While reading
through “Tierra y Libertad” I was not surprised
to see that there were many restrictions and policies created to exclude
undocumented immigrants. Many immigrants come to the United States in search of
the “American Dream”. Upon their
arrival, however, they are faced with obstacles that permit them from doing so.
Regulations like redlining, zoning laws, trespassing laws and multi-family
restrictions have kept many Latinos from progressing in this country. Like many
other Latinos, my parents came to the United States in hopes of a better life
for their children. As they began to adjust to their new life, they came to
realize that their dreams would not be easily achieved. With a struggling low
income and 3 small children, the only thing they could afford was a small
one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx. As my parents worked hard to achieve the
American dream, everything they did never seemed good enough to move up in the
economic ladder. Have these exclusionary tactics served their purposes in
keeping the undesired population from these areas?
One of the
obstacles Bender mentions in the book that caught my attention was the
exclusionary law in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Like most Latinos and minorities,
owning a home is a form of stability or achievement. Places like Hazelton have created
laws to prevent the large wave of undocumented immigrants from moving into the
suburbs. “In 2006, Hazelton enacted ordinances that embraced English as its
official language, prohibited employing or harboring undocumented immigrants,
and required occupants of rental units to provide proof of legal citizenship or
residency” (Bender, 2010, p.67). After living in the Bronx for several years, my
mother thought of the possibility of owning a home in Hazelton. I constantly
heard her speak of the challenges she faced to buy the house and even after
when she wanted to rent the house to local residents. She kept running into
policies that did not make sense to her and that restricted her from making a
profit. She later had to sell the property for less then what she bought it
for. Although my mother was documented, she was still a target because of her
culture, language and economic background.
Despite the many
laws and limitations created by policy makers, I believe that the minority
population will continue to challenge the difficult conditions they face. In
recent years more Latinos are moving out of the inner cities to suburbs like
Hazelton. For example, the 1990 Census counted 249 Hispanics but by 2005 the
Latino/a were nearly one-third of the population (p.66). Although more policies
against Latino/as have been created the Latino population has increased
drastically in these areas. It amazes me that a country that prides it self as
the land of opportunities, excludes such a large population from succeeding. It
would be interesting to see how the Latino population will continue to test
housing and exclusionary laws not only in the suburbs but in the inner cities
as well.
Bender, Steven. Tierra y Libertad: Land, Liberty,
and Latino Housing. New York: New
York University
Press, 2010. Print.
I really enjoyed the personal aspect you incorporated into your blog post because like Hazeltown represents a piece of what is going on in many other places, your mother represents the many other documented and undocumented immigrants that run into the same problems. It is important and promising to see how the challenges Latino/as pose against these restrictions hoping to break the barriers completely one day. Do you believe that one day the United States will stand to it's name as the the land of opportunities?
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting the correlation you have with the particular subject and how it has effected your family negatively. i agree with your particular statement that the minority population will continue to challenge the difficult conditions they face , and hope that policy makers begin to take their role within communities more seriously . I like the incorporation of the American Dream within your blog post and can't help but wonder if it even exists in the society we live in today. Immigrants are no longer welcomed and are treated like criminals in this country. a very important point that you mention is the role between documented and undocumented immigrants, because despite their legal status in this country both groups still are discriminated against housing laws. I believe policy makers are a huge mistake and missing out on an economic opportunity that can ultimately benefit the country. Not only are houses harder to sell now, but even harder to rent because of the laws in the particular area. This is why many local businesses are failing because there isn't an abundant consumer population in those areas. Thank you this insightful blog post !
ReplyDeleteDespite these zoning laws, I can recall a time when my grandmother lived in an apartment on 134th St and Amsterdam Ave. In this 3-bedroom apartment, lived my 2 aunts, 2 uncles and my grandmother. As a child, I never thought as to question why so many people lived together, because it was family. My grandmother collected unemployment and her kids all work 9-5 jobs. collectively, rent was cheap. Their view of the "American Dream" was to pay bills and have enough money to eat. Eventually, by living together for so long, they were all able to move out, 2 of the 4 live in houses in New Jersey, one in Queens, and the other to Florida. Looking at it from my perspective now, I can understand how they lived together until they became upwardly-mobile Latinos, like how the projects were supposed to be. Thanks for sharing!
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