Migration of Iraqis and Kurds to US: Causes, Adjustments in US and Effect of Trump Government on Their Lives (Essay Sample)

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Migration of Iraqis and Kurds to US: Causes, Adjustments in US and Effect of Trump Government on Their Lives
INTRODUCTION
The Gulf war started in 1990 when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. This was after the Iran-Iraq war which was fought from 1980-1988 and where Iraq emerged victorious. The Iran-Iraq war left Iraq with huge financial debts which the country had used to finance the war. The country became heavily indebted to the Gulf loan creditors such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Saddam Hussein, then the president of Iraq urged his Arab brothers to forgive the debts but they refused. Added to this Kuwait exceeded the agreed quota productions of oil which was aimed at keeping the oil prices high ensuring continuous profitability for the Gulf oil producers. Saddam Hussein also accused Kuwait of sinking its oil drills diagonally in order to tap oil from the Rumaila region which was part of Iraq. Whether this was true or not, the genesis of Iraq distress was largely due to post-war economies which did not favor the economy of the country. Iraq acted on these allegations and declared war on Kuwait in 1990 (US Department of State).
The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces generated international concern. The US, Britain, Canada and other western powers joined forces with Arab League countries which were against Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. By the end of 1992, they managed to end the war. Iraq was forced to sign sanctions and payment of reparations for the damage the war had caused.
After the end of the war, drastic changes in economic, political and social aspects were experienced in the Middle East. Iraq and Kuwait, the two key countries in the Gulf war were adversely affected. The economic and political life became unpredictable and thus the Iraqis and the Kurds who occupy parts of Iraq and Turkey began to migrate to western countries, which seemed to have better prospects of living. A big number of the migrants found their way to the US. The number of immigrants to the US from Iraq tripled between 1980 and 2007. The highest immigration number occurred in 1990s (Terrazas). This was largely because of the political and economic adversities which were being experienced in Iraq during the 1990s.
CAUSES OF THE MIGRATION OF THE KURDS AND IRAQIS TO THE US
The Iraq government and the terrorists groups within the country have over time violated human rights and caused injustices. Any attempt to oppose the undemocratic rule in Iraq is met with brutal force by the incumbent government. Fierce struggles for power and wealth have occurred over the years in both northern and southern parts of the country. In the south militia Shiite group have fought for power, profits and even engaged in illegal oil trades. In the northern parts of the country, different sects of Kurdish loyalties have engaged in bloody struggles for supremacy, dominance and power. As a result many have been left injured, thousands displaced and considerable numbers dead. This has made many Iraqis and Kurds to seek asylum in foreign countries (Ghanim 24).
The financial opportunities linked with oil profits only enrich the wealthy. The contracts associated with oil mining and distribution only benefit the sects of those people in power and their families. This is because of the endemic corruption in the country which fails to guarantee equitable distribution of wealth to all Iraq citizens. The rich are protected by economic networks which are crafted to ensure their constant profiting over the poor. Thus the less-fortunate are forced to seek asylum in other countries where they can make a living (Ghanim 24).
Fear of victimization has also caused many Iraqi and Kurds to migrate. Victimization on economic and political basis is high in Iraq. The victimizers keep their political and economic enemies in constant fear to make them more susceptible to manipulations so that the victimizer may obtain “as many benefits and advantages as possible” (Ghanim 27). Thus the use of revenge to amass wealth and power has made many Iraqis and Kurds to flee the country in search of safer havens when they suspect that they may be the next recipients of political victimization.
For several decades the level of insecurity has been high in Iraq. Several situations have contributed to the deterioration of the state of security in Iraq. For instance, the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq in 2009 left a vacuum of security and governance (Ulrichsen 38). As a result different insurgent groups thrived and worsened the security condition of Iraq. The terrorist organizations operating in the country such as ISIS puts the country to a constant state of panic. This coupled by the constant agitation for sovereignty by the Kurds has increased the level of insecurity in the country. The ethnic and sectarian rivalries fuel further conflicts making the country quite insecure. Many civilians have thus sought retreat in more peaceful countries and some have found their way to the States.
