Immigration Mythology {Part 1}

Like most Americans, I had a variety of summer jobs as a teenager.  One situation stands out more than others; it was by far the worst, and hottest.

Between 10th and 11th grade, I worked as a "grape swamper," in vineyards west of Phoenix, AZ.  Swampers were the least experienced, hauling crates from the pickers (up and down the rows of grapevines) back to the packing trailer.  We worked from 4AM to 1PM, when it became unbearably hot to be outside.  I used to tell people that the best part of living in Phoenix is that when you die and go to hell, it will be 10 degrees cooler when you get there.

Even at 15, I was struck by the fact that there were no Gringo adults working; even the foreman was Mexican-American.  Having spent my most impressionable years in my home town (Douglas, AZ), I was bi-lingual and therefore felt no discomfort being one of the lightest-skinned workers.  I spoke Spanish as well as my co-workers, and willing accepted the good-natured ribbing I got from some of the older workers.

In addition to being mostly white and well-versed in English, I had another significant advantage over my co-workers.  At 1PM I could drive one of our family's cars back to my nice suburban home in middle-class Goodyear, and stand in the shower with cold water pouring onto my face and head for over half-an-hour until the heat headache started to fade.  My co-workers piled into pickup trucks and went back to sweltering tents or camp trailers.  This is how they lived, year-in and year-out, migrating from one harvest to the next.  Their greatest, and common, hope was that their children would find a better life in America.

This is one reason I've always been adamantly opposed to special programs in US education that teach children in their native languages.  Without a single exception, the Mexican kids I grew up with had parents (many of them here illegally) who insisted their children speak English.  At that time, there was no way to get into the "mainstream" society, or into college or corporate management, unless one spoke and understood English well. 

To this day, there are extremely limited opportunities for anyone in the workplace who is not able to comfortably communicate in English.  I believe the active proponents of such education programs are seeking a personal political advantage over others.  Quite simply, their reasoning is, "If you don't understand English (newspapers, television, employers, etc.), then you have to rely on me to tell you what I want you to hear."  And what to buy; how to vote; where to live; etc.

In addition to being bi-lingual, living in Douglas afforded an opportunity to be bi-cultural.  The town literally sits on the Mexican border.  I could stand next to the grave sites of my grandmother and great-grandparents and throw a baseball over the fence into Mexico.  Going back and forth to Agua Prieta ("Muddy Water"), Mexico then was easy, even for kids. 

One thing I always admired: the way most Mexicans' homes revolve around their children.  Mexicans live "family values," while others simply preach it.  I find it extremely ironic and hypocritical that those who shout the loudest about family values (political and clerical leaders) also:

• Promote "family values" and demonize gay marriage while soliciting other males in airports, Congressional page offices and congregations.
• Have affairs or solicit sex while pretending to be happily married.
• Are eagerly accepted back into society, often after stating that God has forgiven them and all is well.
• Are well compensated (selling books, getting paid for personal appearances at "prayer breakfasts" and giving speeches, TV commentary, etc.)

Most estimates of current illegal immigrants in the US range from 10 million to 12 million.  The most common fallacies surrounding these people is that they take jobs away from "real" Americans and that they don't pay taxes.

Throughout my years in Arizona and Southern California, I saw migrant workers picking fruits, vegetables and nuts.  These are hot, nasty, dirty jobs that very, very few unemployed "real" Americans are willing to accept.  And it would be virtually impossible to get employers to replace the illegals with "real" Americans, because they would have to pay at least the published minimum hourly wage, pay for employment taxes (FICA, Medicare) and carry workers' compensation insurance.  The status quo offers significantly more profit with a lot less complications (see Newsweek article).

The same is true for all the contractors who hire "day laborers" at home improvement box stores around the country.  Again, very rarely a Gringo to be seen waiting for a job, any job, even one that pays cash at the end of a day.

What are the chances of finding a long-term unemployed, middle-aged white fellow in line to apply for housekeeping or maintenance jobs at hotels and resorts?

The stark reality is that the entire agricultural, construction, hospitality and meat/poultry industries in the US would collapse overnight if we rounded up and shipped out all the "illegal" immigrants in this country.  Because they have to "stay under the radar" or get deported, these people eagerly take jobs at substandard wages, with no benefits, that are so menial, and often under such harsh conditions, that "real" Americans won't even consider no matter how broke we are.

Every day in the US, each of us touches something that was produced by an "illegal alien."

Part 2 of this blog addresses the politics and profitability of maintaining the status quo.