In America it is understood that education is the key to success. However, not all countries prioritize the accessibility of education and equal opportunity. With this in mind, it is no surprise that immigrants often lack the experience of going through a formal education system prior to entering America. Sadly, Immigrants approaching their final years will never fulfill  their  academic potential, and they are forced to struggle as low skilled workers for their families’ basic means of survival. Even today, immigrants from multiple backgrounds have to face obstacles due to previous deprivation of American schooling in home countries. Countless literary works such as Of Beetles and Angels by Selamawi Asgedom and Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok illustrate the struggle to obtain the American dream given the obstacle of exploitation in multiple aspects of society such as the justice system and labor force.

Specifically, immigrants moving to America from another country are vulnerable and thus prone to exploitation. These hopeful newcomers often do not fully understand their rights as citizens, and they have trouble understanding English. In many circumstances, these disadvantages lead to exploitation; a roadblock that hinders the possibility of the American dream. For example, in Of Beetles and Angels two Ethiopian immigrants Temesgen and Kibrom, unsure of how American plumbing works, accidentally flood the bathroom of their house. Instead of previously helping the new immigrants adjust to the American lifestyle, immediately “when the landlord saw his house ruined, he became crazed and took them to the house of judgement [court], claiming some thousands of dollars. But several thousand dollars might as well have been a billion dollars ? they couldn’t pay it” (Asgedom 126). Basically, the landlord was ready to sue over an innocent mistake; he knew a lawsuit would be won against immigrants who could not defend themselves properly using a new justice system and an unknown language. Other cases of people taking advantage of immigrants in front of the law are prevalent, and the victims lose money as well as a clean criminal record. Consequently both assets are needed to obtain the American dream, for one has to pay for education and maintain a clean record to hold a job. The only prevention against this corruption is education. When immigrants educate themselves on the  laws and practices of the government, and learn to communicate clearly, they can defend their rights as Americans to combat exploitation and fight for a better future. 

Similar to Temesgen and Kibrom, Amberley and her mother were exploited after immigrating from Hong Kong to start a new life in New York City. Given Kimberley’s young age and her mother’s lack of education or skill, both had to work at an illegal clothing factory where the pay was low and conditions were harsh. In greater detail, when Kimberly and her mother just started making enough money to get by, the owner mentions, “Due to bad economic conditions, after this shipment goes out, the rate for skirts will have to drop one cent a skirt” (Kwok 171). Although the pay rate and hiring of children was illegal, the factory owner managed to run a profitable business by hiring immigrants desperate for a job. With their lack of education, immigrants could not defend themselves and ask for a raise, let alone apply for a new job. Exploitation of immigrants in the capitalist economy cripples the idea of the American dream, as victims are forced to accept a low wage for basic survival; they never get a chance to save money for a higher education which in turn allows for a better life-style . Furthermore, Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy at the University of California, specifies circumstances like Kimberly’s, explaining in his NY Times article Employers Exploit Unauthorized Immigrants that “workers are often afraid to complain about unpaid wages and substandard working conditions because employers can retaliate by taking actions that can lead to their deportation. This gives employers extraordinary power to exploit and underpay them.” Yet again, it is clear that immigrants are paid below average without having the means to pay for a college education and receive a higher paying job. Clearly then the American dream is out of reach for immigrants that cannot obtain an education when being exploited in the labor force and justice system.

It is important to understand that the exploitation of immigrants is a direct result of ignorance. In a competitive society such as America being uneducated is a vulnerability that inevitably leads to exploitation regardless of background or race. Without a doubt, many will take advantage of an immigrant’s desperate circumstance by impeding on their quest to the American dream for self benefit. In particular, Ethiopian immigrants in Of Beetles and Angels had a landlord looking to unrightfully claim money, while Kimberly in Girl in Translation had an employer paying illegal wages to maximize profit. In both cases, education would have allowed the immigrants to fight for their rights and find a better job. To combat immigrant exploitation, in the future, the government needs to make education more accessible in order to truly call America a land of “equal opportunity”.