Research Objectives

All of the information gathered on this website analyzes what it means to be an immigrant. I study how being an immigrant has been perceived both in the past and in the present by looking back at America’s history and comparing those findings to those of present-day. The definition of being an immigrant is complex and is always changing, of course, since every immigrant views this status differently and has a different story. Through analyzing interviews and other primary sources, I believe I have reached the goal of attaining a definition of the word immigrant. 

Since this is a broad topic, my objective for this website research project is to explore the views that differing political parties have on the value of immigrants to American society, mainly those of the Democratic and Republican parties. My research is focused on how politics impact people’s view on the issues of stricter border regulations and of discrimination against Hispanic immigrants, both legal and undocumented. In researching, I have discovered what injustices they have been facing while entering the country and while already residing here. This topic can be looked at through two sociological lenses: an interactionist perspective as well as a functionalist perspective. In unpacking the ideologies and in using the interactionist framework, one can see how each political group sees immigrants and develops policy based on those views. 

It is important to look past single stories that we may have heard of immigration, and to educate ourselves on not only the bigger picture, but on details and specifics by analyzing reliable sources. Questions I try to answer using the symbolic interactionist sociological lens in my website are as follows: what are the symbolic associations and allusions that society has set on the term immigrant? When is it acceptable for people to be both American and proud of their country of origin? What makes some ethnic associations acceptable and others not? How long ago do your ancestors have to have come before you in order to have relations with the country your people are from? What does the melting pot mean? It is when you are melted with a number of different ethnic groups that are an American? Using the functionalist lens, I attempt to answer the following questions: what are the benefits that immigrants bring? Is there a function for immigration restriction in our society? What does keeping the doors mostly closed do for our structures and systems? Should there even be immigration restriction? Using the conflict perspective, I would like to explore how society characterizes immigrants and why they are seen as outcasts and do not fit into society. 

I define and narrow this topic down even more by exploring Hispanic immigration particularly in four heavily-populated towns with Hispanics located in Hudson County. These four towns are North Bergen, West New York, Union City, and Jersey City. I not only have learned about how national and New Jersey policies are developed, but even the implementation of policies at the county and town levels. I incorporate information about Hudson County’s demographics and political and social systems, along with its strategies and rules. Digging deeper into Hudson County, I include analytical and statistical data about how each of the towns have their own way of going about the issue of immigration in my website. 

Conclusively, I provide various ideas to solve this social issue, finding answers to multiple questions I have been seeking to answer in my research on three levels: the individual level, the local college level, and the national level. Here, my own voice is expressed whereas the other pages of my website incorporate more of the voices of the two opposing political parties and the voice of Hudson County’s officials.