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Perhaps once illegal migrants are in the US, the
administration looks the other way. It could be difficult to round them
all up and deport them. Besides the illegals do a lot of the work that
Americans don't want to do and will do it on the cheap. But getting into
the US isn't easy. You could get caught at the border, and I heard that
coyotes will abandon migrants if they feel there is any risk to
themselves. So, a Costa Rican could find himself in northern Mexico
without much cash and no legal status.
Most of the Costa Rican migrants I heard about had
gone to New Jersey because a lot of illegal Costa Ricans were already there and
provided a support network. Some unionized trades might see illegals as a
threat - e.g. construction workers - but for the most part the kind of work
illegals do would be difficult to organize - a few days of this and a few days
of that.
There have been some attempts by migrant
workers to organize themselves, the most notable case being Cesar Chavez and the
United Farm Workers. Mostly, however, illegals would organize themselves
in ways that are informal and underground, like the Costa Rican support net in
New Jersey.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 2:08
PM
Subject: RE: [Futurework] NYTimes.com:
Day Laborer Battle Runs OutsideHomeDepot
And,
I suppose, the US administration (wink wink) allows this sort of thing.
Keeps US wages in line and tops up the reserve army of low paid
workers.
I
guess the US unions should take a more active role in blocking illegals
(unless of course it is considered politically incorrect to block
illegals)
arthur
When I was in rural Costa Rica last year, quite
a few local people had snuck into the US to make some money. They
could, at the most, earn $15 to $20 US at home, but could make much more
than that in the US as day labourers, even after they paid the coyote.
The reason they went to the US is to earn a lot (to them) of money
quickly - e.g. the hotel I stayed at (a converted dance hall with private
rooms to which couples could retire when they'd danced enough) was
recently bought by a young family. The wife was running it while he
was in the US to try to make enough money to pay for it.
Networks work. People in Central America
have heard through the grapevine that to pick up work in the US you have to
stand in front of a place like Home Depot, so that's where they
go.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 11:23
AM
Subject: [Futurework] NYTimes.com:
Day Laborer Battle Runs Outside Home Depot
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