The immigrant children are misunderstood because they cannot speak the common language well enough to explain the cultural reasoning behind their habits. This was very much like my father growing up. He was two years old when he emigrated from Palau to Guam. When he started school, he got into a lot of fights over the school kids' prejudicial comments. He could not articulate any verbal defense against such remarks and ended the conversation with a brawl. More often than not, discrimination comes from the assumptions the majority makes of the minorities. .
The cause for discrimination is the community's little understanding of other cultures. "Immigrant and refugee parents said their children face discrimination at school from students and teachers alike" (Garrett 289). Being in one place for people who have the same mannerisms and social tendencies causes the people of the community to generalize how others are supposed to act. The lack of exposure to different customs can make the majority race feel confused and possibly react negatively towards an immigrant. From tactless questions to physical altercations, an immigrant student will endure the abuse that comes from culturally inept community members. .
Being unable to speak English attributes to an immigrant's difficulty to assimilate into American society. The research conducted by Katherine Garrett and the Robin Wood Johnson Foundation states, "Language barriers are a fundamental hurdle for immigrants and refugees in this study and appear to stop them from making vital connections in their communities" (286). The lack of English can make an immigrant uncomfortable and vulnerable to the judgment of an immigrant's teachers, classmates, or neighbors. In "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood," Rodriguez described how he was reclusive in school, but he rushed home to speak with his family in his mother tongue (309).