Latino Americans

I never took an interest in learning about the Hispanic/ Latino immigrants and what American citizens thought of the tremendous amount of them crossing the border legally and illegally. Watching “The New Latinos” documentary gave me a better perspective on some of the things the people had to endure to become “free.” Most had this dream of coming to American to become free, take car​​

e of their family and to live better lives. I learned that the Latino immigrants were heavily discriminated against during this trying time. From the 1940s to the 2000s the Latinos American had to fight against discrimination for jobs and housing.

The Government The military sought after the Latinos at the beginning of the Cold War in Central America in the late 1970s. They young men and children had to go hide on the countryside and underground. Immigrants were being housed at refugee camps, churches and with family members until parents or other relatives crossed the border. Many parents were deported during this time if they were here illegally or undocumented, even if they were established here or settled into a “good life.” President Reagan passed the immigration and control act of 1986 which stated that hiring undocumented workers is a criminal offense. American citizens discriminated against the Latinos. They were coming over by the thousands and they were concerned about the resources that would be taken from them and given to the immigrants. I also learned from the documentaty that the governemnt decided what the children would learn in the schools. In 1994, Governor Pete Wilson sent National Guard troops to watch the border and prohibited use of hospitals and government services. He blamed the immigrants for breaking the economy. A lawsuit was filed against congress to challenge bill no. 187 for shutting down the hospitals and denying the immigrants care. This act was ruled unconstitutional and only the federal government has the right to regulate immigration. Some of the immigrants tried to make a difference by voting but couldn’t do to the literacy test that was disbursed because majority of them couldn’t read or understand English. In order to prevent the Latinos from having a voice the polls were shut down earlier than announced. This left a large number of people who were unable to vote. American citizens looked down upon on the immigrants because they were taking the jobs and government assistance, they saw the Latino population as a threat, especially after learning that more than half had criminal backgrounds.