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Illegal Immigration of Fujianese to the United States Miao Lin

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Illegal Immigration of Fujianese to the United States Miao Lin Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations Graduate Capstone Projects 2005 From the lucky land to the beautiful country: Illegal immigration of Fujianese to the United States Miao Lin Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/theses Part of the Criminology Commons Recommended Citation Lin, Miao, "From the lucky land to the beautiful country: Illegal immigration of Fujianese to the United States" (2005). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 25. http://commons.emich.edu/theses/25 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Graduate Capstone Projects at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROM THE LUCKY LAND TO THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION OF FUJIANESE TO THE UNITED STATES by Miao Lin Thesis Submitted to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Eastern Michigan University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Criminology Thesis Committee: Paul Leighton, PhD, Chair Liqun Cao, PhD Roger Kernsmith, PhD October 24, 2005 Ypsilanti, Michigan ABSTRACT It is puzzling why Fujianese are willing to pay seventy thousand dollars, which could entitle them to a comfortable life in China, to be smuggled to the United States. Despite the voluminous body of research, the life of Fujianese illegal immigrants has not been systematically explored. This study confirmed that people smuggling is a phenomenon that combines cultural, economic, and political factors. Furthermore, Fujianese who came to seek an American dream have lost something much more valuable than what they have gained, such as their youth and family connections. In addressing the smuggling strategies, causes, and experiences of Fujianese immigrants, this thesis has relied on interviews with former illegal immigrants from Fujian Province, China, as well as literature reviews. The respondents in this study are average people among tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Their true stories provide a vivid picture of Fujianese emigration. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction .…………………………………………………………………….. 1 Problem Statement …………………………………………………………….. 4 Purpose of Study ………………………………………………………………. 4 Background ……………………………………………………………………. 5 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .……………………......8 Sample and Sampling Technology ……………………………………………….9 Implementing the Interviews ……………………………………………………10 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………11 Validity and Reliability ………………………………………………………….12 CHAPTER 3: A HISTORY OF CHINESE EMIGRATION …………………………… 14 The Beginning (1400s-1840s) …………………………………………………...14 The Coolie Era (1840s-1870s) …………………………………………………..15 The Exclusion Era (1880s-1940s) ……………………………………………….19 A New Regime (1950s-the present) ……………………………………………..23 CHAPTER 4: THE CAUSES AND TECHNIQUES …………………………............... 25 Cost-Benefit Considerations …………………………………………………….25 Deterrence ……………………………………………………………………….33 A Learning Process and a Sense of Deprivation ………………………………..41 Social Strains ……………………………………………………………………44 CHAPTER 5: VOYAGE TO THE UNITED STATES ………………………………… 47 Introduction of Major Sending Regions ……………………………………….. 49 Methods of Human Smuggling ………………………………………………… 52 Make a Payment ………………………………………………………………... 73 CHAPTER 6: LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES ………………………………………. 78 Working Conditions ……………………………………………………………. 78 iii Spiritual Hollowness vs. Material Prosperity ………………………………….. 91 Love and Marriage ……………………………………………………………... 97 Parent-Child Relationship …………………………………………………….. 107 Countryless Orphans ………………………………………………………….. 112 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION .……………………………………………………….. 116 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………….. 122 APPENDICES Appendix A: Informed Consent Form for Interview …………………………………. 127 Appendix B: Interview Questions …………………………………………………….. 131 Appendix C: Approval of Research Involving Human Subjects ………………………135 iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction In China, people call the United States mei guo, which literally means a beautiful country. For the past century, numerous Chinese have immigrated into the United States, pursuing an American dream. Among these either legal or illegal immigrants, a great number of them are of Fujian origin. Fujian Province, also known as Min, literally refers to a lucky land, but in history it is not fortunate or wealthy. The initial reason that drew thousands of early Fujianese out of their hometown was its poverty. Although the investments from abroad and China’s economic reform have dramatically changed the financial situation for today’s Fujian, the urge for emigration has never stopped. When legal channels for emigration are hindered because of various reasons, people choose illegal means despite the exorbitant smuggling fees and risks during the trip It is estimated that the number of illegal Fujianaese immigrants per year currently exceeds the number of legal immigrants. There were more than 100,000 Fujianese living in New York City by the end of 1994, and an estimated “additional 10,000 enter every year” (Einhorn, cited in Kyle & Koslowski, 2001, pp. 190-191). A series of social problems appear following a surge of illegal immigration. Because the smuggling fee is far above the average income for a Chinese family, a lot of snake people (illegal immigrants) and their families seek help from usurious loan sharks. Because human smuggling is a complicated process that requires collaboration in China, transit countries, and the United States, it encourages corruption globally; because human smuggling is a business with high profits, people at every social level from different countries have zealously engaged in it; and because of the sensitivity and weakness of 1 Fujianese illegal immigrants, they are more likely to be the victims of crimes during the trip and after they land on the United States. In fact, more negative consequences do exist beyond my description. Nevertheless, it seems that nothing can reduce Fujianese enthusiasm for emigration. The would-be illegal immigrants in Fujian are patiently waiting in line. What they worry about is not how to repay the $70,000 smuggling fee but whether they have found a reliable smuggler who can “help” them leave China swiftly. Among social scientists, the dominant explanation of Fujianese smuggling is the pull and push theory (Kwong, 1994, 1997; Chin, 1999; Kung, 2000; Kyle & Liang, 2001; Morse, 2004; Heckmann & Wunderlich, 2000). The pull factors refer to the needs of the American economy, higher wages in the United States, and the lenient U.S. immigration policies. The push factors include family expectation, peer pressure, unemployment, economic and political uncertainty, and governmental corruption and negligence. Human smuggling is considered to be the result of interaction of pull and push factors, while the pull factors play a more important role than the push factors (Kwong, 1997; Chin, 1999). The pull and push theory argues that illegal immigration has deep roots in the United States economy. To survive ruthless competition, some small businesses in labor- intensive sectors demand great amounts of cheap labor. Although these jobs are described as poorly-paid, requiring long hours, and without benefits, unauthorized Fujianese are willing to take them because the salary is much higher than what they earn in China. Such an income disparity reached to 1: 18 ($130 vs. $ 2300) in 2002. At the same time, the majority of Fujianese immigrants who have limited education suffered from unemployment in China; but in the United States, they can find a job where no specific 2 knowledge and working experience are required. If a Fujianese person stays in a position more than three years and he is frugal, the smuggling fee can be paid off. After that, he begins to build his own fortune. And he has the chance to get a Green Card if he gets married to an American citizen or is granted refugee status or amnesty. After he has legal status, his family is qualified for legal immigration, according to U.S. laws. In the villages of Fujian that most youth have left, remaining at home is depressing. Some people with a satisfactory job are thus pushed out. The pull and push theory indeed is the rational choice theory. In the light of rational choice theory, the decision to do something illegal is made after careful cost-benefit calculation. If what a person can obtain from illegal behavior is more than what he may lose, it is likely he will commit crimes. And the greater the gap between the benefit and loss, the higher the possibility for illicit behavior. Costs because of human smuggling may include exorbitant smuggling fees, the danger of traveling, years of hard work, and the risk of being deported. But all of these are not worth mentioning in comparison to the high income in America, the lenient enforcement by the United States authorities, and the opportunities to gain legal status. There is no doubt that the pull and push theory reveals the causes of Fujianese smuggling, but it cannot explain why America becomes the biggest receiving country for undocumented Fujianese in
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