Neither There Nor Here
In the past decade, The United States — once a destination — has become a home. With more than 11 million undocumented immigrants now living in the United States, 2011 census data has shown that the Hispanic population in the United States is now being fueled by births rather than immigration. And, while the number of Hispanic immigrants coming to the United States decreased for the first time in two decades, immigrant communities — in towns where immigrants make up less than 5 percent of the population — have risen more than 60 percent.
In Ravenswood, West Virginia, a town built on a 2,448-acre plot of land once owned by George Washington, a burgeoning Hispanic community is beginning to look representative of this national trend. Here, migrant workers — eager to start a family like the one they left behind — have grown tired of the travel to in-season states and begun a community, in the most unlikely of places, that looks both foreign and familiar.
But, as immigrants begin settling in locations previously unaccustomed to their arrival, the difficulties they experience become more pronounced. While immigration trends in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that immigrants often settled in gateway urban areas such as New York and Los Angeles, 2011 data suggests a seismic shift in the way by which immigrants arrive and settle in this country. All of which means, as more families search for a place to call home, they are doing so without the insulation of an existing Hispanic community and with little access to social resources to ease their transition. Meanwhile, many of these burgeoning immigrant communities are revitalizing towns and rural areas that have been dealing with decades of decline. With one of every three U.S. counties experiencing a recession-weakened economy as well as an aging population, immigrant communities have often made up for these discrepancies.
Despite this, those who have not yet received their citizenship are under the ever-present threat of deportation; And, with that, the possibility of uprooting a life that’s become distinctly American in its trajectory. “Neither There Nor Here” is the story of that trajectory and the extreme sacrifices made to build a better life for those we love.
In the past decade, The United States — once a destination — has become a home. With more than 11 million undocumented immigrants now living in the United States, 2011 census data has shown that the Hispanic population in the United States is now being fueled by births rather than immigration. And, while the number of Hispanic immigrants coming to the United States decreased for the first time in two decades, immigrant communities — in towns where immigrants make up less than 5 percent of the population — have risen more than 60 percent.
In Ravenswood, West Virginia, a town built on a 2,448-acre plot of land once owned by George Washington, a burgeoning Hispanic community is beginning to look representative of this national trend. Here, migrant workers — eager to start a family like the one they left behind — have grown tired of the travel to in-season states and begun a community, in the most unlikely of places, that looks both foreign and familiar.
But, as immigrants begin settling in locations previously unaccustomed to their arrival, the difficulties they experience become more pronounced. While immigration trends in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that immigrants often settled in gateway urban areas such as New York and Los Angeles, 2011 data suggests a seismic shift in the way by which immigrants arrive and settle in this country. All of which means, as more families search for a place to call home, they are doing so without the insulation of an existing Hispanic community and with little access to social resources to ease their transition. Meanwhile, many of these burgeoning immigrant communities are revitalizing towns and rural areas that have been dealing with decades of decline. With one of every three U.S. counties experiencing a recession-weakened economy as well as an aging population, immigrant communities have often made up for these discrepancies.
Despite this, those who have not yet received their citizenship are under the ever-present threat of deportation; And, with that, the possibility of uprooting a life that’s become distinctly American in its trajectory. “Neither There Nor Here” is the story of that trajectory and the extreme sacrifices made to build a better life for those we love.