The United States is the land of diversity largely due to the immense amount of immigration to the United States throughout history. People from all over the world leave their homeland to journey to the United States. Why do these people leave their native country? What makes the United States so appealing to them? What makes their country so unappealing? There are many different reasons why particular immigrants emigrate to the United States. Anything from personal to economic to political reasons may have convinced these people to immigrate to the United States. The common understandings of why immigrants come to the United States are discussed. Some of the reasons are more obvious than others are, but they are all recognized as factors that cause people to emigrate.

             A popular cause of immigration among people coming from poor and undeveloped countries is the condition of the immigrant's homeland. Many immigrants are coming from countries where living conditions are bad and unemployment is high. If they do have a job the wages are very low and they are posed with the problem of not being able to properly provide for their families. "At 4.25 an hour, the U.S. minimum wage is approximately six times the prevailing one in Mexico, which is, in turn, higher than most in Central America." (Portes and Rumbaut, pg. 409) Who would not pack up and leave with those kind of wages available right across the border. The need for workers for menial jobs is very high in the United States so the immigrants know they can get a job. (410) Not only would they be able to find a job, they would get paid rather generously compared to what they were usually accustom to getting. The people that immigrate basically just want to live a better life. If they see that is possible over in the United States, they are going to go for it. For some immigrants it is an easy choice of basic survival, if they can not find a job they know they could go to the U.