Artifact 5: Dirty Jobs

Strenuous manual labor consists of long hours, small wage, with no breaks.  These jobs are filled by thousands of immigrants’ working diligently without complaint. From Businessweek is an article called WhyAmericans Won’t Do Dirty Jobs, the new immigration law in Alabama has truly awakened the importance of an immigrant.  The new law recognized as HB56 is forcing police to ask workers if they are here illegally in the United States and can deport if found.  With this new law in action, it has made thousands of illegal immigrants quit leaving behind businesses without any workers. 

Photo Courtesy to BusinessInsider

            Many opinions including Republican Governor Robert Bentley think without the immigrants taking up work, it will open up spots for the unemployed citizens.  The only catch they didn’t see coming is that the grueling jobs are way too below anyone’s pride.  Americans don’t want to fill in for the jobs because of the obvious reasons like no benefits, long hours, and too demanding.  For example, at the J&J Farms thirty out of thirty-five employees were migrant workers, working there for years.  Now with the new law HB56, it has left Chad Smith (employer) without any employees to continue the tough business. He has put out an advertisement on the radio for open jobs but fifteen to twenty showed up and the next day most of them quit. 

             My point of view on the new bill is that it is a huge mistake. Furthermore, most illegal or legal immigrants live in low-income homes and sacrifice more than imaginable to work in the United States.  The dollar compared to their country’s exchange is worth much more making it easier to send money for their family. Additionally, immigrants have been through worse jobs without getting paid and don’t see these jobs as for “slaves”. The immigrants traveled here to be part of the country and will take any opportunity to make money.  This including bending down to pick out fruits in the sun for ten hours, everyday.  It is difficult for Americans to comply with these labor jobs while living in a more demanding pay for a household.  People can also be looked down upon society if people were employees. They want benefits, retirement, and also breaks during work.  The farmers can not compete or give out these following items listed because they are already losing business and they would have to spend more cash to hire a single person.

            Similarly, in the memoire The Distance Between Us, the whole story started out because of a job.  Her parents wanted and needed to find work in the U.S.  It may not have been the dream job the parents fantasied about at the United States, but from their perspective the dollar is worth much more than pesos.  Making hard jobs like manual labor an open door for.    “The year before, the peso was devalued 45 percent to the US dollar. It was the beginning of the worst recession Mexico had in fifty years” (Reyna 6).  The following quote is an example of the need and great extent for dollars.  If working ten hours everyday for dollars, any determined immigrant will do it.   

            At the end of the day, employers are losing money and are empty of workers for grueling manual labor.  There are millions of unemployed Americans and Immigrants but the only difference between the two groups of people is the will to work in almost any condition.  Can people put their pride aside and work instead of sitting around?  Will the new law in action be rewrote because of the numerous demands for employees that no one will fill (excluding the immigrants)?  Maybe the business owners can raise the wage a little higher and add small benefits in order to have some traction. I think a compromise is to allow some Americans to work in manual labor but leave some room for immigrants too.  The problem is if Alabama does terminate the law will the immigrants back will come back to their jobs or leave Alabama without any workers forever?

           

 Work Cited

Renya Grande. The Distance Between Us. New York: Washington Square Press, 2012.

Artifact 4: More Than Once

Image Courtesy to onpoliticsUSA

Presently speaking, there have been more reinforcements for border control making it difficult to cross, especially for children.  In the article/video Mexican Child Migrants Try Border CrossingsMultiple Times, Study Says written by Rafael Romo gives readers solid statistics on border crossings.  Less than thirty percent of Mexican children have only been apprehended for the first time out of the group of 11, 000 Mexican children (from the time frame of October to the thirty-first of May).   This means there have been more than 8000 children attempted to cross the border more than once.  It makes sense for children to have several attempts because they don’t have the patience, aren’t fast enough, and need support.  

            For example, in the memoire The Distance Between Us, it took Reyna, her father, and her siblings’ two failed attempts and a third successful time to run across the border.  The main reason for both failures was because of Reyna (as a child).  She wasn’t fast enough and couldn’t keep up with the rest of the family.  It caused the family to be deported back two times. When Mexican children do successfully cross the border, many Mexican adolescents do not receive same treatment as the South American minors do, when caught.  Mexican children will be deported immediately because there isn’t a law (for bordering countries of Canada and Mexico) to be processed by the ORR (Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement).

            The new data has opened my eyes on the immense amount of Mexican minors who are trying to cross the border.  The main reason I think they are flooding into the U.S. is because of the violence and crime back in Mexico. The second main reason I think is because these children’s parents are living in the United States.  Their guardians left their children behind for a better life.   If the parents are lucky to come back for their children, the daughters or sons would do anything to be with their parents.  They would dash across the border with their parent(s) in a heartbeat.  Some children don’t even know why their parents are crossing into the United States but only go with because they don’t want to be separated from their parents.  If any logical person thinks about it, it makes sense from the eyes of a child.

            Before Reyna Grande (from the memoire The Distance Between Us) lived in the United States, she was barely living in Iguala, Mexico, waiting for her dad to return.  The day he did returned from the United States, all of his children wanted to go back to the U.S. with him.  The last thing they wanted to be is separated from their father. “All I could think of was why there would be a law that would prevent children from being with their father.  That was the only reason I’d come to the country after all” (Reyna 165).   Children need their parents and being apart from their parents is too difficult for any child.

            I’m surprised about the equality treatment between Central or South America compared Mexico.  Through a child’s eyes it isn’t fair because both groups (South America and Mexico) are risking everything to cross the border but a group of children gets to stay in the United States for two years while the other is immediately deported. The opposite side of the argument is it’s harder for Central or South American children to cross the border multiple times because they have to cover more ground.  The bordering country's immigrant children are closer and can cross the border faster after being deported.  I personally disagree about the rule; I think there should be an exceptions for every child.  People will never know what a child has been through until someone has stepped into their shoes and walked a hundred miles.

