The United States is known as a land of opportunities and freedom. As such, the U.S. has become a nation of immigrants. Many individuals, often from poor economic or political situations, immigrate to America with hopes and dreams of a better life and a fresh start. Sometimes immigrants come to the United States alone, leaving loved ones behind in their home country. Others times entire families or groups of friends may emigrate to the U.S. together. The journey to the United States can be expensive and sometimes even deadly. Crossing the border into the U.S. may mean having to walk days through the Arizona desert or taking a dangerous trip on a crowded boat that is not seaworthy. Reaching the U.S. can be done alone, but many use the services of a human smuggler. The smugglers, often referred to as "coyotes," usually make a living out of guiding illegal immigrants into the United States. In some cases, the more an immigrant is able to pay, the safer their journey will be. For example, a human smuggler may be working together with a corrupt U.S. Border Patrol agent. In exchange for a fee, the border patrol agent may help facilitate entry into the United States. By paying extra money they may be able to get through the border checkpoint effortlessly. However, numerous checkpoints set up along American highways remain along the way. Many illegal immigrants will not be successful in their first attempt to get into the U.S. but they generally do not become discouraged easily. According to USCIS reports some individuals make numerous attempts to get into the United States illegally, before they are successful. Many immigrants make numerous attempts to cross the border into the United States, as they remain determined to live and work in the country. There are some that die in their attempt to reach the U.S. but many are willing to take this risk. Advanced technology and increased border patrol agents on both U.S. land and sea borders have made it increasingly difficult to illegally enter the country.

An illegal immigrant who has recently arrived to the United States often faces many difficult transitions and obstacles. Although employment wages are generally higher in the United States, the cost of living is also higher. As such, multiple families may live under the same roof. In addition, it is not uncommon for new immigrants to live with family already residing in the United States. Finding a job may also prove to be difficult for undocumented immigrants. Employers face strict penalties if they knowingly hire an illegal immigrant, and therefore may refuse to hire someone who can not prove their employment eligibility. Many illegal immigrants also face language barriers. Generally, however, immigrants are able to find jobs. They might take jobs that pay minimum wage, but this still offers an improvement compared to what they made in their homeland. Many new immigrants to the U.S. also work two jobs in order to support themselves and also send money to their family in their native country. Some come with the intention of staying in the United States permanently while others are intend to reside in the U.S. only temporarily. If an immigrant has a child while in the United States, they are eligible to become an American citizen. Sometimes, this proves to be an incentive for pregnant women, who intend to move to the United States so that their children can have American citizenship. It is estimated that three million children who are born in the U.S. have at least one parent who is in the country illegally, and at least one in every ten American families has at least one family member who is a current illegal immigrant.

Undocumented immigrants face many barriers when seeking employment. In addition to the language and cultural barriers that sometimes exist, immigrants face the risk of immigration raids, which have been increasing across the nation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is a branch of the USCIS, has been more aggressive in going after illegal immigrants residing in the country. There are nearly 100 fugitive operation teams across the U.S. whose main purpose is to detain illegal immigrants. ICE officials may sometimes show up at homes to search for individuals who have ignored deportation orders or have committed crimes. Immigration officials have also conducted raids at workplaces suspected of employing illegal immigrants. The priority of the ICE fugitive operation teams is to go after criminals and fugitives, but they often encounter other illegal immigrants in the process. In these situations the ICE agents enforce immigration law. As a result many immigrants who may not have been the original target end up being detained because they fall under the classification of immigration violators. Some argue that ICE goes too far and that agents sometimes disguise themselves to catch more illegal immigrants. They argue that their tactics lead to racial profiling and that many families are being torn apart as a result of aggressive immigration enforcement. ICE defends its actions by saying that they are only enforcing the law and going after individuals who are not law-abiding. ICE maintains they adhere to guidelines such as not entering a household without consent. Also, they point out that individuals have the right to due process and may fight their deportation in court. However, only a small percentage actually succeed in reversing deportation orders. Nonetheless, many speculate that undocumented immigrants can live their entire lives in the United States without being detected, provided they avoid any legal troubles. It is estimated that over 11 million undocumented immigrants are currently living in the United States.