Hispanic Laborers

[Trakehner]

5 years ago in this neighborhood most of the people who shoveled snow, cut lawns, raked, worked in the stables, repaired fences, etc. were black people. Now ALL of the people who do those jobs in this area are hispanic. 5 years ago all the newpaper delivery people were either white or black, now ALL the newspaper delivery people are hispanic.

People say that native born Americans don't want these jobs, but I find that hard to believe. I mean what happened within the last 5 years to make native born Americans decide they didn't want these jobs? If you talk to the hispanic workers they mainly come from Mexico but I met a couple from Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. My friends say all these laborers and newspaper guys are illegals which I find hard to believe. We have a heavy police presence and security in this neighborhood and I can't imagine an illegal risking a police stop at 6am lol, if they're illegal they can't get a license so they would be risking arrest if stopped.

I was just speaking to a girl from Maine yesterday and surprisingly ALL of the stablehands at her barn are hispanic, 10 years ago they didn't even have hispanics in her town. Anyway, what % of these Central American laborers do you think are illegals?

[WVOtoGO]

I’m sure glad we’re going out of town tomorrow, and I’ll be away from this forum.

This thread could get nasty fast, and I’d have a hard time staying out of the middle of it.

[450slcguy]

Originally Posted by Trakehner

Anyway, what % of these Central American laborers do you think are illegals?

80-90%.

[865sp300e]

another area where Hispanics have taken over is restaurants, you would be hard pressed to find any non-Hispanic staff in the kitchen. At least thats the way it is in the Northeast.

I have no issue with it, most are great chefs.

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by Trakehner

.

I was just speaking to a girl from Maine yesterday and surprisingly ALL of the stablehands at her barn are hispanic, 10 years ago they didn't even have hispanics in her town. Anyway, what % of these Central American laborers do you think are illegals?

Probably 99% of them are illegal.

At the risk of being flamed by people like JohnDoe, Howitzer, Botnst and all those haterz I will tell you this anyway:

Listen: I sponsored my wife through this country, and she was from Peru.
She became a Legal Resident. Later decided to become a naturalised US citizen

Did it the legal way. It was a long, tortuous, process (K-1) Visa, huge amounts of doucmentation collected and compiled (The INS is innundated with applications that are fraudulent.), expensive, long waits, fees to pay, one time a lawyer to consult. It takes a long time, but it worked.


Now those people you see (they are everyplace in big cities all over the country), - minimal skills, barely able to speak English, utterly uneducated, decent, good people except for the fact that they knowingly came here illegally, from $hithole of a 3rd world country with no opportunity to get ahead.

Their home countries are GLAD to be rid of them, because they contribute nothing, and are a burden. What they get instead, is Millions and Millions of dollars remitted to their home country.

Places like Nicaragua get 60% or more of their ENTIRE GNP from $$$ remitted by illegals (and legals) that worked in the USA and sent $$$ home. They all did it. Even my wife and I sent $$$ every month to her family in Peru. It is just done, that is how it is. You see the places in every Latin barrio "ENVIE SU DINERO A MEXICO, EL SALVADOR, NICARAGUA. In San Francisco we used "Jet Peru"


Many Americans, and LEGAL immigrants HATE those people. It is because they Jumped The Line. (The legal way to get to the USA - through the INS line. I know how that works. I got someone through it, so I too despise people that jump the line.)


AMERICANS *HATE* LINE JUMPERS. Try it the next time you are in line for the movies, the bank, the supermarket, or in traffic and just see the reaction you get.


The illegals live in a parallel economy. They try to keep a low profile, with fake ID, no insurance, income tax, things like that, and worry about the police and INS (La Migra)

I have been amongst some of them, met them, shared meals with them, been to their apartments. They are just people trying to make a better life that's all. Very hospitable and good people for the most part, if they trust you.

I despise what they are doing, but then if circumstances of biology and geography had put me in their country, with no hope for better, I likely would be tempted to consider it, ((Jumping the Border) myself.


They call going to El Norte, "La Lucha" ("the fight")

[G-Benz]

...and THAT, my fellow forum members is the story. Case closed, no need for anyone else to interject or take any nasty stabs at anyone.

Good bead on the issue Jim...

[SwampYankee]

Back when I was in the paper delivery business ("retired" a year and a half ago), the vast majority of the carriers were Peruvian or Guatemalan. I hate to say it, but any time a route opened up there'd be a white guy on the job for 2-3 days then they just wouldn't show up. In fact, that's what happened with my route once I gave it up. They had a revolving door for awhile before getting someone reliable. It was so bad that they actually called me up in January to see if I was at all interested in picking it up again. 15 hours a week at $390/wk. wasn't a bad PT job (well, if not for the 7/365 thing. You get used to 4AM rise times.) but I declined as my financial situation had improved enough and I enjoyed cutting that tie.

