As long as there is a place called United States of America, there will be the eager, desperate, and despondent peoples of the world willing to undertake ordeals just to reach its shores, integrate and pursue the famous American Dream. Freedom and prosperity encased in a term called opportunity, amiss in most nations, remains the inductive element that brings in unceasing numbers of immigrants to the country. Coming from a different culture, language, and life situations, immigrants come to America with high aspirations of improving their lot.
America can herd them into becoming useful and productive citizens by providing them their basic needs to a decent housing, education, and job opportunities. Changing environment always comes with a great deal of discomfort or adjustment. Language barrier is first to cause me problem as only through communication can ones needs be met. In stammering English, I connected to some neighbors to get help on certain offices to call and visit and obtain general assistance. Coming from the tropics, the temperature where I had lived was cold, I needed proper clothing and assistance to adjust the inside temperature of the house to be comfortable.
America being car-dependent, bus service run on specific time schedules and on certain routes only, it was an ordeal to walk the distance of quarter of a mile in cold weather. Groceries to buy food are generally also some walking distance, and similarly is an exercise of determination to reach. The culture being busy, neighborhood is commonly like a deserted place, with only cars parked, and no souls hardly walking on foot can be seen on the roads. It made me long for the constant company of my family and friends.
Immigrating to America requires some family or sponsoring agents to be the source of support, as the government does not want any additional burden. But in the absence of such support, some kind of financial assistance should be put in place to assist the needy. Although loans are available, but normally lending institution requires some credit history established first. The government can do away with it temporarily so that immigrants can be well supported until they stabilize. In case of sickness, an immigrant is assured of treatment, but though the cost is staggering, an unlucky immigrant would have extreme difficulty paying it back.
To help out, certain facilities can be made available to immigrant patients completely free. Assimilation into the mainstream should be the short-term goal of immigrants. This starts with proper training or education. College age immigrants should be granted with free education, or soft loans with long-term payments. For those lacking job and communication skills, training programs in computer is imperative. As well, other trades schools, for instance, in auto mechanics, billings, customer service are but some of the in-demand skills. Another source of assistance for non-English speaking immigrants are the second language schools.
Fluency can easily be enhanced with tutorship when English is being practiced in school, at home, and in job situations. Maintain and keep a good database of job banks for which easily an applicant immigrant can apply with ease, and chances of getting hired is increased through the job training and communication. As the world economy depreciates due to factors purely locally caused, more and more citizens are being displaced and sufferings are constant driving them to seek their fortune, usually, America in their minds. America for its part can help arrest this lopsidedness by strengthening democracy in these countries.