Monday, March 14, 2005

What's worth the risk of illegal immigration?

Today I read a fascinating article in the New York Times about the smuggling trial in Houston, TX in May 2003. A trucker smuggled at least 74 illegal immigrants, 14 of whom, died. This article provokes the obvious question – why the United States. In another recent article I read on the role of Latino Americans and their role in the work force they pose some interesting questions, mainly that while native-born African Americans are unable to find employment in large metropolitan areas, immigrants often are. I recently read book on the economic role of immigrants in the economy. The book, entitled Strangers at the Gates, edited by Roger Waldinger, looks at the role of Latin Americans in the work force in the US. The article analyzes why employers often prefer immigrants is that they are willing to work in jobs which have been previously stigmatized by Americans, for example, manual labor. Also, “ethnic economies” have developed which are sectors of the economy, infiltrated by a certain ethnicity and then dominated by. I would recommend the book to anyone who might be interested in what entices Latin Americans to the US.

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