‘We’re labeled as drug dealers, rapists, and the worst of Mexico. In reality, we are victims of the American invasion by companies that don’t pay taxes in my country and exploit their employees.’
Editor’s note: This article is part of our series on debunking the lies about immigrants, migrants and refugees.
It’s somewhat surprising that immigration is still so debated, misunderstood, and judged. Over the years, we continue to observe similar patterns related to the invasion and destabilization of economies, which force people to seek livelihood elsewhere. When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, the latter, still in development and considered third-world, suffered a detrimental impact on small and medium-sized businesses in my neighborhood colonia Bosques de Aragon in Ciudad Netzahualcoyotl. I remember that after a couple of years of NAFTA’s arrival, it became increasingly difficult for us to maintain our household without shortages. Suddenly, the neighborhood started to look emptier, and we heard that people had gone to the United States. I hadn’t planned to emigrate, but sometimes I wondered if it would be convenient, especially when we faced economic hardships. Despite working hard, it seemed impossible to remain financially stable.
After becoming a mother and countless attempts to find a job that would provide us enough to live on, my desperate husband crossed the desert with hopes of saving enough to reunite us soon. I still refused to leave my country because I wanted to finish my degree, but seeing my son spend more time without his father made me leave everything behind to reunite. I tried to get a tourist visa for my son since I already had one. Having visited the USA thrice for recreation, I couldn’t get one. So, I boarded the plane with my eight-month-old baby in my arms, heading to Tijuana, where I handed my son to a stranger who promised to see me on the other side while I crossed with my visa through the line, counting the minutes and praying to heaven that my son would be okay. Fortunately, my baby was intact, and I got him back on the other side.
Two months later, I still doubted whether staying here would be the best for everyone, and just imagining the risk I would have to put my son in if we decided to return in case his visa was denied forced me to stay. I wanted my baby to grow up with his father. I remember leaving for Mexico twice because I wanted to keep my visa and didn’t plan to stay for long, but the reality is that even here in the USA, where we thought we would live better, it wasn’t the case. We went through tough times when my husband had no job, we were homeless, and I took care of three girls full-time for $45 a week, which sometimes I got paid and sometimes I didn’t get paid even for taking care of the girls not for lack of money cause the family was well off. Because of this, I couldn’t return to my country, losing my visa and facing economic problems like in Mexico.
And now I’m here, where we’re labeled as drug dealers, rapists, and the worst of Mexico. In reality, we are victims of the American invasion by companies that don’t pay taxes in my country and exploit their employees. Yet, am I the criminal? All I seek is sustenance through honest work. I wonder where justice is. In Mexico and here, on either side, we are exploited. Who benefits? I suppose the answer is evident besides working tirelessly in jobs that citizens wouldn’t take because they can access unemployment or government financial aid and earn more than an agricultural, dairy, or construction worker’s salary. The discourse that we take jobs away from citizens is false; those who hire us know in advance the advantage they gain from our “illegal” or “undocumented” status. This condition hinders our development, stigmatizes our existence, and deprives us of opportunities—even seemingly insignificant—like special discounts at supermarkets, department stores, internet promotions, cell phone plans, and car insurance. Of course, we can obtain these services since they are essential, but lacking social security penalizes us with higher fees.
Additionally, for those who think we abuse welfare, despite being taxpayers, we cannot obtain health insurance or other benefits. So, we contribute to others’ well-being while being accused of abusing the system. The biggest challenge is debunking something that seems so clear to me but is misunderstood by those unfamiliar with these experiences. There appears to be a denial of facts. Still, the actual criminals are those who create institutions with disguised intentions of economic development, knowing that sectors like the working class will be annihilated. The system never loses and continues to gain ground—not only economically, but now by spreading lies that generate hatred and increase prejudices, making us fight for sustenance and dignity.
My husband works in construction and is undocumented. He has seen many people from different parts of Latin America pass through. Recently, he mentioned that new workers from El Salvador, Venezuela, and Guatemala were arriving, and they were being paid less. This illustrates two essential aspects: exploitation and the intention to divide—making undocumented individuals fight among themselves for sustenance. In this case, the construction company, realizing that the newcomers are willing to work for lower wages, reduces the salary of all its employees or gives fewer hours to those with fixed salaries so that the new workers finish the job receiving lower wages. This causes frustration among long-time employees, creating friction and fights over who gets to keep the job. The employers stick with those who offer more labor at a lower price ignoring the needs of those who have maintained their jobs with effort. Now, the fights among coworkers have increased, the raza, the community, has become divided, the company continues to profit, and employees have to comply with the pay or become at risk of losing their jobs.
It’s disheartening how large corporations exploit our vulnerabilities to grow, feeding off the sweat and pain of our people. As my husband says, “There’s something for everyone,” but it’s sad to see colleagues fighting over job opportunities. Strategies are endless for those manipulating discourse, allocating funds, and evading taxes. For instance, large or well-known companies have resources to shape information in a way that favors them. They can create discourses and narratives that marginalize communities by using media to disseminate what they want to emphasize massively. Just as happened with the idea that immigrants take advantage of welfare and take jobs away from citizens, or that we are rapists is a way to manipulate information. Regarding the allocation of resources, they only distribute money within other investors without losing a cent, as explained by reducing salaries or cutting hours to pay less without the company losing out. And about tax evasion, it is well known at least in Mexico, our country continues to be invaded by transnational corporations that evade taxes in both countries.
I continue to ask: Who are the real criminals? When my country’s economy destabilized, I was forced to consider the unimaginable—leaving everything behind: my family, studies, culture, and home. I hoped my son could grow up with fewer hardships. But what we’ve left and lost often goes unmentioned because we’re resilient. Still, it’s appropriate to acknowledge it. Losing my grandmother, unable to console my mother, was painful. My husband lost his father, who hadn’t hugged him in over 20 years. His mother passed away, surrounded by her children, except for my husband, whose “crime” was seeking sustenance for our family. There has been much emotional toll on our lives.
How much longer will exploitation continue? We pay double deposits for renting a space, and what we could save goes toward services with exorbitant fees. Why didn’t we enter legally? I wonder the same. Why didn’t their companies legally enter my country, pay taxes, and provide fair salaries and benefits to their employees? Entire neighborhoods in various Mexican cities are inhabited by Americans working remotely or retired, earning dollars and paying in pesos, contributing to gentrification. The habit of the USA government of disguising lies as truth through convenient language, speeches, and laws persists. Why don’t we fix our situation? I could write an essay on this; each case is unique. The general answer is that there are more obstacles than open paths, and everything is uncertain. In one potential opportunity, you might have to leave the country for at least ten years without a return guarantee. I can’t imagine being away from my children for a decade. So, are undocumented immigrants the invaders? No, we’re being slandered. We work with integrity to support our families, strengthening and culturally enriching this country. We are a mixed status family made up of undocumented and citizens.
