The terms “undocumented immigrants” and “illegal aliens” are two phrases to describe people that come to the United States without legal documentation.  Although they are similar, they are different in describing people. An undocumented immigrant is a way to describe someone that came from another country but does not have the proper documents and papers to live in this country. An illegal alien is a harsher way of saying that implying that because someone isn’t from this country they are not human or they are an alien. The second term is a lot more offensive.

In the text, ” Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Jose Antonio Vargas is an immigrant from the Philippines. He tells his story of how he got to the United States when he was in middle school and didn’t find out he was undocumented until he was in high school. He describes getting put on a plane by his mother and her telling him that the man with him was his uncle. After arriving in the U.S., Vargas started 6th grade and started to live a normal life. He didn’t find out his green card was fake until he tried to get his driving permit. After finding this out, he tried to be more cautious about people not finding out. However, now that he knew he was undocumented, he couldn’t do everything he wanted. He originally wasn’t going to go to college because he couldn’t apply for financial aid and his family couldn’t afford it. He did end up in college but could not apply for certain internships of interest because he didn’t have all the information that was required. These are the kind of things that he dealt with in his life, as well as other undocumented immigrants.

In this situation, Vargas should be referred to as an undocumented immigrant rather than an illegal immigrant. They are both diminishing. But calling someone an illegal alien is implying you don’t see them as human beings. Calling someone an undocumented immigrant that is undocumented is true. However, no one should be called either of these. All people are human beings and they don’t deserve this. Most people that come to the U.S. are fleeing from unprecedented circumstances. They are coming here because they want a better life for themselves and their kids or future children. It’s disheartening the way certain people treat them because they want a better life. People need to be more open-minded and empathic to solve these problems. But all of that takes time.

While reading The Good Immigrant Student, I noticed that Bich Minh Nguyen stated something significant in paragraph 28. Nguyen said, “I would like to make a broad, accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them (us). I hesitate; I cannot.” Through this, she means that there is no way to generally describe immigrant children in school. She says this and later explains that essentially everyone is different and therefore their reaction to being the “immigrant” student can vary. Nguyen uses her sister and herself  as an example to convey her point. In particular, Nguyen described herself as “… nearly silent, deadly shy, and wholly obedient.” However, she goes on and later states, “My own sister, for instance, was never as shy as I was. Anh disliked school from the start, choosing rebellion rather than silence” (paragraph 28). This is why Nguyen could not make a “broad accurate statement”. She witnessed first hand that all immigrant children in school are different resulting in her sister and her. Rather than being rebellious like her sister, Nguyen fought against her mental to be better than those who set bad reputations for immigrant students. For example, “This only propelled me to try harder to be good, to make up for everything I felt was against me: my odd family, my race, my very face”. She was aware that due to her differences, she would get treated differently and people would expect more from her. Nguyen defined and concluded in a way what it meant to be different in her writing. For example, she says “the idea of difference is easy to come by, especially in school; it is shame, the permutations and inversions of difference and self-loathing, that we should be worrying about.” Besides the obvious difference amongst immigrant students and the rest, Nguyen believes there is more to it. It is also having to deal with one’s own thoughts about feeling unworthy or useless due to their difference. Though Nguyen tried to generally describe immigrant children in school, she could not. Being that she experienced with her sister that not all immigrants feel secluded and odd so they try their best to “disappear” amongst the rest like Nguyen did herself, some may become rebellious and careless like her sister. 

In the essay “The Good Immigrant” by Bich Minh Nguyen she talks about growing as an immigrant in America, specifically in a white-based area.  She talks about her time growing up in schools that were predominantly white, and how she would try and make herself smaller as to not stand out even more than she already did. In the essay, Bich talks about her challenges in a bilingual class, because she was better in English than she was in her native language. In the essay, Nguyen says “I would like to make a broad, accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them(us). I hesitate; I cannot.” I think what Bich was trying to say, was that yes she may be an immigrant but her experiences and her past make her unable to. In the essay, Birch talks about how she tried to make herself smaller and make herself invisible. “For, in addition to my excellent marks, I was nearly silent, deadly shy, wholly obedient. My greatest fear was being called on, or in any way standing out more than I already did-“, she writes. I think she believes she couldn’t speak for other immigrant children because she hadn’t liked being an immigrant, so she wouldn’t want to say something that she herself did not do. I believe apart of her was ashamed to be an immigrant. In the essay, she writes ” I have no way of telling what tortured me more: the actual snickers and remarks and watchfulness of my classmates, or my own imagination, conjuring disdain. My own sense of shame”(page 87). So yes, I think the way she grew up and how she treated herself  as an immigrant left her the feeling that she couldn’t make any statements for other immigrant children because she herself couldn’t accept the fact that she was an immigrant.

