The United States came in fifth.
But to many people throughout the world, the U.S. is actually their first choice. They consider it a Utopia. They…
By George H. Tsai
In a recent worldwide survey listing 15 countries where people most want to live, Iceland ranked first.
The United States came in fifth.
But to many people throughout the world, the U.S. is actually their first choice. They consider it a Utopia. They have tried everything possible to come to this land of opportunity, and some even attempted to set foot on this soil at the risk of their lives. Many have migrated from countries hostile to the United States.
According to an unofficial estimate, there are now about 11 million aliens without any legal status in this country, and the number is increasing with each passing day. Why? It’s simple: The United States is the freest, wealthiest and the strongest country in the world today. On this land, they will be able to fulfill their American dream — buy a house and a car and get a decent job, with their kids attending good schools and living in a nice area with little fear.
Of course, discrimination and prejudice still exist, but if you work hard, you can achieve your cherished goals. If your kids work harder than others, the Ivy League schools with scholarships will recruit them. About 8 percent of Harvard students are Asian, who account for only 3.6 percent of the nation’s population. Also, Asian-Americans can rise from the humblest beginning to become top government officials. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao is a case in point. She came to this country at age 8 from Taiwan without knowing a single English word. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge has paid off.
There are a lot of stories about people going from rags to riches. Scores of foreign students, after completing their studies, have worked their way up to become chairmen and CEOs at high-tech corporations here. Some of them are from China and India. The Taiwanese co-founder of Yahoo was a student at Stanford University. This type of thing can only happen in the United States.
The United States is a nation of immigrants. New York City, for instance, is a small world where you can find more ethnic groups than members of the United Nations.
Right after their arrival, new immigrants, especially those from Asia and Latin America, flock to Queens and Brooklyn where odd jobs are galore. Flushing and Jamaica in Queens are booming because of the influx of immigrants. The city seems to be a never-depleted gold mine that forever attracts diggers from all over the world.
Over the years, I have met quite a few globe-trotters. They think the United States is the Promised Land. They said it’s difficult for aliens to find jobs in such cities as Toronto, Paris, London, Rome and Berlin. Therefore, a lot of foreigners studying in Canada and Europe end up in the United States.
A few foreign students did return to their homeland after completing their studies. They became big shots overnight and got high-paying jobs because of the academic degrees they earned from American colleges.
Nevertheless, there are sad stories. Those who tried to sneak into this country perhaps had only one goal — to live a better life. Thousands of illegals who manage to cross our southwestern borders are sent back almost every day.
In some Asian countries, immigration to the United States has become a lucrative trade for some never-do-wells. The Asian “snake heads” smuggle people with little skills into this country with a price tag of $30,000 to $50,000 apiece, often in horrible conditions of travel. The immigrants have to begin to pay the snake heads right after reaching American soil. Some are threatened or held hostage if they can’t pay.
Their entry, however, is not necessarily guaranteed. Several years ago, a boat named “Golden Adventure” carried several hundreds of Asians and sailed toward the United States. To divert attention, the boat wandered on the high seas for weeks. The conditions on the crammed boat were unbearable, and the long journey brought the passengers to the verge of starvation. Finally it grounded off the Rockaways. To flee Immigration and Naturalization Service agents, many of them jumped into the ocean and drowned, and the rest were detained and later repatriated to their native countries.
Two years ago, four Asian women in their 20s tried to enter this country by way of Canada by hiding underneath a moving truck. However, the dangling hair from one of the women caught the eye of an INS guard, and their American dream was thwarted.
The U.S. is not really a Utopia, of course.
But when you look at the lengths that millions of people go to in order to come here — and what many of them accomplish when they do — it makes you realize that America is closer to it than any other place on Earth.
