Americans have many stereotypes about Mexicans. They often think that Mexicans are either lazy or people to be feared. The recent news stories about immigration have affected everyone’s perceptions. Many Americans assume that all Mexicans are here illegally. Some people use racial slurs like “wetbacks” to describe Mexicans. They think that we are trying to take advantage of the system, but they don’t realize that we have worked very hard to get where we are today. Our families had to wait a long time to get visas to come here. We work long hours and sacrifice a lot to provide a better life for our families.
Many Mexicans have the stereotype that Americans are all blond with pale skin. They sometimes think that Americans are very violent, probably because of all the media images that we see. Some people think that Americans are too cold, direct, or greedy.
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Number of Mexican immigrants receiving permanent resident status:
1997: 146,833
2006: 173,753