In “The Good Immigrant Student” by Bich Minh Nguyen , Nguyen States in paragraph 28,”I would like to make a broad accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them (us). I hesitate; I cannot”.  What Nguyen was saying was she wanted to try and tell a overall story for immigrant students, but she couldn’t because not all immigrants are treated equally and not are all in the same situations that she was in. Nguyen when she was a student was very shy and quite, opting to fade away from her teachers and classmates. But on the other hand not too different from her situation was her sister Anh, “Anh disliked school from the start, choosing rebellion rather than silence”. Showing that not to different from her, two different people had two different outlooks on being a immigrant in school. Nguyen would have to go through things like white prejudice teachers like Mrs.Alexander, saying “Your reading too fast” or demanding “What does this word mean ?” while being picked on to read. Nguyen explains that she was the only one of her classmates that would have to do this. Or when she had experiences that consisted of blonde school girls telling the teachers “I cant sit by her. My mom said I cant sit by anyone who’s brown” when sitting next to one of Nguyen Indian friends. Nguyen cant make a broad statement because there is so much that goes into being a immigrant student. Your environment and the people you have around you play a huge roll in this as everybody is due for a different experience. Nguyen States “I know not every kid is fortunate enough to have a teacher like Mrs.King, or a program like spectrum, or even the benefit of a manual written by a group of concerned educators”. Expressing how not every kids experience is the same, therefore leaving her unavailable to make a broad statement for all immigrant children.

In “The Good Immigrant Student” by Bich Minh Nguyen, she claims that , “I would like to make a broad, accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them (us). I hesitate; I cannot”(90). Nguyen said this because she want to be able to tell a whole story about how all immigrants are treated, but cannot because all immigrant students are treated differently. In her case, she was more of the quiet type, so she tended to fade from the sight of her teachers and classmates. As for people like her sister who was not about to be walked over they more drag themselves for change in this type of society against white prejudice mindset in the school they attend or even in their own neighborhood. Nguyen also said that, “Today, bilingual education is supposed to have become both a method of assimilation and a method of preservation…“(85). This was a plan to better have the immigrants assimilate in to America without a problem, but it is very hard for immigrant children to find a place once they are viewed as a threat to society by the other people that live around them. every group of people have their space for them from when groups first formed in different areas. Schools are suppose to be a safe place for all children, but instead is used as a battle ground for adult to continue fighting for oppression through their children. America need to accept change of their society, so that immigrant like Nguyen and her sister can better get an education in an environment that is more welcoming them into America without fear of standout based on the color of their skin.

In paragraph 28, Nguyen states, “I would like to make a broad, accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them(us). I hesitate; I cannot.” What Nguyen means by this statement is, she wants people to have an understanding of how immigrant children are treated in schools. Many people view immigrants as trouble or unintelligent. For example, Nguyen states, “Can you believe it?” Mrs. Alexander was saying, “A foreigner winning our spelling bee!”. As you can see Mrs. Alexander didn’t think a foreigner/immigrant could win a spelling bee against those who were born in America. We also see how Mrs.Alexander picks on Nguyen while she is reading out loud, “You’re reading too fast” or demands, “What does that word mean?”. Nguyen explains how Mrs.Alexander only did this towards her and not other students. This shows that people view immigrants as people who won’t accomplish many things in life. They get brought down by others, making them feel ashamed of themselves for being different. Nguyen mentions how she felt like she had to work harder to be good, to make up for her flaws. For example, “This only propelled me to try harder to be good, to make up for everything I felt was against me: my odd family, my race, my very face.”. Nguyen felt like because she came from a different race and because she was an immigrant she was not intelligent like others. Many immigrant children feel the same way Nguyen did. Like they have to prove themselves to others just because of their race or immigration status. Nguyen wants to make a broad statement for those who experience discrimination at school, that even though we weren’t born here, we are still capable of doing as much as those who were born in America.

