American “Dream” (a Nightmare for Immigrant Women)
A look at the disparity between the promises of a life full of opportunity and the reality of oppression toward a
Americans have always been proud to be viewed as a symbol of liberty from persecution and to represent an equal opportunity for all who enter. The lure of the United States of America, the tall unmistakable Statue of Liberty, promises those coming here that they will be given the same chance to achieve their dreams as any of the people around them. I find it ironic that our society is so fundamentally built on the concept of creating a safe place for all to reach their full potential without having to overcome prejudice. Honestly, this country has never been fully supportive of immigrants, stacking the obstacles in front of those brave souls on their road to becoming an undervalued citizen. Women and children, who are still struggling globally for basic quality of life in the patriarchal world, make up most of the immigrants coming to America. Many are seeking assylum and are unfortunately at very high risk to be manipulated or exploited once here. The process for naturalization is complicated and tedious, even more difficult for those who are not familiar with our language and customs. Even those who attempt to immigrate to the US legally are threatened by the system, as it is average that only one in six applications are granted. A woman who comes to this country is in a very vulnerable position, often placing her needs last on her list of priorities so that she can yield the best possible opportunities for her family (education, employment, health care). America’s empty promises have given hope to the women living in cruel conditions around the world, so much so that they are often willing to take risks and give up personal freedoms just to pursue that hope.
Once women arrive here, they often remain under the radar, working undesirable domestic jobs such as cleaning. We often forget that there is even a person whose job it is to clean our toilet, and restore the order of our most contaminated spaces. We are blind to the oppressions being faced by the people whose existence we barely acknowledge. Women who have exhausted so much strength by coming to our country in pursuit of opportunity become held back in a society that refuses to notice and appreciate them.
It can be easy for male family members or employers to exploit and abuse the women who are often unseen by the rest of the country. A close friend of mine, who works for an immigration law firm in the Inland Empire, often expresses her concern for many of her female clients. It is often the women, who are also undocumented, scrambling to get petitions and waivers signed for their husbands and sons — even those whose relationships have included voilence and abuse. For some women, these men are their only method of existing in our country because men are granted 75% of the employment visas. Because of this, the men can easily and effectively keep the women isolated from society to maintain their powerhold by restricting how much or what kind of resources women are able to access. Issues like domestic abuse and even sex-trafficking can emerge when women are cut off like this. Their choice is a virtually impossible one: stay with the abuser or risk deportation? The lack of access to help-lines, or even lack of knowledge that their situation is fixable, makes it nearly impossible for repressed women to escape. While student research groups have suggested hiding flushable help messages in sanitary pads, it seems the idea was never really carried out. The public does not seem ready to recognize and therefore seek solutions to the multitude of problems faced by women in this twisted situation.
It has been women, especially millennial women, that have been fighting the hardest in the weeks since the executive orders that have severely impacted those not only entering our country but also those who have been living here peacefully for decades. When the travel ban was implemented, it was millennial women rushing to the airports — not only to protest, but to translate for those who needed legal help. We have finally began to make progress in giving a voice to those who are often unheard. America’s ideals shine with promises of opportunity and a refusal to suppress those seeking the opportunity. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make these ideals a reality, and the first step is to see and hear those who make incomprehensible sacrifices to be a part of this country.
