The TV show 30 Days: Immigration provides a unique insight into the everyday reality of illegal immigrants. Moreover, it puts Frank, a passionate opponent of illegal immigration, into a situation when he gets to know these people.
At the beginning of the show, Frank discussed his upcoming meeting with the Gonzalez family with his wife. Their dialogue highlighted their prejudice against this social group. They both were worried that these people might be aggressive because Frank was helping the law enforcement to fight illegal immigration (Spurlock 2006). Also, Frank’s wife was concerned that the Gonzalez family might be those immigrants who “cover the American flag with the Mexican flag,” implying that they disrespected America (Spurlock 2006).
Being a legal Cuban immigrant, Frank was a part of a model minority that was perceived positively by society (Griffiths et al. 2015). He had utterly assimilated and identified himself as an American. He did not understand the everyday struggle of illegal immigrants because his family had a legal status, and he came to the U.S. when he was a child. Frank believed himself to be superior to other Hispanic immigrants and knew little about them. Since he had no experience with them, Frank formed his opinion based on stereotypes, being affected by the culture of prejudice. Also, his was motivated to oppose illegal immigrants because the House of Representatives approved a bill that criminalized being in the country illegally (Spurlock 2006). There is evidence that implementation of anti-immigrant laws encourages people to express their xenophobic opinions and act accordingly (Flores 2017).
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During his stay with the Gonzalez family, Frank learned that his fears were unfounded. He expected to meet stereotypical aggressive and disrespectful criminals. Because of their illegal status, he supposed them to be equal to gangsters, thieves, and other marginalized social groups. Instead, Frank met a typical hard-working family that struggled to survive in the U.S. The Gonzalez were kind and sincere people who were used to rely on themselves. Frank himself admitted that a few Americans would find such life acceptable because of inadequate accommodation, low income, and the lack of stable job (Spurlock 2006). After his trip to Mexico, he realized that these people had to come to the U.S. because their living conditions at home were unhuman (Spurlock 2006). Also, Frank was surprised to learn that Armida was passionate to live a life of a mainstream American girl who plays golf and plans to go to Princeton. Her level of assimilation proved that the Gonzalez family was not hostile to America and tried to become a part of society.
People should always remember that members of “inferior” social groups also are human beings with their struggles and hopes. To fight prejudice, it is vital to stop dehumanizing people and acknowledge the influence of social factors that define their lifestyle. Frank has learned that illegal immigrants might be nice people who were unlucky to be born to a lower social class with no chances of upward social mobility. The root of the problem was social inequality, not a pathological desire to become criminals.
The concept of American dream means that society fosters social mobility for hard-working people. From the perspective of conflict theory, privileged social classes and ethnicities have better chances of succeeding. Well-educated Cuban immigrants were granted the status of refugees and support from the government. As a result, they managed to get a middle-class life. Americans do not favor immigrants from lower classes such as Mexicans from rural areas. Therefore, these people are less likely to get a legal status. This hostility urges them to cross the border illegally, and it prevents them from getting a stable well-paid job. Therefore, ethnicity and social class determine a person’s eligibility for pursuing the American dream.
- Flores, Rene D. 2017. “Do Anti-immigrant Laws Shape Public Sentiment? A Study of Arizona’s SB 1070 Using Twitter Data.” American Journal of Sociology, 123(3), 333-384. doi: 10.1086/692983.
- Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, and Faye Jones. 2015. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
- Spurlock, Morgan. 2006. 30 Days: Immigration. Retrieved December 7, 2017 (https://vimeo.com/11155073).
