Critical Analysis 1: Immigration
“According to the U.S. Census, South Carolina’s Latino population grew by 400 percent
between 1990 and 2006 (from roughly 30,000 to 150,000), while the same period their numbers
increased nationally by 50 percent (from just over 22 million to roughly 44 million.” Odem and
Lacy, page 2. I found myself very dumbfounded when reading that this high spike in population
growth took place over the course of only 16 years! The southeastern area of the Unites States
has obviously become a migratory destination for many Latino immigrants, especially those
arriving from Mexico. While some immigrants arriving to the South come to only work seasonally,
many decide to call that area home. The large Latino population growth in South Carolina can be
due to job opportunities (may be easier for them to find work than in other parts of the country),
or because of the comfort that many Latinos may feel in a community where their population is
growing.
How important is having community ties to the location you immigrate to? I would say it
is an essential deciding factor. Leaving everything and everyone you know is a scary idea to
fathom but for many this is a reality that they face. This was a decision my parents made over 40
years ago. My father left El Salvador in the 70’s before the Civil War broke out, and my mother
left shortly after the war broke out. They both chose to come to San Francisco, CA because they
had family, and friends who were already living in San Francisco. Though the road was
treacherous the transition into American life was easier because they already had prior
connections to people in the area. They had family that took them in and helped them find jobs.
Once they had “found their way” around this new community, they moved out together and
began their family. Over the years my parents have definitely paid it forward, and they have
helped out family members by providing them a room and food while they got on their feet. They
have even helped out strangers that they happen to meet while out and about by providing them
with resources they may need or with any job opportunities they may know about. I would say
that having some ties to the community you plan to immigrate to can be very helpful. By having
ties to this community, you already have all the resources you need to find employment, housing,
healthcare options, legal help, and education for your children.
Though having community ties to South Carolina can be one of the driving forces behind
such a high spike in the Latino population, it cannot be the only reason. When choosing to move
to another state most of us base our decision on what the job opportunities for the field we are
in look like in the area we are considering moving to. For immigrants this is highly important.
They come here to have a better life and in order to achieve that they need to have secure work
and have strong community ties. Both of which can be achieved in the South. Most Americans
refuse to work on farms because of the nature of the work such as the long hours, laborious
work, and the generally bad working conditions. Many of the farms that feed Americans are
located in the South. The lack of American applicants and the many open job opportunities
available on these farms, has in my opinion been a driving factor in why many immigrants are
coming to areas such as South Carolina. There is an abundance of job opportunity for them
because they are willing to do the work that most Americans refuse to do. Imagine being a young
immigrant with no education, no technical skills, and you cannot speak English, do you think you
would easily find work? I would say it may be harder to find employment in most metropolitan
cities. You would be competing with many people including Latinos who can speak the language.
On the other hand, if you were told to come to South Carolina because there’s an abundance of
work available for someone with your skills you probably would consider moving there.
Lastly, I also believe that the cost of living is another reason for the high rates of Latinos
living in South Carolina. I can imagine how much more difficult it would be for an immigrant to
attempt to make ends meet in a state such as California. In the Bay Area it would almost be
impossible to survive on a job that pays just minimum wage, how would you be able to afford
rent (which in the Bay Area seems to average $2,000 a month), groceries, and healthcare? Why
move to California and struggle to survive, when you can just live in South Carolina where you
will more than likely easily find work, and affordable housing. In my opinion the driving force
behind the spike was due to the combination of job opportunities, an already established Latino
community, and an affordable housing market. Most of us are happy knowing we have a roof
over our heads, food, family/friends, and a steady flow on income (work) to be able to build a
better future for ourselves. Many immigrants want the same thing, and they are able to more
easily attain that in a state like South Carolina. Although at first, I was dumbfounded upon reading
about the statistic of Latino population in South Carolina, I am now not as surprised as to why
many have chosen to call South Carolina home.
Works Cited
Odem, Mary, and Lacy, Elaine. Latino Immigrants and the transformation of the U.S. South.
Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2009. Print.