The State of Immigrant Workers

Most Americans, with the exception of Native Americans, have ancestors who arrived from other countries, either voluntarily or involuntarily as slaves. Throughout American history, immigrants helped build America’s cities, towns, farms, businesses, economies and civic and cultural institutions.  Immigrants in low wage jobs work extremely hard, often in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. They perform some of the toughest jobs that many Americans feel are beneath them. Primarily immigrant’s work in jobs providing service or convenience to other like housekeepers, cooks, pickers, meat cutters, and gardeners; we all rely heavily on this work. Immigrant workers don’t just take from our economy; they pay taxes that fund programs that help the community and buy food and clothes that bolster our economy.  Approximately five million undocumented workers labor in the lowest paid, highest risk jobs in the U.S. economy.  Employers often use a workers' immigration status as a means to retaliate against undocumented workers organizing or trying to enforce the labor and employment laws.  Such employer violations have created particularly exploitative working conditions for undocumented workers.