The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

I’ve read the article and I don’t detect racism in what President Fox said. I think some

of us are too quick to jump on the racist bandwagon. What’s wrong with calling a

spade a spade. If it were a black man saying the exact same statement, most of

us would probably laugh and agree with him. I’ll go a step further and say that I do

agree and have been aware of this for quite some time. It’s not just Mexicans

working jobs that blacks don’t want, but no other race. When I drive past road

construction sights I notice that it is primarily hispanics working, whether it’s 100

degrees or 30 degrees, sunshine or rain. When I see men landscaping, whether

residential or commercial, it is almost ALWAYS Hispanics. Yes, I still see blacks

in fast-food restaurants, but I’m also seeing just as many Hispanics now. When you

go to a hotel, who is cleaning the rooms, bringing you towels or an iron & ironing

board? More Hispanics. When I take my car to a full-service car wash I see

more Hispanics, yes there are still blacks that are employed at these places, but,

not in abundance throughout ALL communities. These are all low-paying jobs that

many other races have no interest in. If no one else wants these types of jobs, why

not allow hard-working individuals who want a better life for themselves and their

families to have them, regardless of their immigration status, as long as they are not

committing any crimes.

Unfortunately, Tam hasn’t checked out WHY there are so few american blacks at consturction sites, landscaping jobs, hotel cleaning jobs and other menial jobs.

Many employers hire illegals to take lower wages! Who in America doesn’t know the minimum wage rate? And who won’t go to the local state labor office for wages below the current rates? Illegals.

Next time you see a group of Hispanics working at a construction site, yell “INS” and watch the reaction.

I dunno about that EG (as far as the low wage thing goes). Living here in Southern California (probably considered one of the epicenters of this whole illegal immigration debate), I have noticed that construction workers actually get paid pretty good (and yes most of them are Hispanic). This is why I mentioned that I have yet to see any “factual” truth behind this claim. I mean it sounds logical, but I have not seen any solid evidence of this alleged claim. I am in close proximity to light/heavy industrial areas, and retail and although they all tend to have Hispanic workers, the pay rates still seem to be typical for that type of work. I have a friend of mine that is in security (as in security guard). As you know, security guards do not get paid a whole lot (about $8/hour). From his observations, most of the guards are black followed by Hispanic.

I guess the reason why I know what I have mentioned above is because I have spent a great deal of time doing my homework trying to find this alleged threat to black employment. Again, I am not saying that the whole claim is false (‘cuz I’m sure it is going on somewhere). It is just that I have not been able to find it. And being in southern California, this should not be that difficult to find.

Other areas have the illegal problem than others. I’ve heard that North Carolina and Iowa are the two top spots for illegal workers.

A google search for ‘meat packing illegal workers’ will show that the industry has been plagued with this issue. In California, there was a meat processing plant that employed about 400 employees. The average salary was $24K. INS went in to check employment records and found nearly 50% of the employees were illegal.

The salaries in the construction and other industries may be ‘good’ but they are not union wages nor do they provide union benefits, particularly health benefits. I am not suggesting that employers embrace unions (in fact, longshoremen’s union rates are nearly $100K!) but why not a fair rate with benefits?

EG nails it. I have a friend who went to the spot where day laborers go, yet he never got picked up. He later landed a government job. I guess someone will say he’s a parasite.

Another friend is a metal worker. He’s now supervising a lot of illegals. When he tries to give the “hook up” to people he knows, his boss makes the hire decision. He turns them down, according to my friend, because of the illegal labor.