Asian Immigration to the US: From 1880s to Now - Research Paper

Introduction

Asians first arrived in the United States in the 80s to work in white man plantation, on the mines and railway road. The ethnic group came in America searching for greener pastures, feed their families back home. Later their immigration number increased, forcing the government to pass Nativist immigration laws during the 1880s-1920s. They restricted the migration of Asian groups into America then. But after the government reforming these laws, Asian Immigration skyrocketed swiftly. The current census data in the United States indicate that Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic and racial 'non-minority' minority in America. About twenty million Asian Americans trace their roots to over twenty countries in South and East Asia and the subcontinent of India. And, everyone has unique languages, histories, cultures, and other features.

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Most Asian American groups are well-educated, wealthy, and proficient English speakers. While a few are unsatisfactory, less skilled in speaking English, and lack at least a college degree. These factors have contributed to inequality among Asians in the United States. Therefore, in this research paper, we discuss how Asians in the United States define themselves. Also, we identify issues contributing to disparity among the ethnic groups, for instance, wealth, income, education, and English speaking proficiency. We further discuss various inequalities, such as income inequality, the standard of living, and poverty disparities. Also, wealth inequality, education inequality, naturalization differences, and inequality in English speaking skills among Asian Americans.

Asian American Identity

Asians in the United States are the origins of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Asian community comprises of Bangladeshis, Indians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Indonesian, Pakistanis, Burmese, Japanese and Sri Lankans. Also, Cambodians, Koreans, Thai, Chinese, Laotians, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Malaysians, Hmong, and Mongolians. Chinese language (Taishanese, Cantonese, and Hokkien), Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, and Hindi are more common languages among Asian Americans, according to Census in 2000. Other Asians speak Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog (Oyserman; Izumi Sakamoto 435)

. Others and the country at large have adopted the languages. For example, election materials in 2012, Alaska from states like Massachusetts, California, Illinois, and Nevada were published in Asian languages in line with the Voting Rights Act. Also in New Jersey, Hawaii, New York, Washington, Michigan, and Texas. The languages were Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Bengali, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. They were also available in Japanese, Korean, Thai, Khmer, and Gujarati.

A research conducted in 2013 reported that forty-eight percent of Asians in the United States preferred television shows or radios station in their ancestral language. The number of Christians among Asians in the United States had reduced in the 90s, mainly because of immigration from nations such as China and India, where Christians are the minority religion. Sixty-three percent of Asian Americans in 1990 were recognized as Christians, while in 2001, the percentage dropped to forty-three. A study by Pew Research Center in 2012 there were 42% Christian, 26% Unaffiliated with any religion, 14% Buddhist, 10% Hindu, 4% Muslim, 2% other religion, and 1% Sikh. (Wu, Ellen D 14).

Asian America Inequality in America Presently

Income and Wealth Disparity

Income variation is creeping upward fast among Asians in the United States, compared to other ethnic or racial groups. In the year 2015, Asian homes in America had attained a median annual income of $73,060, which is higher than the $53,600 among United States households in total (Jonathan Fisher 27). The household proceeds of Indians ($100,000), Filipinos ($80,000), and Sri Lankans and Japanese (both $74,000), the four of them had household proceeds that surpassing the overall median for Asian Americans (Adeel Hassan and Audrey Carlsen 1). By comparison, most of the other 15 origin groups were well below the general average for Asian Americans. Whereby the two with the lowest median household incomes were Burmese ($36,000) and Nepalese ($43,500) (Abby Budiman, Anthony Cilluffo & Neil Ruiz 1). According to economists, Census statistics already show that income disparity is higher among Asian Americans. For example, American Indian families earn practically double the state average, whereas Cambodian and Bangladeshi Americans have less than usual domestic revenues.

Asian Americans love to reside in coastal capital is costly. Houses tend to be the most expensive asset a family own, Asian American has 60% homeownership rate while the white has a 75% rate of homeownership (Tracy Jan 5). Asians who were privileged to own homes in the year 2000, their net worth increased, contributing to wealth disparity between Asian Americans who owned rental houses and those who owned their apartment. Also, lead United States Asian to catch up to white Americans. The wealth of Asian Americans has been creeping upward, and the majority of this group population is getting older. For example, in 2000, the Asian American median age was 32.7, and in the year 2015, the median rose to 36.3. Folks aged of 50s and 60s tend to be the richest since they have been saving for retirement.

Standard of Living and Poverty Level Differences

Poverty also varies broadly amongst Asian Americans; for example, the total poverty rate in 2015 was 12.1% (Tracy Jan 5). It was 3% less than the United States poverty rate of 15.1%. The poverty rate of the Burmese and Bhutanese group was 35.0% and 33.3%, respectively, which was the highest rate among all groups of Asians (Adeel Hassan and Audrey Carlsen 1). The poverty was two times more than the national average and four times more than the poverty rates among Indians and Filipinos. Therefore, despite high standards of living among numerous Asian-Americans, poverty is rising among these groups. This particular ethnic group out earns African Americans and Latinos at all steps of the income hierarchy. Uniformity exists in United States' most prominent cities, Chinatowns and places like Ramsey County in Minnesota, where many Hmong are languishing in poverty.

