Immigrants

The modern world is a world of immigrants. We leave our home-lands and come to the “first world”. We arrive in Los Angeles and New York, London and Paris, crossing the border in search of a better life. Politicians and pundits often blame us for the social and economic problems of the day. Why is that the United States, which proudly calls itself “a country of immigrants”, treats immigrants like aliens from another planet? These so-called “aliens” take care of their children, pick their fruit and vegetables, clean their homes, and handle every job imaginable for the lowest wages. Is it too much to ask that we immigrants be granted the most basic human rights?
In this recording, Lila Downs sings about the immigrant experience without sounding preachy or intellectual. She is their voice in both joy and pain.
She sings about love, that ethereal thing which has no borders and is felt by everyone reach or poor, immigrant or not. These songs tell their story, your story, my story. Listen and remember.
Betto Arcos
90.7-KPFK Los Angeles

The Failed Bracero
English translation by Lila Downs

When I left the ranch, I didn´t even wear
underwear,
but I made it to Tijuana hitchhiking, since I
had no money
I would stand on the corners to see who
would let me eat their chicken necks
Then you see, what happened - I got to
Santa Ana with scratched out feet,
the sandals I was wearing got used up
right away, the hat and shirt I lost
when they chased me, these "whire ones"
when they almost caught me
I got on the road dying of hunger and tired,
I got on a cargo train comin´
from Colorado going to San Francisco on a
wagon I sneaked on but with such
bad luck that they caught me in Salinas
Then you see, what happened - The migra
showed up
grabbed me by the hand,
telling me I don´t know that, they scolded
me in English the "gabachos",
they told me you got to go back to your
farm but I felt really bad, having
to go back to my country, as a failed
bracero, with no money and no nothing.

Answer these questions:
1. Why do immigrants leave their homelands?
2. Who often blame immigrants for the social and economic problems?
3. What does the United States call itself?
4. Are immigrants treated well?
5. Name some of the jobs immigrants do.
6. Do immigrants get a good salary? Why?
7. Who sings about love and the immigrants experiences?

Find a synonym for these words in the text:
a) look after
b) hurt
c) accuse
d) foreigner

Match the words from the song (1-4) with the definitions (a-d).
1. homeland a)payment made for work or services
2. border b)expert on a subject
3. wage c)country from which one`s ancestors came
4. pundit d)line dividing two states or countries

Translate this song into Spanish.