

upside down. I did not know any person, I had no place to stay, did not know how speak English
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 20
and obviously had no money. I thought of giving myself in to the police but changed my mind

and decided to stay until now”

According to some of the undocumented individuals who were interviewed, their dream

was to work and make certain amount of money in the United States and then go back to their

home countries which was not the case. Another interviewee stated that he came to United States

to improve the lives of his parents and siblings and make something good so that he can go back

to his family, but his dreams never came true. This is because the job he was doing could not

even support him fully. Therefore he was unable to support his family.

From the interviews, the researcher discovered that a lot of undocumented immigrants

sometimes could wish to become citizens of the United States and have the freedom like other

Americans. Others never wished to become the citizens of U.S. because of the torture they have

gone through in their lives. They only wished to find means of going back to their countries

where they can live the way they feel like. They struggle a lot to protect their identity because if

they are recognized, they can be imprisoned or deported. The discriminations that come day by

day from the Native Americans instills fear in the undocumented individuals hence limiting their

movements to search for jobs and education. Their children are also affected by this

discrimination hence tortured emotionally. One interviewee said that the organizations and

companies introduced the Electronic-Verify system which is used to verify the employment

qualification in the United States. This system seems to help the employers confirm if the

individual is authorized to stay and work in the United States. This made the immigrants to stick

to the jobs they had before the introduction of Electronic-Verify so as not to lose their jobs

because finding another one can take time.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 21
One of the interviewee said that being an undocumented Hispanic has been very

challenging. Wherever they come across the Native Americans, they are labeled immigrants or

poor people. The most available and easiest jobs done by these individuals are the housekeeping

jobs, landscaping and construction. These are the jobs that does not pressure the immigrants to

present their documents so that they can be hired. They can work for plenty of years even though

they are paid less wages to avoid searching for other jobs because of fear. Most of the

undocumented individual who were interviewed have stayed more than 15 years in the United

States. Others have even gave birth in the united states with their children being the citizens of

America. They also said that there are other undocumented immigrants who came and

fortunately got married and now they are legal immigrants.

Findings: Interviews With the Undocumented Individuals with Visa but Have Overstayed

In the United States

Those individuals who entered into the United States with Visa but have decided to

overstay are also considered undocumented immigrants. These individuals also have their own

experiences and struggles since they decided to overstay. They also experience difficulties when

searching for jobs. The only struggle they never underwent is entering into the United States.

According to the interviews done, some of these individuals decided to overstay because they got

married and started their live but others overstayed to search for job and better their lives. There

are others who decided to overstay with friends and other family members so as to apply for

citizenship while in the United States. The researcher interviewed one interviewee and she gave

her statement as follows:

“I came into the United States as a student for two years. When I finished my studies, it

was time for me to go back home but I had a second thought. I saw how people had better
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 22
lives and that made me decide to overstay to look for a job. That time my documents

were all expired and I became an undocumented immigrant. Fortunately, I found the love

of my life who is an American citizen who married me and currently we are in the

process of applying for my legal documents. My life changed dramatically and never

underwent a lot of struggles like other undocumented immigrants. My life is better but

currently am not working because of lacking the legal documents. A lot of employers

knew me and were eager to hire me but they could not until I obtained my legal

documents.”

Being undocumented immigrant in the United States can make an individual lose the

career or degree achieved in home countries. The researcher interviewed an individual who was

a profession chef in his home country but currently he is just a boy who carries moves luggage to

the store of a specific company. He is paid small amount of money which cannot even pay the

ticket to his origin country. Another interviewee said that she was a profession teacher but

decided to give up her career and visited the United States with a Visa of 6 months. After six

months, it was time for her to go back but decided to overstay in the United States. The

overstaying situation forced others to do different jobs in order to survive therefore forgot about

their professional careers they pursued in the home countries. They wished they could have

returned home when their documents were still valid. They said so because in their home

countries, they could have gotten the jobs they studied for easily. Being undocumented

immigrant has placed these individuals in a position where they could accept and do the least

paying jobs. The main jobs offered to them includes babysitting off books, taking care of the old

people and washing dishes in hotels.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 23
A lot of people with legal documents in the United States believe that undocumented

individuals do not pay taxes. But according to the interviewees, they argue that it is not true of

what they are thinking. An interviewee said that this life of being undocumented immigrants

denies you an opportunity to own a house, a car or any legal business in the United States.

Another interviewee gave his story about the overstay in the United States and this is what he

said: “ I came into the United States through invitation from my wife who stays here and has

legal documents, I was only allowed to stay for three months and go back home. When three

months were over, I decided to overstay with my wife while processing for legal documents.

This overstay left me to be undocumented immigrant in the United States. Fortunately I had a

place to stay but the challenge was to find a job. I struggled for a long time searching for a job

but my effort was in vain. I became jobless for a long time depending on my own wife. At the

point of giving up, a found a job at the construction company but was paid off book. Finally my

wife started a construction company in the United States and due to the experience I gained

while working for construction company, I was able to manage my wife’s company but with fear

of being found by authorities.” These people struggle a lot by using any available resources so as

to make money and obtain a job.

