Good education doesn’t offer good US jobs for undocumented

United States, 27th July: Having good education is no guarantee that undocumented immigrants in the US will get good paying US jobs, findings of a recent study claim.

Many immigrants with a college-degree are seeing no option but to work at low-paying US jobs simply due to the fact that they are not legal US citizens, the study findings assert.

Dreams of young immigrants shatter--According to the study undertaken by Roberto G Gonzalez, a professor in University of Chicago, dreams of a large number of undocumented immigrants in the US are shattered completely as they are unable to get good paying US jobs.

The study is based on interviews of 150 Mexican natives aged between 20 and 34 years and had arrived in the US before reaching the age of 12.

Growing up as adolescents in the US, these undocumented immigrants had cherished some dreams.

However, to their shock and dismay, when they realize that their aspirations do not come true, they are completely broken, the study suggests.

Narrow job choices even for immigrants’ children--The fact is that even the children of majority of undocumented immigrants living in the US also face the same fate as their parents, thus ending up with same low paying jobs in the US.

Many children of undocumented immigrants in the US can be seen working as cleaners in houses, restaurants or as caregivers for children, Professor Gonzalez adds.

This holds true for young immigrants in the US, who even after learning to sweat harder in order to realize their American dream, encounter adverse job scenario in the US, the study asserts.

Other problems faced due to undocumented immigrant status in the US--Getting part-time jobs in the US is also no easy deal for undocumented immigrants, admitted many during the interview surveys, Gonzales adds.

Due to their undocumented US status, they are forced to face obstacles while getting admission to US colleges, getting driver licenses or seeking part-time employment in the US, the study author further informs.

The reason is that all these things require immigrants to either verify their US immigration status or provide their Social Security number.

Onus lies on US government for successful transition of undocumented US immigrants—So, the onus of assuring successful transition of undocumented immigrants in the US is on the US government and educators, Gonzales adds. Government must focus on a diverse approach to US immigration policy.