Mexican Immigration Discrimination

In the late 1990’s, my uncle held a construction job alongside several undocumented Mexican immigrants in Southern California. For approximately a year, each worker performed the same tasks on the various construction sites for the same hours each week. Eventually, during a conversation with his colleagues, he discovered that those that were undocumented regularly received significantly less pay than he did; worse than just this alone, they were being severely underpaid, sometimes receiving less than minimum wage. Recognizing the unfairness of the issue, he spoke up to his coworkers and friends, explaining that while he understood the immigrants’ need to hold a job, they should never work for less than their worth. Conveniently, just under

In the midst of unfair and unequal treatment for the many quality services provided, Mexican immigrants, especially those undocumented, do not have the ability to speak up and change something without risking their status or safety. The American people should be speaking up for those that cannot do it for themselves, yet they continue to perpetuate stereotypes and confine Mexican immigrants who do just as much as any other citizen to provide for this country. Despite the general dependency on immigrant workers, many American people have a hypocritical bias against Latin-American immigrants (concerning their place (efforts?) in the workforce? and their entrance in the country?

To most people in America, slavery is a thing of the past, a cruel practice long forgotten; however, for others today, it is their reality. In one year alone, there are approximately 14,500 to 17,500 people trafficked into the United states each year from all around the world, including Latin-America (Bales, Soodalter). One example of a Latin-American slave is Maria, a young girl that spent seven months in slavery traveled from a poor town in Mexico to America with the promise of education and a chance at a new life if she provided the woman that brought her, Sandra Bearden, with housework and babysitting services. Upon arriving to the States, Bearden immediately went back on her word, and Maria found herself a slave. Maria was chained, starved, and essentially tortured for the next few months to come. Bearden did not allow her to go to school, and forced her to work through the suffering she was causing the young girl every day. Eventually, “one of Bearden’s neighbors had to do some work on his roof,” unbeknownst to him, this simple action would lead him to see Maria over Bearden’s “eight foot concrete fence” and save her life. Sandra Bearden knew that she could take advantage of this young girl and her situation; she took the first chance she found to thrust an unsuspecting innocent into a dark place, all for personal gain. This, however,