Dreamer to Criminal
The struggles of undocumented migrants living in San Diego
By Ana Reynoso
By Ana Reynoso
There is a silent excitement that spreads through the crowd as we anxiously wait for the Aztec dance to commence. It starts out quiet but fierce, with the sure sound of the drums beginning to tell a story. And suddenly the dancers are lifted off their feet, seemingly floating in space, in perfect unison with each other. Their steps and their bodies match perfectly with the sound emerging from the instruments and they begin to circle around, ensnared by the music and the movement. The feathered headdresses flow behind them, a blur of colors catching up a second late as they continue dancing. Watching them, it's almost as if they've forgotten about everything but their appreciation for Mother Earth, and the crowd watches in awe. Eventually, they begin to slow down with the music, until it stops completely and the dancers howl with glee at having completed a complicated dance rejoicing life.
What was just experienced is a performance of an indigenous Aztec dance that takes place in Chicano Park at various times throughout the year and is free to anyone who wishes to see the spectacle. Chicano park is a focal point in the South Bay community, tucked under the Coronado bridge, south of Downtown, in Barrio Logan. It stretches 7.9 acres and contains prominent murals that tell of the continuing struggle of Mexican and Chicano life and history. Every year, there is an event called Chicano Park Day, where not only are native dances and music showcased, but food from other cultures is served and traditional art is sold. It is a culture immersion opportunity that is not to be missed and is a popular event for the community, with an expected attendance of 30,000 to 40,000 every year. Chicano Park muralist Victor Ochoa describes the event as an opportunity for Chicanos to be “recognized in this society." The community comes together and turns Chicano park into "a place where we can feel proud of our heritage and our history." Diversity is something San Diego really boasts about, and Barrio Logan is no exception to this. Not only is the Chicano Park Day an exhibit of acceptance of Mexican and Chicano culture, but the community itself is prominently made up of Mexican immigrants. In order to avoid confusion, immigrants are defined as people from other countries that decide to permanently live in a new country. In San Diego alone, there are approximately 698,000 immigrants, which makes up 23% of the total population; Barrio Logan is home to many Mexican immigrants, but a lot of these immigrants are undocumented. In the United States, there is an estimated 11.5 million undocumented migrants. Undocumented migrants can easily be defined as foreign-born people who lack the legal documentation to remain in the United States. Contrary to what their legal standing indicates, they are not dangerous or vicious, they merely lack the documentation that will allow them to say they are ‘citizens’ in a country made up of immigrants. They are people who come to the US in the search of a better life and work just as hard as everyone else, if not harder, to be successful. In fact, out of the 698,000 immigrants in San Diego, 78% of them are in the workforce, which includes, but is not limited to, the agricultural, food and construction industries. San Diego may boast its diversity, but it fails to mention the way those that make up the diverse culture are treated. One out of three unauthorized immigrants working in San Diego is a victim of labor trafficking, with the majority of those victimized being unauthorized Spanish speaking migrant workers. Companies take advantage of undocumented migrants because they are easy targets for abuse, such as food and sleep deprivation, being given a different job than promised and/or being paid less than what they'd been told. But because they are living in fear of being found out, even if they are aware of the abuse, the threat of being deported is enough to keep the workers silent. Either way, this threat is rarely necessary because workers tend to not know their rights to begin with. Catalina, a 33 year old Guatemalan worker, when asked if she knew what the minimum wage is answered with: “No ... I don’t know how to read to check the amounts or dates.” and when she was asked why she didn't ask about it she stated: “When I’m a person with papers, or a man, maybe I can complain. But because I need to work, and I don’t have papers, I don’t have rights. I’m better off keeping quiet, even if they pay me $20 or $30.” Minimum wage is actually one of the biggest challenges workers face. Because most of them don't know what the minimum wage is or can’t change it regardless, a lot of migrant workers live in poverty. In a recent study, it was proved that in order to live a comfortable life, a household made up of 2 adults and one infant requires each working adult to be paid a minimum of $15.93 per hour. Immigrant workers are not paid anything close to this. Not only are they paid less than they need to survive, they are often paid even less than the legal minimum wage of $9 per hour, which drops those households well under the poverty line. 58.9% of Latinos are unable to live comfortably (which refers to being able to pay rent, food, health and other very basic needs) while only 28.7% of white citizens can't afford to live comfortably. On top of this, because they lack legal immigration status, they are not eligible for food stamps, Medicaid or other government funded programs for the poor.
San Diego is diverse, but that statement comes with a cost that minorities have to pay. Life for an undocumented migrant worker in San Diego might have started out filled with hope and optimism, but soon enough they are criminalized for something that is out of their control, and that optimism begins to fade. However, there are organizations whose mission is to inform these workers of their rights and help them get started with the paperwork to become legal citizens, such as the American Friends Service Committee. AFSC advocates against the criminalization of humans for lack of legal documentation, and give presentations in communities like Barrio Logan, to inform the residents of their rights and give them hope that things can get better. Another organization with similar beliefs is ‘Border Angels’. This organization actually gets volunteers to go out to the desert around the border and leave water, blankets, food and supplies for families and individuals crossing illegally. It is recorded that more than 6,000 immigrants who've 'hopped' the border have died and this organization believes that regardless of what immigrants are doing, they are still humans and cannot be left to die. Border Angels is fighting the stereotype that all those who jump the border are criminals and deserve to be treated as such. Deporting migrant workers makes no moral sense, and it makes even less economic sense: deporting one single individual costs an estimate of $23,480, while illegal workers increases the nation's output and productivity. In fact, passing the Senate immigration bill that gives undocumented migrants a chance to become citizens would “reduce the federal budget deficit by 197 billion over the next decade and $700 billion over the decade after that.” If anything, immigrants help this nation thrive rather than destroy it. Looking around at the crowd and the dancers and those participating in the cultural event, I would never have been able to tell the citizens apart from the undocumented immigrants, let alone have thought of them as criminals. They are merely people who embrace their cultures and wish to remain true to their roots, continuing traditions that their ancestors followed. They dance beautifully to the rhythm of the music, cook amazing meals, create beautiful art and maybe even witness all of this as audience members. They are everywhere, and if you were not told that they are not citizens, you would have never thought otherwise. San Diego embraces its diversity, and it is slowly starting to embrace the people that actually make it diverse, rather than appreciating only the idea. Look around you and tell me, can you spot the criminal? |