Barrio Youth

The United States is becoming an increasingly diverse society as a result of globalization's demand for cheap labor. Unlike the turn of the 20th century, when most immigrants came from Europe, the majority of today's immigrants are of Latin American and Asian origin. Mexicans make up the largest proportion of the U.S. immigrant population.

These newest members of society are often poor and uneducated. They come to the United States seeking to better the economic situation for themselves and their children. Once in the United States, the majority of these immigrants settle in poor rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods close to employment opportunities. These impoverished ethnic neighborhoods are referred to as barrios, and the residents may represent several generations of people of Mexican descent. This entry ...