Author and actress Maya Angelou was once asked for her thoughts on the "American dream" in a Forbes interview:

"The American Dream, whether attainable or not, is to have freedom, freedom in all things. To go as far as ambition impels us, in work, in play, and religion and even in love."

America stands out from the rest of the world, not because it's the birthplace of Hollywood or boasts the jumpstart of rock and roll, but because it is a country that becomes all things to all people. While other countries throughout history have instituted sanctions and/or closed-door policies to immigrants, America has welcomed "your tired and your poor."

Still, in the midst of a grueling economic recession and a protracted war, some people question whether the "American dream" is even possible anymore?

A native to Jamaica, 33-year-old Kenneth James visited Miami in 2003. His vacation turned into a permanent stay when he was offered a position with his church group. He, like many immigrants, expected that the move would be life-changing. He would certainly lead a far more prosperous life in the United States - one that the tiny island of Jamaica could not guarantee him with an unemployment rate of 11%, according to index.com. Or would he?

"In Jamaica, people were graduating from universities and still not able to get entry-level jobs," said James.

And, in a sense, he was right.

Dr. Karoline Schmid, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters from the Caribbean, explained in her essay on "Migration in the Caribbean: Brain Drain-Remittances-Diaspora" that the net migration rate from the Caribbean is the highest in the world. The countries that have experienced the greatest losses, which include both skilled and unskilled workers, over the past decades are Guyana, Surinam, St. Lucia and Jamaica - all of which have solid tourism programs, yet severe unemployment rates and unstable economies.

Schmid says "at the individual level, emigration has always been one option for seeking employment opportunities and personal training outside of the country of birth."

But, James, having worked for a successful insurance company in Jamaica, had a secure position and a secure salary to match. Why leave it all for an unsecured future in a country you know nothing about?

It's simple, Schmid explains, "the hope of a [more] prosperous life makes moving north attractive for Caribbean nationals."

And just like many other immigrants before him, he thought it only natural that after a few months of paying dues in the U.S., he would land a similar job. His expectations, however, were met with disappointment when he began to pursue permanent residency.

"Since 9/11, the United States has made it a lot more difficult for a foreigner to seek residency and work legally."

Six years later, James is still struggling to find work to sustain himself and the two children he had while here in the United States.

"In Jamaica, I didn't have to worry about not having enough money in my bank account," said James. "There's a misconception that you come to America and that obtaining the 'American dream' is a breeze. The truth is you have to work hard for it. Your dream is what you make of it. America just makes it more accessible."

James is just one of a large community of Caribbean immigrants who leave gainful employment, a car and a nice home in their respective countries, then trade it in for the pursuit of the "American dream" - chock-full of its meager Ramen noodle meals and under- the-table restaurant jobs.

Funny enough, the wave of immigration from Caribbean and Latin American countries hitting America in the past decade has made many Americans uneasy. The common claim: immigrants take jobs from tax-paying Americans and force wages down in the United States.

However, in 2004, a study by Pew Hispanic Center found that the claim could not be applied to the United States in general. The study found that there was no significant correlation among employment rates and immigration rates. This data was taken from the U.S. Census Data, comparing data from 1990 up until 2004.

In one example, the study took the 10 states with the highest employment rates during a four year period (2000 to 2004). Half of the states experienced high immigration but the other half had low immigration growth. Even in times where there was some degree of economic slowdown, there was found to be no significant correlation between immigrant growth and unemployment rate.

Surprisingly, with a recession and tighter immigration laws to be concerned with, the flow of immigration has been stemmed. The OECD says that as the U.S. recession worsens, migrants from Caribbean and Latin American countries will reduce their flows by as much as 7% due to job losses, lower earnings, and slower migration (included continued deportations).

While such economic and social challenges have created a decline in immigration and a lack of fulfillment for those who have recently immigrated, others who were fortunate enough to be counted in the mass northern immigration flood of the '60s and '70s know that the "American dream" is attainable. They maintain they could never have achieved it in their homelands.

Retired civil engineer Jorge Soca left his native Cuba in 1967 at the age of 25 in an effort to flee the persecution of communist dictator Fidel Castro. He boarded a plane in mid-November with his wife and infant daughter, who had been born nine days prior. Upon arriving in Miami, life in the United States would be full of hardships and challenges for the young parents.

"We left Cuba without a dime and only the clothes on our backs," said Soca. "We immediately began working in a hot factory making minimum wage while

trying to feed and care for a newborn baby."

For nearly a year, Soca, his pregnant wife and two-year-old toddler lived in a 450-square-foot studio, which he paid for by working as a maintenance worker and janitor. As the family stabilized themselves in the new country, Soca decided to go back to school to study engineering, a discipline he had begun pursuing in Cuba.

"It wasn't easy working full-time and taking classes at night while trying to care for my family," Soca said. "But I was determined and the years of hard work paid off."

In 1976, he landed his first engineering job at Post, Buckley & Jernigan. This led to a 30-year career as a civil engineer in Miami until retiring in 2007. In the years that followed, Soca was able to purchase a four-bedroom home in Miami, raise two daughters, and travel the world with his wife of more than forty years.

Nancy Jaramillo shares a similar story.

As a little girl, LPN Jaramillo remembers seeing her father, Carlos T. De La Fe, a distinguished psychiatrist, struggle to rebuild his life in the United States after immigrating from Cuba in 1967. Her father, now deceased, was opposed to communism and fled the island in search of a better life for him and his family.

Jaramillo recounts how his determination to pursue his passion for mental health in the United States was a challenge for her father.

"He had to start by learning the language, which was a difficult task in itself since he was 40 years old. Then he started studying and prepared himself for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam, which he had to take twice," said Jaramillo. "My father's biggest challenge was the language barrier and the fact that his license in Cuba was not valid in the U.S."

De Le Fe began working as a cigar maker - a skill he learned as a child in Cuba - and continued to pursue his goal of earning his license as a psychiatrist despite the language barrier.

"Five years after being in this country, he took his Board of Medicine and passed the exam after taking it again," said Jaramillo. "My father accomplished his dreams in America with much hard work, support from others and persistence."

Although there is no denying that the "American dream" is more difficult to obtain for certain groups of people than others, many have not given up on the dream, regardless of the current economic slowdown, restrictive immigrant laws and the like.

And, all in all, you can't keep a good immigrant down.

You couldn't tell Tony, Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Rita Moreno, former Secretary of State Colin Powell (of Jamaican parentage), South Florida community activist Marleine Bastien or author Geoffrey Philp that the odds were against them. You couldn't tell them that the dream was elusive, a slim chance or only for a select few.

To be frank, they knew and believed otherwise. And, their stories prove it.

*Kenneth James' name was changed to protect his identity and immigration status.