Irma&DavidAlarcon
Latino American immigrants are the United States’ largest immigrant group and make up almost 20% of the total U.S. population are Latino. Despite the large population of Latinos in the U.S, many Americans know little about them and hold beliefs based on stereotypes rather than experience. Many Americans believe that these immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, contribute to worsening crime rates and are harmful to communities. Many others hold the belief that Latinos are taking the jobs that ‘belong’ to native-born Americans. Even those who support Latino immigration to the U.S, such as those who lean left on the political spectrum, are under the impression that Latinos take jobs that others don’t want and that we should appreciate them because they do undesirable work for us.
The reality is that immigrants from Latin America do not fit in any boxes or generalizations that we place them in. On the contrary, these individuals and families have impactful, unique, and far-reaching stories that have shaped many of the best aspects of our country. Irma Guadalupe Alarcon De Rangel and David Aristeo Rangel Guzman, a Mexican couple who have raised a family in the United States, have lived such a story—that of Latino immigrants from poor families in Tampico who are now living the American dream. They have reached educational heights and experienced success in the States, proving that the stereotypical Latino immigration narratives are completely false.