Hopelessness generated by economic sanctions which were imposed in the 1990s motivated Iraqi and Kurds’ migration activities. The United Nations violated human rights when they imposed trade restrictions in Iraq. Added to this the massive bombing which was done by US in Iraq during Kuwait-Iraq war damaged most of the production facilities, telecommunication infrastructure and public service facilities (Gordon 1). The cruelty of sanctions added to the state of despair which had already been created by the bombings. The ability to distribute food across the different parts of the country was crippled by the sanctions which blacklisted the importation of trucks (Gordon 2). Though the blame for this condition was attributed to the corrupt government, the real recipients of this harshness were the common citizens. The result was attempts of the Iraqis and the Kurds residing in the country to seek refuge in other countries.
During the sanctions period the level of health care in Iraq deteriorated. Several UN reports documented the high rate of child mortality, water-borne diseases and malnutrition. This was because the trade restrictions covered even the basic needs of humanity such as health care. For instance in 2001, attempts by Iraq to import child vaccines were frustrated (Gordon 2). Thus many out of despair left their country to seek better health care facilities elsewhere.
Persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq by insurgent groups such as ISIS have caused many to flee for their safety. The assaults carried out on Christians by ISIS increased in 2003 after the defeat of Saddam Hussein. The result has been the migration of many Christians to western countries where religious extremists are not dominant.
IRAQIS AND KURDS ADJUSTMENT IN AMERICA
Life in a foreign country may be extremely hard for new migrants. This may be worsened when the new immigrant does not have relatives in the country of resettlement. War immigrants face even more difficulties since they have to deal with war traumas, emotional attachments to their former countries and sometimes health complications associated with the war. Immigrants looking for better havens in the US are soon shocked on arriving on the discovery that life in the US is different from what they expected. Such people if they do not have good academic credentials may find it difficult to find gainful employment and may end up being poor and homeless. Despite this most Iraqis over time settle down to gainful occupations with some finding their way to top professions such as medicine and law.
Most of immigrants from Iraqi settle in small communities with close cultural values and ethnic origin. Most of the Kurds population in America is located in Nashville. Most Kurds arrived in America in 1990s as refugees who were fleeing from Saddam Hussein’s threat of genocide and from the civil war in Iraq. The larger blocks of the Iraqi population lives in California, Michigan, Texas and Illinois. The cities which have the highest population of Iraqi are Detroit, Chicago and San Diego (Population Reference Bureau).
The Iraqi and Kurds people in the US match the ethnic and sectarian divisions in their country of origin. The Kurds and the Arabs from Iraq make efforts to maintain their distinct culture in the towns which they have occupied. They maintain their cultural values, distinct languages and family values while still borrowing from the American culture (Chicago History).
One of the oldest Iraqi communities with over 10,000 people is located in Chicago. Most of the Iraqi who live in Chicago are of Assyrian origin. They are a minority ethnic group in Iraq and trace their origin to the ancient Assyrian Empire in Mesopotamia. The first Assyrians to arrive in Chicago were Christians and established a church in Lincoln Park. The numbers grew in 1990s during the first Gulf war (Chicago History).
The Iraqis from Assyrian origin are engaged in different occupations in America. Most of them run small businesses. Others are highly trained professionals working in factories and other industries. The Iraqis have very strong cultural obligations and have therefore formed networks which assist new Iraqi immigrants to the US. They also foster strong ethnic identity by holding holiday celebrations which serves to unite the community even more (Chicago History).
Arabs from Iraq are the second largest ethnic group from Iraq living in Chicago. Most of them came to US in search of better economic openings. The bigger percentage of this block is highly educated and have entered into different professional careers. Their residences are mostly in Northbrook and surrounding suburbs. Their number was increased in 1991 when they were joined by more Arab-Iraqis who had fled Iraq fearing persecutions from the then president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. These were generally...