Lesson Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

Reflect on what the “American Dream” means to migrants and how it comes into tension with traditional understandings of the American Dream.
Connect learnings about persistent push factors to expose the myth of the “American Dream” as a driving force of migration.

Introduction

Living in the United States, most everyone can recall encountering the “American Dream” at least once in their life. It is a narrative of American idealism, power, and prosperity that is painted and constantly re-enforced through various political, cultural, and systemic mechanisms. And yet, the “American Dream” exists because of the U.S.’ history of imperialism wherein everything that has been built today was done so on the forced and exploited labor of others. Still, Americans have been taught that the “American Dream” means that anyone who ventures to this great land will find abundant opportunity. By accessing the greatness of this nation, any person could “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” and build a fulfilling life for themselves. The reflections of the “American Dream” provided by our protagonists in this lesson will contradict this narrative.

Three men with United States flags wrapped around their backs participating in “March for America” rally for immigration reform on March 21, 2010 (futureatlas.com/ Flickr)

This narrative of the “American Dream” implies that migrants choose the United States. Some Americans might even wrongfully assume that migrants do not wish to return to their own homes because they have achieved the “greatness” of the United States, but this is not always true. Many migrants insist they do not want to be in the United States. Rather, emigrating to the U.S. was a necessary action to find safety and live their lives.

Many migrants look fondly on their home countries and hope to return one day when the factors pushing them away are resolved.

About one in five (19%) immigrants in the U.S. want to move back to their country of origin or to another country

What is return migration?

Migration is not always a linear journey that ends in permanent settlement in a new country. Instead, migration is multidirectional and many migrants experience short-term, long-term, and permanent returns to their country of origin or new destinations.

Return migration is when a migrant returns to their country of origin. Return can be a voluntary decision made independently by a migrant and their family or return can be forced, usually taking the form of deportation.

“Bueno, yo tengo que admitir que Colombia es un país muy alegre. Nada que envidiarle a ningún otro país en cuestiones de diversión, de vista, de paisajes. Es un país con biodiversidades. Mucha gente va a nuestro país, nuestro país es una maravilla, la gente queda encantada.

“Well, I have to admit that Colombia is a very happy country. Nothing to envy any other country in terms of fun, views, and landscapes. It is a country with biodiversity. Many people go to our country, our country is wonderful, people are delighted.

Listen to Beatriz

What does the “American Dream” mean to you?

“Es un mito. Imposible. El poco tiempo que tengo acá he conocido a paisanos que tienen mucho tiempo, diez o quince años o más, y no tienen papeles, no tienen nada y están en situaciones difíciles todavía. La mayoría viene acá por la estabilidad y no por un “sueño americano.” Tenemos planes de regresar a nuestro país porque no hay nada mejor que estar en el país de uno. Pienso que el 70% de los venezolanos que han venido aquí quiere regresar. Tenemos familia, tengo a mi mamá y a mi papá en mi país.”

"It is a myth. Impossible. The short time I have been here I have met countrymen who have been around for a long time, ten or fifteen years or more, and they don't have papers, they have nothing and they are still in difficult situations. Most come here for stability and not for an “American dream.” We have plans to return to our country because there is nothing better than being in one's country. I think that 70% of Venezuelans who have come here want to return. “We have family, I have my mother and my father in my country.”

Desiy

And yet, it is important to recognize that the “American Dream,” in whatever it may mean, is achieved for some. There are some aspects of this idealized narrative that are real and tangibly regarded by migrants.

Santiago Photovoice Response #1

“Esto me llena de emoción porque en mi país la verdad ni me imaginé tener un carro y se hacía demasiado difícil para yo tener un vehículo. Pues acá, pues gracias Dios lo tuve entonces pues, esta experiencia me llena de una emoción grande, pero enorme, cuando me vi ahí ni lo creía, me tomé más de 500 fotos, creo que llené la galería.”

“This fills me with emotion because in my country I honestly didn't even imagine having a car and it was becoming too difficult for me to have a vehicle. Well here, thank God I had it then, well, this experience fills me with great, I mean an enormous amount, of emotion, when I saw myself there I didn't even believe it, I took more than 500 photos, I think I filled the gallery.”

Listen to Santiago

However, the reality of the “American Dream” has less to do with this idealized version of the U.S. and its great opportunity. Rather, the “American Dream” is, simply, the dreams of migrants that they carry with them. For this reason, the “American Dream” is different for every person because it is a personal journey specific to one’s own hopes and aspirations. For some, achieving the “American Dream” means putting their children through school. For others, living the “American Dream” is as candid as walking freely without fear of violence and persecution.

“La verdad que siempre crecí con ese sueño americano y cuando uno llega acá se da cuenta que ese sueño americano es otra cosa. Ya no lo sé cómo describir el sueño americano. Y muchos han hecho de todo para llegar acá, mucha gente ha hecho de todo para llegar acá. Han muerto, los han estado de presos, o sea, han pasado mucho para llegar. Entonces al hacer todo eso era por cumplir el sueño americano por cómo se pintaban el sueño americano.”

“The truth is that I always grew up with that American dream and when you get here you realize that that American dream is something else. I don't know how to describe the American dream anymore. And many have done everything to get here, many people have done everything to get here. They have died, they have been imprisoned, that is, they have gone through a lot to get there. Doing all of that was to fulfill the American dream because of how they painted the American dream.”

Listen to Beatriz

“Yo nunca tuve este “sueño americano”, a mi no me pasó este sueño americano. No tenía este sueño americano que llego allá y hago plata y llego allá, nunca lo tuve así, no me paso, ni de pequeño ni de grande.”

“I never had this “American dream”, this American dream did not happen to me. I didn't have this American dream of coming here and making a bunch of money, I never had it like that, neither as a child nor as an adult.”

Listen to Santiago

“Para mi es un sueño que por lo menos es un país que uno vino para surgir y aquí uno aprender muchas cosas pues, como por ahi que dicen ‘no, que no hay sueño Americano’ lo que pasa es un país que es para trabajar, para las personas que tienen aspiraciones no como para los personas que son flojos pues, son los que dicen ‘no hay sueño Americano no existe.’ Sí, existe para las personas que tienen otras metas, otras sueños.”

“For me it is a dream that, at least it is a country where one comes to move forward and one learns many things. There are those that say 'no, there is no American dream' but what happens is that it is a country for work, for people who have aspirations, not for people who are lazy, who are the ones saying 'there is no American dream, it doesn't exist.' It does exist for people who have other goals, other dreams.”

Listen to Marisol

“Bueno pues que para acá lo hay que trabajar pa’ acá ser trabajar y venir por todo la reglas que amordaza a su país… y hacer los cosas por el bien pues no que es un país que está por todos su leyes y hay que cumplirlas…”

“Well, here you have to work, so here you have to work and follow all the rules that controls your country... and do things for the good, well, it's a country that follows all its laws and you have to comply with them…”

Listen to Eriko

“Mi sueño es yo lograr, o sea, tener algo para donde meter a mis hijos para más cómodos, estar más cómodos, y que ellos estén bien pues y yo puedo lograr los objetivos que tengo en mente.”

“My dream is to achieve, or, to have somewhere to put my children so that they are more comfortable and for them to be well, and I can achieve the goals that I have in mind.”