Immigration Policy
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Our research on Eastern European Jews in the late 19th/early20th centuries and on Mexicans in the late 20th/early 21st centuries has led us to conclude that regardless of the historical period or the particular set of immigration policies in place, immigrants come to the United States for the same reasons and face similar problems. Both Jews and Mexicans were drawn to the U.S. with the hope of improving their lives socially and economically through either temporary or permanent immigration. Although they routinely expected to find a better life in the U.S., immigrants often discovered that their expectations were out of line with reality. They often faced harsher social, economical and political conditions than anticipated. As we can see from the ongoing flow of Mexican immigrants, despite the disappointments, people keep coming. The U.S. continues to entice many people.
Additionally, through our research, we have discovered that often times immigration policies are reflective of the opinions shared by a majority of the public, or at the least, the ruling regime in power. Therefore, in studying the immigration of Jews and Mexicans to the United States, it is elementary and especially important to look at the immigration policies that affect these two groups. These immigration policies give us insight into the social conditions these groups left in their respective homes and the social conditions they encountered in the United States.