When we had our 40K sq.ft. roof replaced here at work three or so years ago, outside of the owner and his job supervisor/interpreter there wasn't a non-hispanic on the crew. I was talking to the owner about general business matters and he brought up the point that he could not find an American that would do the job for more than a day. They'd hire a new guy, he'd work for a day and call in the next day with back problems or not show up at all. Every guy on his crew is Peruvian, Guatemalan or Mexican. They show up every day, on time, do their job, never complain about having to work overtime, go home and repeat.

Every farmer or landscape contractor that backs up to our loading dock will tell the same story.

[kerry]

My wife teaches at a high school with a predominantly Hispanic population. One of her students came in one day with a T-shirt which said, "Let My People Mow."

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by kerry

My wife teaches at a high school with a predominantly Hispanic population. One of her students came in one day with a T-shirt which said, "Let My People Mow."

Yeah, that big thing that sounds like a VW engine they have on their backs.

They call those things "The Mexican Broom" around here.

[Dee8go]

What are you doing, hanging out with those criminal elements, Jim?


This is really a tough issue. I guess it would have already been resolved if that were not the case.

[yal]

I've been through the naturalization process and it is hell compared to the process in other countries. I heard the INS just raised fees again. They don't raise fees like the post office does with stamps, NO, they raise them by a significant percentage. An application goes from costing $200 to costing $800. A lot of these poor immigrants couldn't afford it at $200. It can cost up to 10 to 20 grand for lawyer fees and thats just to help with the application process. Its a lot easier to be illegal believe me, I know.

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by yal

I've been through the naturalization process and it is hell compared to the process in other countries. I heard the INS just raised fees again. They don't raise fees like the post office does with stamps, NO, they raise them by a significant percentage. An application goes from costing $200 to costing $800. A lot of these poor immigrants couldn't afford it at $200. It can cost up to 10 to 20 grand for lawyer fees and thats just to help with the application process. Its a lot easier to be illegal believe me, I know.

Our truck driver is a Green-carded Canadian who just kept putting off getting his citizenship. Now he's regretting not getting it done earlier, because of both cost and ease.

The tough part is that although we don't deliver any hazardous materials right now with our own vehicles (it's infrequent enough that we currently ship them common carrier), thanks to changing EPA and DOT regulations products that were not classified as hazardous are now being re-registered as such (many fertilizers are oxidizers and thus Haz Mat). You can not get a Haz Mat endorsement on your CDL if you are not an American born citizen anymore. Up until 9/11 naturalized citizens or Green carders could get that endorsement. There may very well be a time in the not-too-distant future where we'd need a driver with a HazMat license and he'd be precluded despite living in the U.S. for 40+ years.

[Dee8go]

Originally Posted by kerry

My wife teaches at a high school with a predominantly Hispanic population. One of her students came in one day with a T-shirt which said, "Let My People Mow."

That's great, Kerry! I love that. You gotta like somebody who can make fun of themselves like that.

[yal]

A LEGAL immigrant to a country should meet a certain criteria. Make the criteria anything you want, heck even change it every 6 months like the Aussies do, BUT once that criteria is met it should be as smooth and easy as a hop skip and a jump to becoming a citizen, and it shouldn't cost the individual the price of a mid level luxury sedan to go through the process.
Unfortunately in America the naturalization process is just another money making arm of the Government. It also employs a lot of people. The whole process could be streamlined and made very efficient, heck other countries do it for significantly less cost to the individual or free, but they are not going to do it and this in turn causes the ranks of the illegals to swell.
Who in their right mind would want to go through this process? You spend money that would be more useful if you sent it back home, and if the process fails you end up in a deportation center thats basically a jail with people who have committed real crimes. Is it a wonder then that people just "disappear" once they get here?
Illegal immigrants don't feel like they are being unfair because they feel the system is not fair. We let Cubans (and Irish) stay no questions asked, even some with criminal records, WTF because of Castro and lobbyist? But get a Haitian from a few islands over and he gets sent back all expenses paid, so what does the next Haitian or Mexican do when he gets here...disappears. And we're shocked?

[Hatterasguy]

Most are illegal, the New Haven cops always joke about them because they drive unregistered cars.

They are good workers I'll give them that. Some are pretty smart to; I was talking to one that was from southern Mexico. He has a family down their, nice guy actualy. Anyway he is sending his money back to his wife who is buying a lot of property. I guess once you are a land owner it's simpler to get in and out of this country; not to mention they will be making money off that real estate. He said he already owned 3 stores and a farm.

Around here you give them $100 a day and they work like crazy, can't beat them.