Between 1845 and 1852, Ireland suffered a famine due

to a disease that killed the potato crops, the Irish Potato

Famine. The potato was a staple Irish crop, and there

were not many varieties. Therefore, when the disease hit

the potato crop, many people lost an important food

source. A million people died from starvation and many

more emigrated. Mr. Mahoney decided to move his wife

and three children to the United States. He was a poor

farmer in Ireland and had no other skills. The Irish were

discriminated against and often lived in substandard

housing.

The civil war in El Salvador affected thousands

of families. Seeing the deterioration of the

country’s infrastructure and the unsafe

conditions, thousands fled in the 1980’s. The

war was between the military government

that restricted freedoms and killed thousands

of unarmed civilians, and the guerrilla

coalition, Farabundo Marti National

Liberation Front (FMLN).

Growing up in the 5th Ward area of Houston was

tough for Jacob and his family. The crime rate was

high and their home was broken into twice within

the last 3 years. Even though Jacob currently has

employment, it is unstable. In addition, he is

worried about the safety of his children as they

prepare to enter the school system. Therefore, the

family is moving to the Cypress Fairbanks are,

where Jacob will be working as a driver for

Seatrax.

Lucas owns a logging company in Oregon. Due to the tougher environmental laws in the United

States, Lucas is relocating his business to Belize. The weaker regulations in Belize will allow his

transnational company to be more successful. Even though this is good news for him, one of the

problems of large scale logging is that it is not sustainable.

During the Great

Depression, the

prolonged drought

caused farmers to lose

money. Dust storms

and the lack of rain

caused crops to fail.

Many farmers

migrated to urban

areas.

Laura, an 18 year old from Colombia, is

nervously waiting for her visa. In a

month she will be traveling to College

Station, Texas to attend Texas A&M

University as an international student.

Her parents want her to get a great

education and decided that the United

States offered the best opportunities.

Unable to sustain their family by farming in

Mexico, Carlos and Teresa are preparing to

immigrate to San Antonio, Texas in the United

States. NAFTA has made it difficult for small

farmers to compete with commercial agriculture.

Teresa has a cousin living in San Antonio who can

get her husband a job in a railroad company.

Even though it will be a difficult journey, Carlos

and Teresa must think about the future of their

children if they stay in Mexico.

Norma is a journalist in Cuba which operates

under a communist government. The news agency

she works for has recently come under attack by

government officials. Norma is particularly

concerned for her safety due to an article she

wrote about the country’s economic problems. She

alluded that the reason for Cuba’s low GDP was the

government’s control over all businesses. She

already has family living in Miami, Florida and is

planning on asking for political asylum in the

United States

Ricardo is a poor orphaned boy in Venezuela. His parents

died, leaving him with no way of getting an education. He

has been living on park benches. He hangs out with a group

of boys who have also been abandoned or have run away

from home. They have heard of several other children who

have made the journey to the United States. Even though

they do not know the route, they will attempt the journey in

the summer. Ricardo thinks that making an attempt at a

better life is better than living in poverty and fear.

Devin’s family has lived near downtown

Houston for many generations. The

increasing crime rates and substandard

schools have motivated Devin to move his

small family to the suburbs. One of the

challenges of moving will involve buying a

dependable car. Devin has used public

transportation all his life, working only

several miles from the chemical plant that

his own father had retired from. Moving to

the suburbs will mean driving to work,

school and all errands.

Alexandra’s asthma attacks have become more frequent and severe. Fearing for her

health, her mom has decided to move from Boulder, Colorado, to Houston, TX. The

lower elevation should help Alexandra breathe more easily.

Taiz and her husband have been out of work in Mexico for a

while. They have a brother who has been writing from a

small town in Kansas. He has asked Taiz and her family to

migrate to the small town to work in the meat packing

plant (slaughterhouse). This small town has an increasing

Hispanic population and which has helped to stimulate the

economy. What was once done by European immigrants

near big cities with union representation is now being

replaced by low paying, unskilled, undocumented

immigrants near rural towns where cattle are raised.

Brent is a recent chemical engineer graduate of Virginia State University

with a degree in chemical engineering. Even though he is a native of

Virginia, he is relocating to Houston, TX to work for Exxon Mobil.

Houston’s oil economy attracts many highly skilled workers to the area.

Rosalinda, a journalist in Mexico, is

contemplating moving to the United States.

While there is no media censorship in Mexico,

her life and co-workers’ lives are being

threatened by the cartels. After writing articles

about the atrocities committed by the drug

cartels, she started receiving suspicious

packages. Since she is educated, she is hoping

to be able to apply for a worker’s visa.