It’s election season, and some U.S. citizens are fixated on jobs being “taken” from them; the reality is that immigrants often do the jobs citizens don’t want.
Undocumented immigrants are a benefit to our communities and economy.
I have the privilege of being a U.S. citizen and a daughter of immigrants. I can see both sides of the issue in my community and outside of it. My father is Mexican. He works in roofing for up to 15 hours, seven days a week, sometimes skipping his meals to get his work done.
Immigrant workers are the only ones willing to endure the heat while carrying many shingles throughout the day. From my father’s view, the pay for roofing can be good but because the work is physically demanding, there is a worker shortage.
My father works long hours outside in the heat with the sun on his back. He faces racism and microaggressions all to put food on our table. He could benefit from more workers and so could the rest of the state.
Minnesota is experiencing a labor shortage. More immigrants in Minnesota could help address this “tight labor market” over the next decade, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Some of these workers are already here. Almost every day there’s a gathering of day laborers on Lake Street waiting for any job offer coming their way. They could help ease job shortages in agriculture and food processing if we make it easier for them to get those jobs.
Minnesota has already taken a step forward by allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain their drivers’ licenses. My relatives benefited from this and had another weight taken off their shoulders. Now they’re not breaking the law by simply driving to work. This goes to prove that the people former President Donald Trump called “criminals” want to follow the law but often cannot due to eligibility or other challenges that leave them out.
The fight is ongoing. Recently in Minneapolis, asylum seekers from Ecuador have tried to make a living by selling food on the streets. Yet many report receiving citations from city staff. Food vendors fear going out to sell and being treated as criminals when they’ve vocalized the current license requirements do not fit the various vendors’ needs. Minneapolis Council Member Jason Chavez put it best, “It’s not wrong to be able to try to make a living.”
Undocumented immigrants are often misrepresented by the media, but the reality is that most immigrants work hard for their families and communities. My neighbors and I are always there for each other when one of us is going through a tough time. Even if we are not family, we treat each other as if we were. Everyone comes together to raise money for family members in need, such as when someone passes away or requires medical treatment back in Mexico. My downstairs neighbors are always looking out for me and occasionally bring my family food and fruit. What’s so good about this? For me, it is important to have people around you to lean on and trust in a community. We are all equal after all.
Why have we normalized such xenophobic comments when it comes to undocumented immigrants? Citizens might not think these comments cause harm but in fact, they do. The comments cause racism and discrimination to happen even when going about our daily lives.
How can we combat xenophobia? You can start by supporting your immigrant neighbors and connecting with organizations. Anyone can reach out to an organization like Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) to volunteer or donate. They are a worker-led organization in Minneapolis where workers fight for each other’s voice in their workplaces and communities.
This story was produced as part of ThreeSixty Journalism’s 2024 Op-Ed Workshop for high school youth in partnership with Sahan Journal and the Minnesota Star Tribune. ThreeSixty is a multimedia storytelling program for Minnesota youth, focused on contributing to more accurate narratives and representative newsrooms.
