GEOG #3

Joy Prior

#3 - Immigration
Many people move from one country to another for a variety of reasons. Choose an article dealing with the immigration of an individual/family/group form one country to another. What push/pull factors exist that encourage immigration? Does relative location play a role? Does the new country welcome the immigrants? What challenges exist for the new country in assimilating the immigrants?

Driver, Pearl S. California University Accused of Being Front for Visa Fraud. India West, News Report. 27 January 2011. Web. 28 January 2011. Web. http://newamericamedia.org/2011/01/calif-university-accused-of-being-front-for-visa-fraud.php

The Tri-Valley University is being charged with abusing the use of student visas. Over 1500 people have enrolled in the university from other countries, and in theory the students are attending the University in California. The only glitch is that most of the students are working in states as far away as Maryland. Not only did the university forge many of the student addresses but there is no record of class progress reports, or attendance records. Hundreds of the students are now fleeing the United States, and the students who were enrolled in the upcoming winter semester have canceled their travel plans.
There were two different groups of immigrants effected by the pull factor. First, it is interesting that there are specific visas in the United States for students. There are enough people immigrating to the United States for and education that the government has issued specific visas for student immigrants. The second group of immigrants were the “student” on student visas living in the United States, but who were not actually attending school. The particular group of immigrants mentioned in this article did not immigrate for an education, but for work opportunities or family. The article did not elaborate why the “students” were living in other parts of the country, but it did mention that illegally worked in various occupations across the country.
There was also a push factor mentioned in this article, legal residency. I thought that it was interesting that as the students were finding out that their visas were in jeopardy they began to flea the country. The other students who were planning on coming to the United States canceled their flights. They were literally pushing to get out of the country because of legal documentation and laws. I had only thought of dramatic things such as famine and civil war being push factors in immigration, but now I see that laws and legal forms can also be a form of push immigration.
Although, this article did not specify if the immigrants were coming to America to be with family I assume that there was some sort of correlation between the “student” immigrants. For starters approximately 95% of the “students” were Indian nationals, mostly Andhra Pradesh. That fact is not really a lot of information, and I from it the reader can only make a crude assumption about the relationships all of the immigrants. In my imagination I can see the dean of Tri-Valley University immigrating to the United States himself and then setting up a system for relatives, friends, and family to work and live in the United States. I can also imagine a group of friends, similar to my own, talking about how they wanted to travel the world. I can hardly blame them for deciding to all immigrate to the states together for a few years by using this beat the system opportunity.
The challenges the United States faces with immigration and how the United States seems to treat immigrants is a very close relationship. For starters America loves immigration. This article points that the government even issues student visas to increase immigration. On the other hand the article emphasizes that the government wants immigrants to enter the states legally and legitimately. In the United States people can make their career by learning how to enforce immigration laws, and deporting people who immigrate to the states illegally. It is often an intense and interesting relationship.