Stop saying ‘immigrants do jobs Americans don’t want to do’

The deaths of six migrant workers in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26 sparked the kind of collective empathy that typically follows tragic events. President Joe Biden was among many who offered his prayers. News reports call the men “kind-hearted,” “humble” and “heroes.”

We must ask ourselves: is it only the tragedy that makes them deserve such labels? The dismissive way immigration in the US is framed at other times makes this outpouring of praise seem like a trope.

We regularly hear politicians, entrepreneurs and analysts – even well-intentioned ones – say that immigrants do the jobs that Americans don’t want (and for low wages). place in our country.

Let me tell you: that’s not a badge of honor.

Framing the conversation about migrant workers around their sacrifices – a necessity for them – only marginalizes the already vulnerable members of our communities.

The subject of immigration remains a top issue. A recent Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found that the country ranks second behind its economy for voters. As we get closer to Election Day, we can’t glorify the fact that immigrants do jobs that no one else wants.

Instead, we should be talking more about the lack of security of these jobs.

The tragedy in Baltimore underscored that construction is one of the deadliest industries in the US. As the focus turns to rebuilding the bridge, it is reported that Latinos, who make up 31% of construction workers, find the task too dangerous. Other industries that rely on foreign-born workers are just as dangerous. The Department of Labor reports that workers at poultry and meatpacking plants are exposed to antibiotic-resistant diseases and have an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

The workforce behind this crucial part of our food supply is more than 37% immigrants, according to an analysis of federal data by the Economic Policy Institute.

But we would be remiss if we stopped there. U.S.-born workers also toil in poultry and meatpacking plants — as well as building homes, repairing roofs and filling potholes during overnight shifts. Our focus must be on finding ways to make every job as safe as possible for everyone. Right now, all eyes are on Latinos, but this country’s disregard for the well-being of guest workers goes back centuries. Think of the Chinese who dug their way through the Sierra Nevada, digging tunnels and building tracks for less money, while working in worse conditions than their white counterparts. Their reward? Decades of restrictive policies designed to keep them out.

History shows that despite the message that these jobs are some kind of down payment for being part of our nation, immigrants of color are somehow left out. The xenophobic idea that America is only for Americans underlies the “predatory relationship between employer and immigrant worker,” says Bill Barry, the retired director of labor studies at the Community College of Baltimore County. That includes wage theft, usually in the form of unpaid overtime. This practice, which is widespread nationwide, often goes unreported because immigrants fear unemployment or, if they have no legal papers, deportation.

Documented or not, immigrants have, in the words of economist Steven Rattner, “been essential to America’s post-COVID labor market recovery.”

Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, came from Honduras. Miguel Luna came from El Salvador. Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Carlos Hernández, 24, were residents of Mexico. Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, and Jose Mynor Lopez, 35, were from Guatemala.

These six men who died working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge should be remembered as part of that vital recovery story.

Besides that they had wives and children. On Sundays they went to church. They planted roots in the neighborhoods where they lived. At least two of them, Sandoval and Luna, have volunteered with CASA, a nonprofit organization that serves and advocates for Latinos.

CASA has been screening, training and connecting “good workers with good employers” in Maryland and other states for 30 years, said Gustavo Torres, executive director. In the workforce hall in Baltimore, he said, U.S.-born black workers give their Hispanic counterparts tips on how to negotiate pay. Recently, both joined together to request French lessons so they can speak to French-speaking migrants from Africa.

“These are the workers building bridges that unite communities, not the walls that divide us,” Torres said.

There is no clarity on the immigration status of all six men killed in the bridge collapse, but the tragedy has prompted advocates, business leaders and elected officials to band together and urge the Biden administration to suspend the temporary extend protected status to immigrant workers who have lived in the region. United States for five years or more, as was the case with at least three of those who died.

This way, immigrants would at least be given legal permission to work in the US, although this would not provide a direct path to legal residency or citizenship. “It’s an opportunity for the president to recognize the contributions they make” and a way to energize young progressive voters, Torres said.

It’s also a gamble, especially in an election year when immigration is a divisive issue, but for a group that helped rebuild this country, it’s a worthwhile gamble.

Fernanda Santos is a Brazilian-American journalist whose work focuses on underrepresented and misrepresented communities. She is the author of “The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.”