Over the years, NACLA has
received many letters in response
to the Report. They have been im-
portant contributions to the
evaluation of our work, a source of
new ideas and enthusiasm. We
welcome your criticisms and sug-
gestions about the Report. We
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ing used, how it can become a
more valuable resource. Let us
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(Letters may be excerpted due to
space constraints.)
UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
Bravo! Your last issue on un-
documented labor was excellent,
even though it covers only one
segment of the “illegal” work-
force.
As a nurse in the Boston area, I
came in contact with another sec-
tion of this labor force while doing
a private duty case for a rich fami-
ly. The rich are indeed lazy, and fill
their homes these days with cheap
Latin American household help.
These workers exist completely
outside the industrial wage-labor
arena. They are paid in cash,
forced to work long and erratic
hours, often in different homes,
and without the option of unioniza-
tion. Although several worked
other jobs for wages, one got the
impression that all the workers in
this house were undocumented.
Beneath the veneer of friendli-
ness, a tension and uneasiness
was present. One Haitian woman
became extremely hostile when I
mentioned that another one of the
household workers thought she
had been ill because she hadn’t
been seen in church on Sunday.
The close-mouthed atmosphere
and quiet servility were quite
disturbing to me, especially when
mixed with periodic outbursts.
The trapped, hopeless feelings
which drove the workers in your
article to the U.S. were evi-
dent among these people, too,
as were the elaborate financial
schemes necessary for them to
get here. One man, still on a tourist
visa although working for wages
with this family, was taking a crash
course in English at an exorbitant
price, frantically hoping to in-
crease his employability. He said
he owed over $6,000 to various
people. I also heard stories of im-
migrants whose fare had been
paid by rich Latins in the United
States, mainly Cubans, and who,
upon their arrival, are kept in in-
dentured servitude. They have ab-
solutely no recourse, and are
literally trapped here.
I feel, however, that there might
be validity in the assumption that
these workers might be preferred
by industries like garment manu-
facture over, say, U.S. blacks.
Even though they join unions and
are acutely aware of their position
here, undocumented workers are
still overwhelmingly a captive au-
dience. U.S. black workers have a
reputation for restiveness une-
qualled by any other group, and it
just might be a little easier not to
hire us in large numbers. I just
can’t believe bosses aren’t con-
NACLA Reportupdate * update * update . update
cerned with the legal status of
their workers. They may not in-
dicate their concern in their haste
to get work done as cheaply as
possible, but we must not be naive
about this. Anyone studying the
racist U.S. must know that
because the bosses don’t ask
does not mean they have no wish
to know. It means they’ve already
assumed what position their
workers are in.
All this is not to say, of course,
that immigrants, undocumented or
“legal,” are our enemies, but sole-
ly to add a different perspective.
Keep up the good work on this.
More information is essential on
this super-exploited sector of the
working class.
Valerie Adams
Boston, Mass.
As a paralegal for an immigra-
tion law firm for the past 3 years, I
was very interested in your
November-December issue on un-
documented aliens. However, I
think your statement on page 11 is
misleading, implying that perma-
nent residence can be obtained
for “exceptionally skilled profes-
sionals” and that “the law leaves
little berth for low-wage laborers.”
There are several job categories
for which it is possible to obtain
labor certification and 6th
preference status. For example,
foreign cuisine cook, pizza baker,
bilingual receptionist or secretary,
or live-in maid or child’s nanny,
or live-in attendant to the elderly.
Usually, only 1 year experience is
required, and this can be obtained
in the United States, even through
unauthorized employment.
Working as a live-in maid for 2
or 3 years may not be the most
Mar/Apr 1980
pleasant occupation, but it is often
better than being an exploited fac-
tory worker, and it can lead to per-
manent residence. For certifica-
tion, the Labor Department only
requires minimum wage plus free
room and board, a 44-hour week,
1-1/2 days off per week, and
several hours off in the middle of
each day. Since there are few ex-
penses, the employee can save
her wages.
Your statement on page 11,
“without a permanent residence
‘green card’, a foreigner is
punishable by deportation for
working in the United States,” is
also in error. There are many tem-
porary non-immigrant visas which
grant permission to work, although
these are usually not available to
the unskilled or uneducated.
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