Invisible Heroes: Undocumented Immigrant Essential Workers
Publication Date
2020
Start Date
21-8-2020 12:50 PM
End Date
21-8-2020 1:15 AM
Moderator
Anastasiya Davis
Description
Amid the pandemic, governors across the nation urged their residents to stay at home, except those whose jobs were declared as "essential," to slow down the spread of coronavirus. Among those essential workers are approximately 6 million immigrants at the front line, helping us stay at home, safe and fed. However, some immigrants, especially the undocumented, have been excluded from the safety-net benefits. Banning some immigrants from our safety net stems from a deeply rooted issue that has been present in our country for decades because undocumented immigrant labor often goes unseen. So far, we appreciate doctors, nurses, and first responders for their hard work and sacrifice; that is why we call them heroes. But we forget that we still have food on our table because many undocumented immigrants had the necessity and responsibility to go to work. We are taking advantage of their desperation so we can stay at home safely; but because they are undocumented, they are the invisible. In this presentation, I will argue that immigrants' exploitation is a systematic issue because our nation has failed to honor the dignity of immigrant labor for hundreds of years.
Invisible Heroes: Undocumented Immigrant Essential Workers
Amid the pandemic, governors across the nation urged their residents to stay at home, except those whose jobs were declared as "essential," to slow down the spread of coronavirus. Among those essential workers are approximately 6 million immigrants at the front line, helping us stay at home, safe and fed. However, some immigrants, especially the undocumented, have been excluded from the safety-net benefits. Banning some immigrants from our safety net stems from a deeply rooted issue that has been present in our country for decades because undocumented immigrant labor often goes unseen. So far, we appreciate doctors, nurses, and first responders for their hard work and sacrifice; that is why we call them heroes. But we forget that we still have food on our table because many undocumented immigrants had the necessity and responsibility to go to work. We are taking advantage of their desperation so we can stay at home safely; but because they are undocumented, they are the invisible. In this presentation, I will argue that immigrants' exploitation is a systematic issue because our nation has failed to honor the dignity of immigrant labor for hundreds of years.