Some of the common explanations for why people migrate to the unites states is “for a better life.” America to foreign nations has always been seen as a land of opportunities, and for those who are poor and poverty stricken in their countries, this is seen as a land of riches for them. Those who migrate here look for a better quality in life, and are often met with the opposite in the beginning. My parents had migrated here, originally because they had won a lottery ticket to migrate here from their country, but had decided to stay because they thought initially America could possibly improve their quality of life from what it was like back in Pakistan. They quickly realized that wasn’t true, and they had struggled greatly at first in this country, I’d say even more than in their country. However this is also seen in media such as movies as America has always been portrayed as the land of the great with amazing opportunities and etc. For many reasons, people often want to migrate here to gain those “amazing” opportunities that are talked of.
These explanations compare to the theory that Yang puts forth which is the push and pull theory. There is an initial reason to why people wish to migrate here. These reasons include economic issues back in their own countries, political issues, natural disasters, environmental issues, religious freedom, poverty etc. People then migrate to the US, in a hope to escape these issues, and hope for an improved quality of life.
Another “cluster of factors” I would add to Yang’s theory is that many people also leave their countries due to same sex relationships being illegal or taboo. Many foreign nations, such as in predominantly Muslim nations, same sex relationships are illegal and those who participate in it can be severely punished. For that reason as well, people tend to leave their countries to escape this type of discrimination and persecution.
