Circumstances
The article “Toil and Temptation” by Michael Kamber was published on the 24th of April, 2001 in the American newspaper The Village Voice.
The article is the last of a three-part journalistic investigation meant to inform readers of “the rapidly growing Mexican community in New York, and the challenges and struggles of being an illegal immigrant in our society.” (p…
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Illegal immigrants in New York and the political situation in the US
Many of the circumstances related to illegal immigration are mentioned directly in the text. For example, the article includes numerous statistics that show how the immigrant communities in New York were rapidly growing: “…in the last decade, New York City’s Mexican population has grown between 300 and 600 percent—depending on which experts are consulted— to a total of at least 300,000.” (ll. 77-8o). Because Mexican women have high fertility rates, the number of illegal residents in New York also grew because of high childbirth rates. This is also mentioned in the article: “The birth rate among Mexican woman rose 232 percent between 1989 and 1996; they now rank th…
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Life in Mexico and illegal border crossing
The article notes that illegal emigration from Mexico to the US is a result of poverty and lack of opportunities in Mexico and decades of oppressive socialist government: “They are young men and women who, in their homeland, have run up against the walls created by class, lack of education, and the detritus of 70-plus years of one-party rule.” (ll. 89-93)
Furthermore, even low wages in the US are much higher than wages in Mexico and immigrants sent a part of their salaries back to Mexico. In this way, the Mex…