Report by the Asian American Federation shows that the group of Asians living in New York are the most impoverished immigrants. The figure for Asians living in poverty rose by 44% over ten and a half years, to over 245,000 in 2016, from 170,000 in the year 2000 (Tracy Jan 5). Some of the reasons as to why this is happening in the cities and other towns in America could be explained by one, the population size of these groups. There has been an increase in immigration trends in United States towns with fewer numbers moving back to their home countries. Another explanation could be that of stagnation in income levels of the immigrants who have settled in these regions. The wealthy Asian Americans continue getting more fruitful while the poor get poorer.

Population Inequality

The number of immigrants of some Asians groups is higher compared to others. For example, in 2015, among all Asian Americans, six out of ten were born outside the United States. The number is more significant compared to other races and ethnic immigrants in America the same year. Eight-five percent Burmese in the United States were born in their country of origin, and in 2007 many immigrated to the country. Eight out of ten Burmese immigrants or (81%) have been in the country for about ten years or fewer. Nevertheless, not all Asian Americans groups have high foreign-born shares. For example, the initial Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States in the 19th century as plantation labors, currently the state of Hawaii.

Lately, a smaller number of Japanese immigrants have come to America compared with other groups of Asian origin, which is about twenty-seven Japanese Americans immigrants. Asians immigrants in the year 1970, mostly originated from East Asia (Adeel Hassan and Audrey Carlsen 1). Though, currently, immigrants from South Asian are stimulating growth, making Asian-Americans the swiftest-enlarging group in the United States. Therefore Asian Americans who had a population of less than 1% back in the 70s, presently are up to 6%. Southeast and South Asians are more compared to East Asians (Jonathan Fisher 29). Sponsorship by family aid many Asians immigrate to the United States. Asians' adult population (81%) rise between the 70s and 2016 as a result of China, India, Philippines, and Korea immigration (Tracy Jan 5). In the year 2016, almost 80% of Asians were born in their countries of origin. By contract with 45% born in 1970. After the 1965 Nationality and immigration Act, immigration of Asian to American was through the roof; the act favored family reunion. Cessation of the Vietnam War back in '75' triggered a refugees surge in the United States.

Naturalization Inequality

Furthermore, sixty-four percent or two-third of Japanese immigrants have been in the states for over ten years. About 58% of Asian immigrants in the United States have acquired citizenship. Approximately eight out of ten Vietnamese and Hmong immigrants have attained United States citizenship, 75%, and 77%, respectively, which is an excellent proportion among Asian groups residing in America (Jonathan Fisher 33). Inequality in naturalization proportions reveals the duration these immigrants have lived in America. For instance, vast numbers of Hmong and Vietnamese set foot in the United States as refugees beginning the 1970s, thus, more time to naturalize. On the contrary, several Bhutanese had started making entry into the states as refugees in the year 2008. About 98% of Bhutanese immigrants have been in America for around ten years, and only 6% have citizenship, which is low in comparison with other groups.

Education Inequality

In the year 2015, roughly half Asians in the United States with ages of twenty-five years and above had attained a bachelor's degree. Which is a higher percentage compared to other races and ethnicities and varies significantly by origin group? Indians, Mongolians, or Malaysians had a higher probability of at least having a bachelor's degree compared to other groups of Asian origin. By contrast, less than 20% of Laotians, Bhutanese, Hmong, and Cambodians had a bachelor's degree or master's degree (Jonathan Fisher 40 ). Approximately a third of all Americans within the age of 25 and above had attained a bachelor's degree (Adeel Hassan and Audrey Carlsen 1) . Most Indians, when they migrated to the united, stated they had already attained a bachelor's degree. Therefore, half of the H-1B visa has gone to the Indians since 2001; a bachelor's degree or its equivalent is among qualification requirements. It results in gap creation of education among these ethnic communities.

A 2010 research of all Asians in united states adults discovered that at least forty-two percent had acquired a college degree, however only sixteen percent of Vietnamese Americans and merely five percent for Cambodians and Laotian. It has been discovered that United States Census figures of 2008 placed bachelor's degree attainment of Vietnamese Americans at the rate of twenty-six percent, which is close to the standard for all Americans of twenty-seven. Census statistics from 2010 indicate fifty-percent of Asian adults have earned at least a bachelor's degree, in contrast to twenty-eight percent for all Americans (Jonathan Fisher 30). Also, Indian Americans have some of the highest education rates, with nearly seventy-one percent having attained at least a bachelor's degree in 2010. As of 2012, Asians in America occupied a percentage of twelve to eighteen of the student populace at Ivy League schools, higher than their portion of the po...