Work Cited

Renya Grande. The Distance Between Us. New York: Washington Square Press, 2012.

Artifact 3: Let's All Run in Circles

It is funny after reading one article after the other about recent immigration issues; no one is really taking initiative.  The Republicans and Democrats are dancing around in a circle while the rest of us wait for the next move on the surge of children crossing the Texas-Mexican border.  The article Border Crisis: GOP falls into a trap by Ruben Navarrette made me realize this reality. The Republicans (four Democrats approved the second bill) have approved two bills while the Senate was in rest since Labor Day.   The first bill is to spend additional money, a $694 million for keeping an eye out on the border.  The second bill is to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (which was a two year reprieve for undocumented children).

Two year reprieve for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Photo Courtesy to: Texastribune.org

            The House of Republicans approved two outrageous bills.  These bills are not in favor for immigrants and will not contribute to any movement for immigrants.  The problem I think is the politicians do not see the life immigrants are living.  Not only see what they live through but what they have to go through in order to survive in a jarring environment.  For example, in The Distance Between Us,  the main character of the book, Reyna Grande (the time she was living in Mexico) lived a harsh life.  As a young girl, she had to share a “bed” the size of twin with her two older siblings. Plus, Reyna and her siblings had to share their pint sized room with their grandpa.  Let’s just say their grandpa isn’t the nicest man in the world, all he did was drink or smoke. “Close to the door was a twin-size box spring raised on bricks and covered with a straw mat. The “bed” was pushed up against the wall, underneath the tiny window that looked out onto an alley.  This is where Mago, Carlos, and I slept.” (Reyna 15). 

            Similar countries like El Salvador, Honduras, or even Guatemala are living in a similar manner.  The children from these countries are trying to find an asylum by crossing the border into the United State.  Now, with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ended, it adds onto the immigrant's stress. Many immigrants from South America have sacrificed a great deal to enter the United States. When they finally do arrive in the United States, they still are disrespected and have to live poorly.  Similarly, in The Distance Between Us, Reyna and her siblings were disrespected to a point of emotional and physical pain.  It was difficult for Reyna to be involved in basic activities without being teased or harshly judged just because she was “different.”  “I was not good at making friends.  I shied away from kids because there was always something for which they would make fun of me: my ridiculous name, my height, my Payless tennis shoes, my thick accent, the unfashionable clothes” (Reyna 240).

            I don’t intend for this blog post to attack anyone.  Hopefully, no one has gotten his or her feelings hurt but if I have, I apologize.  It is difficult to not take sides on an issue like immigration.  Besides, this country was born because of immigration.  Now, people (who are in favor of deportation for immigrants) are trying to keep the immigrants out.  It’s not fair for the ones who were a little late for the process of becoming a citizen of this country.  I think we should be more open to the ideas of immigration because it is truly the foundation to one of the greatest nations in the world, The United States of America.

           

Work Cited

Renya Grande. The Distance Between Us. New York: Washington Square Press, 2012.

           

  

Artifact 2: What a Tug-A-War

            The article of Obama Says He’ll Order Action to Aid Immigration from Times.com gives us a looking glass to readers on the actions for immigration.  On July 3^rd (previous blog) President Barack Obama has set down his hand and declared to use his executive powers to “help” the millions of immigrants in this country.  In the past, there have been issues on the actions taken to help the immigration.  On one hand, the Congress is blaming the President for the surge of refugees from Central America (mainly because of his empty promises made for immigrants) and is building up the pressure on him.  On the other hand, the refugee supporters are coming down on President Obama for not helping the Central American immigrants. The confusing part is if the refugees do get help, the only aide they receive is deportation to their homes.  The President is doing his best to mend the rip he has made between the people and the Legislative branch, all while finding a way to fix the problem at the border of the south.

            The arguments between the people, Legislative Branch, and the President will not achieve any solution for immigrants. Many are delighted with the positive news from the President about more help but I think he needs to do more then taking action. My understanding of this article is that there is a game of tug-a-war coming up between the majority of the country and the government.  The only additional change in this game is the President; he is holding the two ropes (more like stuck in the middle) being pulled in opposite direction by both opinions.  There are refugees and immigrants in need of protection and rescue.  The victims only find themselves either sent back or lost because of this game of tug-a-war.  There needs to be a sense of direction to be taken by both the people and the government.

            The immigrants who have crossed the Texas border may seem like a hassle for the government but people never knew their life.  The refugees fled from Central America could have lived worse than Reyna (who was living in deep poverty) from the memoire The Distance Between Us.  Her house was a shack, filled with dirt, scorpions, and her life was abusive.  The only way for her bright and outgoing future came to be was entering El Otro Lado (U.S). “The United States is my home; it is the place that allowed me to dream, and later, to make those dreams into realities” (Grande 320).  It is rude to not be open-minded and stop the Central American (not including drug cartels and human trafficking) into this country.  There are millions of immigrants who are dying to give up -- even their families -- to rebuild their lives. 

Migrants at the Texas Border from Central America
Photo Courtesy to NYTimes

            Until there is some sort of a decision made from all three branches of government, countless immigrants are waiting.  My view on all the commotion and especially after reading this article, is this question: if we let in all the immigrants, will there be change? Of course there will and thousands of people fear change.  Can this a slight reason (fear of change) be the answer to why we haven’t moved on with immigration?  I am not saying this is the whole cause for the slow immigration process… but there may be a hidden emotion or two behind all these arguments. 

Work Cited

Renya Grande. The Distance Between Us. New York: Washington Square Press, 2012.