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Once in a while, a news story comes along that I feel I must share with the readers, but one which I know is bound to stir (extra) controversy.
This one comes from NBC Latino:
“Immigrant children who came to the U.S. before they were teens do better in academic achievement and school engagement than native-born children, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins University, and the advantages extend to adulthood. …
The study looked at over 10,700 children ages 13 to 17 and followed their outcomes until they were between 25 and 32, using a wide variety of data available from government sources. Dr. Hao found that ’1.5 generation’ children, those born outside the U.S. and then brought here before their teens, did better than ‘second generation’ children, which are children who are born in the U.S. to either one or both foreign-born parents, and ‘third generation’ children, who are native-born children to native-born parents. The 1.5 generation immigrants did better on educational, social and behavioral outcomes. One important finding is that foreign-born immigrant children do better in STEM fields like math and science, an important finding as one looks at future workforce projections.”
It would seem that many DREAMers — the undocumented immigrants brought to the States as children and raised here — fit into this 1.5 generation of children outperforming our made-in-the-U.S.A youngsters.
I also found one of Dr. Hao’s reasons explaining the conclusion as provocative as the conclusion itself:
“There are several reasons why foreign-born immigrant children show these educational and social advantages, often referred to as the ‘immigrant paradox’ by educators and sociologists.
‘The first thing is family,’ explains Dr. Hao. ‘Immigrants who come to the U.S. are self-selective; they overcome difficulties to create a better life, and foreign-born immigrant parents transmit this motivation, values and expectations to their children,’ she explains. Children absorb these expectations and their actions demonstrate a ‘mom and dad made all this sacrifice for me, I better do okay’ type of behavior.”
Immigrant groups are “self-selective.” I’d never heard the term applied to immigrants before, but once I saw it in the article, I thought it was a perfect descriptor.
The reason Americans love describing their country as “a nation of immigrants” — at least, we used to — is because the immigrant spirit closely parallels the American spirit. Immigrants are the dreamers and the pioneers of their home countries. They are the ones who are confident enough to be dissatisfied with their lives back home and brave enough to go to extremes for a chance to build better lives — doing something as drastic as moving to a foreign country where you don’t know the language and hoping to thrive there.
Eleven years after the terrible attacks that nearly brought a great nation to its knees, America must not become fearful of the outsider. Americans must cherish and strive to uphold their immigrant legacy, forever remembering the call of Lady Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The DREAMer is here by no decision of their own, and yet, they’re here to learn, work and contribute to the greatness of their new country.
I only hope Americans have the clarity of heart and mind to let them.
About Hector Luis Alamo, Jr.
Rewarding Crime is Disgraceful…Even if it was their PARENTS who committed the crimes…
Ha! This is going to be interesting… Wait for it…
So you think a person who was brought here as a baby and knows nothing of their parents motherland should be sent back there?
we know that and is not a crime if they came the legal way .always trying to put them down .that’s why are Hispanics so divided .they can’t see another Hispanic get ahead .
Who cares! Illegal is Illegal and there’s no good way to spin handing out work permits and Drivers Licenses to Illegals while poor and working class Americans (of ALL Nationalities) are eating Dirt..
Reagan Passed Amnesty of The objections of the American People, That monkey Curious George TRIED TO over the objections of the American People and Now The President is…It’s a gift the The 1%
people aren’t illegal they are undocumented. So you are saying the children should suffer the consequences of their parents mistakes? And how is allowing giving work permits and drivers licenses to these undocumented people correlate to poor and working class Americans eating dirt? i dont see the correlation.
This title is misleading. According to the article it says immigrant children outperform US born children and “presumes” that included illegal immigrant children (dreamers.) But the study may only include legal immigrant children or a mix – who knows with out reading the study. In any case, the title of the story is MISLEADING.
LOL! people aren’t Illegal?!? Sure they are…You just don’t like the word because it’s a reminder that there ARE crimes involved. Referring to Illegals as immigrants etc etc is just a Dodge…
you mean the poor ones that get that earn income credit for not paying enough taxes .cause if im correct the illegals
can’t claim that credit .
Their actions maybe illegal but they themselves are not illegal.
Silly! It’s about jobs that will be Not found or that much longer in finding because you’re handing out drivers licenses and Work permits to Illegals to get jobs that should go to Legal U.S. Citizens; silly..Also unfortunately illegals Depress wages…
More BL & BS!
its funny you mention that actually…do working class Americans not have an upper hand in this case? are they forced to eat this dirt you speak of? not at all! they have all the opportunities available, if they take them for granted…sounds like a personal problem
Exactly what fucking jobs are you talking about? They’re not becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, firemen, police officers, or anything of that caliber. So what jobs are they taking that is ruining the job market for us? Be specific.
@ Alex… Exactly… The way people put it makes it sound like these kids are taking jobs from wall street bankers and politicians…
I love these studies that can squeeze out of the blue some obscure “dreamer” handicapped blind girl who is a valedictorian of her high school and a genius with 3 scholarships to MIT who works 3 jobs to support her family when in reality you are mainly dealing with mostly regular to mediocre people. You make it sound like these Dreamers are so special. They are not.
And when the next hoard of Dreamers is given amnesty, there will be another million or more in a few years… and so on and so on…when is this madness going to stop? And then kids that are real United States citizens including legal Latinos suffer when Dreamers are rewarded for their parents criminal behavior. They will eventually destroy and choke our system from within by their massive inundation.
@ Mario… What do you suggest to resolve this issue? (Immigration)
Yeah I’d like to know what your suggestion is for resolving the I’m immigration problem is too. It is unrealistic to say they should gather all these undocumented people and send them all back to where they came from. That will never happen. They are here now so what is suppose to happen now?
“I wish I could pay you way more for all the work that you do, but these illegal immigrants are bringing down wages by working for less money.” said no employer or CEO ever.
except for Cubans they get the super deluxe plan just swim here and we take care of the rest oh it gets better then they register Republican lol
@ Kelvin… Ha ! Now you are about to hear some “truths” from these folks… Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it….
Wow..Did I even say anything about “Latino” ? Carlos; you Pro-illegals have gotten so wound up in you own self-righteous racist echo room that when you hear from someone who’s NOT WHITE but is Anti-illegal you just go ahead and double down on the Non-sensical Rhetoric.. why do you HATE Latinos who disagree with you so?….Illegals that are NOT-LATINO go to sleep and wake up laughing at people like you and the Latino Community…
Eric, I’d like to know more about YOUR ancestry. You are no Smith or Jones which tells me there was probably migration in your past. Just because YOU did not cross the border doesn’t mean nobody in your past did. Get a little more in touch with your roots.
‘Here here Mario.. STOP THE CYCLE..YOu keep Rewarding the Crime they will keep committing the crime…what we need is a MEXICAN SPRING
Eric maybe you should self-deport because someone in your ancestry crossed the border or the Atlantic. Go on and pay for your ancestors’ sins. That sounds like what you are advocating so walk the walk.