Problems For Mexican Migrant Workers
por Justin Holmes
1. Access to health services
1.1. Migrants are deprived of their basic right to medical attention because they fear deportation. They tend to stay away from hospitals because they know that if they go, they run the risk of deportation
2. Raising children and helping them succeed in school
2.1. Migrant workers sometimes have children in Vermont and are forced to raise them in terrible conditions. considering both the "houses" that they live in and the strong language barrier that is often present, workers face many challenges in raising their children in Vermont.
3. Job security
3.1. As a result of their undocumented status, migrants are blackmailed into working even with bad conditions.
3.1.1. Farm owners will say "If you don't do ____ and _____, I can easily fire you because there are dozens of other people who will take your job"
3.1.2. I heard a story from one of my classmates who mentioned that his neighbor fired five Mexican workers, and then only two days later had found five new ones to fill in.
4. Transportation
4.1. Farm workers need the ability to travel freely throughout the state in order to get groceries, get together with their friends and play soccer on occasion.
4.2. Recently migrants have been granted the opportunity to apply for a driver privilege card. A new law requires employers to accept this card as a proof of identity.
4.2.1. http://watchdog.org/229501/licenses-illegal-immigrants-employment-documents/
5. Retaining connection to Mexico
5.1. The main reason for Mexicans to come to Vermont is to make money to send back to their family in Mexico.
5.2. Farm workers are not able to make calls back to Mexico very often to talk to their families, creating yet another barrier between Mexico and the US while tearing apart families
6. Fair Pay
6.1. Many migrant workers are not paid following minimum wage laws because of their undocumented status.
6.2. Migrant workers work 6 days a week only to make an average salary of $10,000 - $12,500 (the poverty line is $11,880 for an individual).
7. Integration into the community
7.1. It's essential that the migrants integrate into the community in order to have a better experience in Vermont.
7.2. They often fear integration because of racism and authority. People are racist and are quick to make judgements based on looks.
7.2.1. Multiple deportation cases have been created as a result of social prejudice and judging Mexicans bases on their physical appearance.
8. Good living conditions
8.1. All around Vermont immigrants are forced to endure the horrible living conditions provided by farm owners.
8.2. One recent case in Ferrisburgh led to three migrants quitting and a protest outside the boundaries of the farm.
8.2.1. http://digital.vpr.net/post/migrant-workers-activists-protest-farm-living-conditions#stream/0
9. Leisure time
9.1. A large percentage of farm workers work 6 days with long hours, but on some farms migrants must work 7 days a week with no day for leisure.
9.2. "Of the lives of Vermont’s 1200 to 1500 migrant dairy farmworkers, Migrant Justice says: “Workers typically work 60 to 80 hours per week" (Seven Days).
10. Overcoming the language barrier
10.1. One of migrants' largest problems is the language barrier that they face when they arrive here in the US. Lots of them can't speak English and have difficulty expressing their ideas or defending themselves.
10.1.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNmf-G81Irs