The New York Times is really digging deep to slap a sunny narrative on the state of emergency in New York City due to the border crisis. What they have come up with is the “great development” that migrant women desperate for work are joining the dangerous construction industry. Hooray? The Department of Labor keeps a list of Low Wage/High Violation industries, on which construction holds a perennial place. Nearly half of America’s most dangerous jobs are in construction. So migrant women, supposedly escaping horrors to seek asylum in the United States, are joining one of the most imperiled and exploited workforces in the country and The New York Times tries to spin this as a blessing of liberty?
First off, The New York Times tells the story of a recent migrant who worked as a nurse in Ecuador who now, at age 36, has to work in construction:
“Ms. García, 36, a nurse who flew to New York three months ago from Guayaquil, Ecuador, with her partner and two children, has subsisted since then on housecleaning jobs, but in construction, she sees a future: being able to afford better care for her prediabetic teenager and the means to take her family to Disneyland.”
The New York Times sees this as just the first rung on the ladder for a bright future:
“They face sexism from co-workers and employers, exploitative labor practices, and dangerous conditions on the job. But for newcomers who may not qualify for legal residency for years, if ever, it can also be the first rung on the ladder to a better life.”
Nothing like an environment of discrimination, exploitation, and serious physical danger to welcome you to America. This is one of those jobs, mind you, that Americans are supposedly unwilling to do. I wonder why that is exactly? Could it be the exploitation and physical danger for low pay? If they are turning to desperate migrants seeking any job to survive, I think we have the answer.
But wait, what about the labor shortage that is supposedly striking across the country in every industry? I thought we were in desperate need of workers in all areas? After all, the Biden Administration is pushing for more H-2B visas and pushing to expand “legal” pathways for migrants because there are “not enough” American workers. Certainly, the industries are pushing for more workers in everything from agriculture to tech. It is curious that these women cannot find jobs except in construction:
“Construction is one of the few industries that’s hiring, which may explain why increasing numbers of women are being drawn to the field.
“It could simply be that there’s nothing out there for them,” Mario Russell, the executive director of the Center for Migration Studies of New York said.”
How about that? We have a massive labor shortage according to the politicians, industries, and media. On the other hand, the thousands of migrants streaming into New York City cannot find any other job because construction is one of the few industries hiring in our largest city. There is absolutely no labor shortage, folks. If there were a labor shortage and endless job openings, these women wouldn’t be being pushed to construction.
The New York Times provides a couple of tragic stories that should be a warning for all of those believing our current open borders are compassionate:
“Ms. Ariza worked in construction for three years, expanding her skills to painting, flooring and flagging, though her pay never increased. She left the industry after hurting her back, and now works for nonprofits that support immigrants.”
She was in her 40s as she tried to transition to construction and ended up injuring herself. For those women getting into construction for better pay, I’m afraid I have more bad news:
“New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) receives about 60 to 100 complaints of wage theft every month, Hildalyn Colón Hernández, the deputy director of NICE said.
“This is the perfect season for unscrupulous employers, because they have a huge market,” she said. ‘It’s a race to the bottom.’”
We are definitely creating a perfect season for unscrupulous employers and it is getting worse day by day. The exploitation economy is grinding through everyone, foreign and American, who is seeking to earn a living. The Biden immigration policies are aiding and abetting this ongoing scandal. The media should start questioning their labor shortage narrative and the industries spinning it.
JARED CULVER is a Legal Analyst for NumbersUSA