The interview findings also states that some of these undocumented immigrants were able

to find good employers who could treat them well and even promoted them to the next level

because of their abilities. The only problem is the discrimination and mistreatment they got from

other workers who knows that the person is an illegal immigrants. “I was able to find a decent

job where I showed my abilities to my employer even though I did not have legal documents. My

colleagues were not happy to see me being promoted to be their supervisor and yet am just an

illegal immigrant. They started discriminating and mistreating me because of my status. Others
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 24
went further and threatened to expose me to the authorities if did not follow what they wanted.”

This situation makes these undocumented individuals to feel pushed aside than others because of

how they are treated everywhere they work or stay. Those documented people and the American

citizens treat the undocumented individuals badly making them feel they do not deserve high

positions in their workplace and they should be below them. An awkward situation like this

makes an individual to not feel comfortable in the workplace and also in where they live.

Findings: Interview with the American Citizens

The researcher managed to interview the two American Citizens concerning the

undocumented immigrants in their country of the United States and they expressed their opinions

differently. The first interviewee was born and raised in the United States. She said that the

undocumented immigrants should be searched everywhere in the country and be deported back.

She went further and said that crimes have increased in the United States and the most number of

criminals arrested are the illegal immigrants. She thinks these immigrants have turned America

into worse in the long run. This interviewee also had a negative attitude towards the immigrants

saying that they used more than their own shares of the American social services hence

burdening the communities and threatening the American values. This response shows that some

percentage of American citizens oppose the idea of allowing the immigrants to stay in the United

States. This is because they believe that the immigrants have taken their jobs, health care and

housing away from them.

The second interviewee was not born in the United States but later he applied for

citizenship and therefore became an American Citizen. He is a Hispanic who came as a student

but obtained a green card while studying in the United States. He said that the immigrants made

the American better and strengthens the American communities and societies. He also said that
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 25
the immigrants are hardworking and have strong family values. He used to see how they

struggled to learn English so that they can be able to communicate better. He also said that these

immigrants have boosted the economy of the United States. Therefore he thought that

immigrants should be given same job opportunities like any other American.

Summary of the Findings

Generally, both two groups of the undocumented immigrants have their own different

experiences and have explained how their status has affected their current and future lives. A lot

of these individuals entered the United States through crossing the border illegally because they

come from poor countries. They face day to day challenges such as being discriminated and

mistreated at their workplace or where they live. They flew their countries to search for jobs and

achieve their dreams. These people have suffered and struggled a lot but their lives seemed to

worsen instead of getting better. Others die daily due to lack of accessing the health care and

others could not survive the torture and mistreatment in their workplaces. However, there are

some undocumented immigrants who were saved by being married by an American Citizens who

helped them obtain legal documents after a long struggle.

The individuals who came into the United States with Visa have different reasons why

they decided to overstay. They never experienced the challenges of crossing the border because

they entered the country legally. When they decided to overstay, they obtained the same status as

the ones who crossed the border illegally. They both experience the same challenge of finding a

job and both of them are not allowed to have driving licenses or own houses and businesses

because of their status. Both groups can be deported back to their countries if they are found by

the authorities. Some of the American Citizens believe that undocumented immigrants represent

the source of insecurity in the United States and also overuse the social welfare services. Others
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 26
appreciate and respect the immigrants’ labor efforts and culture. They also think that they should

be given the same job opportunities like other Americans.

Conclusion

United States has been the main country which has experienced the influx of illegal

immigrants. Despite the effort of guarding the border or introducing immigration policy, the

inflow continued to increase daily. A lot of these immigrants gain entry through crossing the

border or entering unlawfully while others entered lawfully but decided to overstay after their

Visas expired. A lot of studies say that these two groups of immigrants experience tough times in

the United States such as when searching for jobs. It was discovered by researcher that whether

an undocumented individual entered lawfully or unlawfully into the United States, they all face

the same consequences and struggles when trying to better their lives. The interviews during the

research showed that those who entered lawfully and decided to overstay have more knowledge

and skills than those who entered unlawfully. This is because to have visa you should have some

qualifications which only educated and high skilled people are allowed to obtain. Some were

professions in their home countries with history of careers. Unfortunately, those with expired

visas and the ones without any documents both face the same challenges

This research decided to use interview as a research method to gather the experiences

these two groups of undocumented immigrants face. The researcher conducted 8 interviews, 4

from each group and both of the interviewees responded well to the questions asked. The

researcher also interviewed the two American citizens who gave their different opinions

concerning the Undocumented immigrants. This interviews with the American Citizens helped

the researcher to understand that there are those Americans who support the entry of the
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 27
immigrants because they believe that they strengthen the United States. Others also think the

illegal immigrants have increased the crime rate in U.S.

During the process of collecting data, the researcher faced some few challenges. There

was an interviewee who was scared during the day of interview. It took time to convince her thus

disrupted the plans of that day. This interviewee opted to answer only few questions and decided

not answer those that were intense. The researcher also used the social and ethic theories to

conduct the research. These theories explains how to handle the illegal immigration situation

without violating the rights of those individuals. From the findings, all undocumented

immigrants in the United States experience the same discrimination and struggles no matter how

they entered the country. All the individuals from both groups explained the same thing mostly

concerning the jobs they do to survive which pay off books. It is now clear that all

undocumented individuals in the United States enter the country through only two ways, through

crossing the border and by lawfully entering the country but decide to overstay. This situation of

being undocumented has changed the lives of some immigrants to better by being married to

American Citizens while others wish they never came to the United States due to the struggles

they are undergoing in their lives.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. 28
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