the international forum for u.s. studies “‘ america’ in the world”: discourses of...
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The International Forum for U.S. Studies“‘ America’ in the World”: Discourses of "Americanization" and
"Anti-Americanism" SYMPOSIUM II The University of Iowa
APRIL 21-23, 2006
Mexican immigrants’ Americanism and anti-americanism in L.A.
Guillermo Ibarra Escobar (UAS)
“We must Americanize them (the newcomers to our shores) in every way, in speech, in political ideas and principles, ... We welcome the German or the Irishman who becomes an American. .. We do not wish German-Americans and Irish- Americans who figure as such in our social and political life; we want only Americans, and, provided they are such, we do not care whether they are of native or of Irish or of German ancestry. We have no room in any healthy American community for a German-American vote or an Irish-American vote, and it is contemptible demagogy to put planks into any party platform with the purpose of catching such a vote. We have no room for any people who do not act and vote simply as Americans, and as nothing else”...
Theodore Roosevelt (1894).
True Americanism.
Are illegal immigrants antiamericans?
What does americanism mean in the globalizaded world of XXI century?
Citizenship and Nation State.
Citizenship and the Global City.
Immigrantion debate, legislation, protesting, grassroots.
A new era in modern American history, similar to the 1960’s.
Making citizenship in urban life.
The professions and the new citizenship.
Cartographical identities in the Global City.
Militant particularism in the Global City and the new citizenship.
Citizens, “the good ones”.
The others, the strangers.
Immigrants and citizenship.
Mexicans in US and Los Ángeles, 2005
Mexican population in US, 25 millions. Mexican foreign born in US, 11 millions. Mexican immigrants unauthorized in US, 6
millions. Mexican foreign born in Greater Los Ángeles
(LA, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange), 3 millions.
Mexican inmigrants unauthorized in Greater L.A, 35%, 1.05 million.
The Sinaloans case
Sinaloa in 2005, 3.5% of the Mexican foreign born, 108,000.
Sinaloas immigrants unauthorized, 38%, 41,000.
Random survey 2004.
Greater Los Angeles
Mexicans foreign born by census track
Surveying in Sinaloans household, 2004
Year of arrival (%)
3,7%
13.3%
31.9% 32.5%
16.5%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Porcentajes
Before 1970
Between 1970 & 1979
Between 1980 & 1989
Between 1990 & 1999
Between 2000 & 2004
Pattern of arrival to US
Educational attainment
3.2%
35.1%
23.7%27.3%
10.7%
0
10
20
30
40 No studies
1-6 years of study
7-9 years of study
10-12 years of study
more than12 years
Civil status
52,7%
32,1%
8%2,8% 2,5% 1,8%
0
20
40
60
PercentagesMARRIED
SINGLE
LIVING TOGETHER
DIVORCED
SEP ARATED
WIDOWED
Migratory status
58%
14%28% CIUDADANO
INDOCUMENTADO
RESIDENTE
Percentage
Age of the (Sinaloans) US borned
72,8%
24%
2,5% 0,7%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1-15 years old
16-30 years old
31-45 years old
46 years old or more
Educational attainment of the (Sinaloans) US borned
0.2
37.5
24.6 25.2
12.6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
no education
elementary school
junior high
high school
college
Occupation
27.2
22.3
19
7.25.7 4.8 4.8
3 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.2
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Blue collar
Services employee
White collar
Entrepreneur
Unemployed
Office employee
Domestic labor
Professionist
Gardener
Professionist
Day laborer
Retirees
Labor Status
78,5%
13,1%7,2%
1,2%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80Employee
Freelanc
Unemployed
Retiree
Weekly income in US dollars
5.6
28.3
15.7
11.2
14.2
12.5
5.9 6.6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Less than 200
From 200 to 300
From 301 to 350
From 351 to 400
From 401 to 500
From 501 to 750
From 751 to 1000
More than 1000
Monthly Housing Rent
2.53%
25.63%
39.87%
19.3%
12.65%
0
10
20
30
40 Menos de 200
Betw een 200-500
Betw een 501-800
Betw een 801-1100
More than1100
Weekly income by migration status
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
MENOSDE 200
ENTRE200 Y300
ENTRE301 Y350
ENTRE351 Y400
ENTRE401 Y500
ENTRE501 Y750
ENTRE751 Y1000
MÁS DE1000
Ciudadanos
Residentes
Indocumentados
Bank of preference
55.0%
20.5%16.0%
3.0%1.0% 0.6%0.6% 3.3%
0,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
50,0
60,0
Bank of America
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo
City Bank
Bancomer
Banamex
Bank of West
Resto
Decision for migrating to United States
4%
96%
Right choice Bad choice
Will your economic future improve?
8,5 %
91,5 %YES
NO
When do you think your economic situation will improve?
31.9%
45.8%
22.3%
0
10
20
30
40
50Soon
In the middlerun
In the long run
Difficulty for finding a job
0
20
40
60
80
EASY
HARD
REGULAR
69.2%
15.2% 15,6%
Labor conditions in Los Angeles
68,8 %
27,7%
3,5%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70 BUENA
REGULAR
MALA
Perception about the current personal income
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Enough
Not enough
Enough to makesavings
57,4%
14,1%
28.5%
Living conditions in Los Angeles
83.2 %
13%3.8%
0
20
40
60
80
100
Better than in México
Same as in México
Worse than in México
Have you suffer from discrimination?
77.4%
16.5%
6.1%
0
20
40
60
80
1
None
Several times
Once
Social life in Los Angeles
76,1%
21,6%
2,3%
0
20
40
60
80
1
GOOD
REGULAR
BAD
Regard of the US Laws
27,2%
59,6%
13,2%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1
FAIR
UNFAIR
DOESN'T KNOW
Are you affiliated to a political party?
YES5%
NO95%
Health services in the US compared to Mexico’s
62.7%
17.5%14%5.8%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70 mejores
iguales
peores
no sabe
Are you enjoying the American ways?
60.4%
35.4%
4.3%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
A lot
More less
Noa
Would you like to return to Mexico for living?
39.2%
23.7%37.1%
0
5
10
15
2025
30
35
40
mucho
poco
nada
Would you like to return to Mexico for working?
18.4% 16.1%
65.6%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
mucho
poco
nada
How well do you speak English?
18.3%
41.5% 40.2%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Good
More Less
Nothing
Do you speaking English at home?
11.5%
35.5%
53%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
A Lot
A Little
Nothing
Usage of English at work
24.4%36.3% 39.3%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
A Lot
A Little
Nothing
