Reverse Culture Shock: Dealing with misconceptions after returning to US from Mexico

Returning to the US after living in Mexico for four months was much harder than I anticipated.  I had heard about “reverse culture shock” and read all the brochures my university gave me, but nothing prepared me for what hit me the hardest when I returned: the racism and uninformed hate towards immigrants that was rooted deep inside many people in this country from all walks of life.  I was shocked at the misinformation people had about the situation and the total lack of respect people held for their fellow humans.

This was particularly hard for me because I was living intimately with many communities in Mexico that had many family and friends in the US, both with and without documents.  My first real exposure to the issue of immigration took place in Mexico, where I talked about it candidly with people who had husbands, fathers or sons in the US or had gone themselves and returned.  I spoke with a woman I lived with in Mexico City who explained how she had to go to the US so she could provide more for her two daughters than the 50 pesos ($5US) a day her extended family was living on.  Her mother has diabetes and her daughters have to eat and go to school, all of which costs money.  She is one of the fortunate members of her family in that she has a steady job, but it pays barely enough for her to live, let alone the other members of her family whom she helps support.  She sees the US as the only viable option to provide for her family.

When I returned to the US, I worked on a political campaign in suburban Chicago which gave me the opportunity to talk to a lot of people about various political issues and I was shocked that the number one issue people were in a consensus against was immigration.  I vividly remember one woman I spoke with who said, “I don’t think shipping them all (not sure if she meant illegal immigrants or possibly even all immigrants) back is a solution.”  To this I responded, “Of course not,” obviously thinking she was against the idea of rounding up people and sending them back to their countries.  Imagine my shock when she responded, “We don’t have enough trains to fit them all, we couldn’t do it fast enough, so it’s no use!”  I was ashamed that people actually felt that way in my own country, in my own hometown!

These experiences demonstrate that the biggest obstacle to beginning a dialogue about immigration is the lack of knowledge of the average American.  The woman in Mexico City doesn’t want to come to the US to live permanently and “take jobs away” from Americans, she only wants to come for long enough to provide a better life for her daughters back in Mexico.  Opportunities exist in the US to make 10 times more money than in Mexico, and many Mexicans feel like they have no choice but to immigrate.  From my experiences, the vast majority of immigrants would migrate legally, but that is just not possible due to various requirements from both governments.  Immigrants, both documented and undocumented are not criminals who are trying to pervert the American way of life, they are simply trying to do what is best for their family and take a small part in the American Dream and build a better life for their families back in Mexico.  I feel like if people just knew the stories and struggles many immigrants go through, they would not only change their minds, but have a newfound respect for the courage it takes to immigrate to this county.  Only after people are educated about the full situation surrounding immigration will we be able to have an informed discussion about immigration.