On reading the “The Good Immigrant Student” , Nguyen said in the 28th paragraph that “I would like to make a broad, accurate statement about immigrant children in schools. I would like to speak for them (us). I hesitate; I cannot.” I believe what she is trying to say is that it is not fair to judge or assume everyone will be like a particular person. For instance she said “I doubled back to school and overheard Mrs. Alexander in the classroom talking to another teacher. “Can you believe it?” Mrs. Alexander was saying. “A foreigner winning our spelling bee!”. An award she clearly deserved was denied hers because he teacher did not like immigrants. Another proof that shows Mrs. Alexander did not really like Nguyen was “If it was my turn to read aloud during reading circle, she’d interrupt me to snap, “You’re reading too fast” or demand, “What does that word mean?” Things she did not do to the other students. This is also a proof of how Mrs. Alexander kept picking on Nguyen on purpose due to her Vietnamese accent and background because she could have at least been more polite to Nguyen instead on constantly interrupting her during readings which she does not do to other students. Mrs. King on the other hand was a teacher who loved and adored everyone no matter the race, language one spoke or the background a student might be coming from . This is a reason why Nguyen did not want to make her statement broad since not all teachers are like Mrs. Alexander but instead made this statement specifically to people who discriminate against immigrants to show more respect to them. People who discriminate against other people should seize from it since we are all humans and one and as such must behave like that.

When you hear of an “illegal alien” you automatically receive a negative connotation as compared to an “undocumented immigrant”. When you break down the term “illegal alien” you reach the understanding of each word by itself. Something illegal is automatically defined to be wrong or immoral. As media is built on the definition of an alien, it is easy to imagine a life form that has no resemblance to a human being. You imagine something exiting the doors of a UFO, cannot speak an understandable language, and wants to meet your “leader”. No human being should be compared to an alien in the sense of immigration. From the beginning of America’s history, there had always been the idea of the “American Dream”; which should have been predicted to lead to immigration. Acts such as the Dream Act and programs which aid first-year college students of their families are pieces of America’s history that people hope to get a taste of. A lot of times, there is a good chance these incoming immigrants are running away from problems in their own home countries or looking for a chance at a better life for themselves and future generations. Jose Vargas convinced himself that hard-work would erase the chance of people asking what his ethnicity or citizenship status is. A lot of people who hold that title of being a “US Citizen” have the idea of incoming immigrants refuse to assimilate or causing society to fail. The reality is that these incoming immigrants “pick your strawberries or care for your children. Some are in high school or college. And some, it turns out, write news articles you might read”. (Pg 329 Paragraph 2) Immigrants are beyond the stereotype of coming into the US and bringing in “problems”. Naturally, growing up in the Bronx, I’ve never taken note of the citizenship of people I meet. I grew up knowing that anyone could be the face of any successful business. Your race couldn’t hold you back until your citizenship had become involved. For people such as Vargas who came here for a chance at success, I believe they should be referred to as nothing but “undocumented citizens”. Vargas stated, “I was paying state and federal taxes, but I was using an invalid Social Security card and writing false information on my employment forms.” (This helps to the understanding that these people still work to be parts of a community and earn their place within their cities, yet the reality is that they won’t entirely be accepted because of their citizenship status. I feel as though words such as “illegal” and “alien” should not be used for people who have family roots here or simply coming in search of a better way of life.

Both John F Kennedy and Abrahim Lincoln stand for equality and everyone being presented equally. The separation of who the world makes seem is important is the problem that the United States has. John F Kennedy states, “So in many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and The shadow of disappointment set up on us. We have an alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we will present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and national community.” This is demonstrating how African Americans are made broken promises. The things said to them mean nothing because there is little to no action put behind them. Abraham Lincoln wants actions put towards remembering people who put action into our country. Lincoln states,”The brave man, living and dead, who struggled here, has consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but you can never forget what they did here. It is for us to live in, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have this so normally advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great asking him in before us, the from these honored that we take increased devotion…”. This is demonstrating how the people need to take action on making sure that the actions people took for our safety and country are counted for. Both of these individuals for actions of change and want them to stick. The country looks at these problems but they aren’t fully addressed. In Birmingham the people asked for the segratings signs to be taken down. Some were taken down for some time and returned back to their place. The problems of the United States have not been solved.

After reading “The Gettysburg Address” by 16th President Abraham Lincoln and “Inaugural Address” by 35th President John F. Kennedy, I have made the connection that what they are saying is similar. The overall message is about equality. Their remarks do not refer to the same situation but they do relate to each other. The problem that Abraham Lincoln thinks the United States needs to solve is the problem of equality. He believed that all men are created equally. And JFK brings up the point that we are united as a nation, referring to the equality of black people and stated “we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty” expressing that he would pay any price to see equality among people in the United States. Is that problem solved? The answer is obviously no. As any normal person can see we live in a society stemming full of systemic racism and  major inequalities for minorities. And “President” (I will use that title lightly) Donald Trump thinks it does not exist. Not only that but the racist police that shoot unarmed, innocent black people that can amount to a list only from the shootings this year. There should not be a list like that at all. And it does not just affect black people, the Muslim ban proposed by “President” Trump was extremely racist by targeting Muslims entering America and ones that already live here, and extremely UNCONSTITUTIONAL. So, no these issues have not solved.