Since I have returned, I have noticed a significant change in the demography of New Orleans, namely in the presence of many Hispanic workers to help clean up the city. However, I am wondering if these workers are actually legal or not, and if they are not, are they receiving any sort of legal support while they are here?
For example, I went to the bank today to make a deposit, and in line in front of me were three Mexican workers by the looks of them, trying to make a deposit or receive cash for a check they had. However, as the situation progressed, it seemed like they could not cash their check because they did not have the proper identification (or perhaps they didn't have the required amount of legal documentation). I am not sure that I understood the situation correctly, but I am assuming I did because they were standing outside of the bank in a sullen, depressed manner. I wonder if anybody has heard anything about this. Did I just misunderstand the situation or are Mexicans being brought up to clean up New Orleans illegally? Does the city have any sort of support system for these workers who have some form of pay but no real way to collect it?
Before, I heard that Tulane actually employed undocumented workers, although they technically avoided this because they contracted through the cleaning service Unnico. I wonder if this is the same case, just on a larger scale.
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Jon - what you have noticed is indeed going on as you suspect. Many workers are undocumented and are either not getting paid at all for work that they do, or when they do get paid, they have a very hard time cashing their paychecks precisely because they lack documentation. It is a very tenuous situation, but without these workers the City's rebuilding process would not be happening with as much speed as it is.
How does the government expect these workers to stay if they don't receive any money? Can't the government issue temporary working permits or something?
First, the government can't really say that they want these workers to stay, because then they would be on the hot seat for being willing to turn a blind eye to the law and the fact that these workers are undocumented and here in the United States illegally. President Bush is trying to push some kind of guest worker visa program, but he is facing stiff resistance to any accommodation from the immigration hardliners in his party. But I should say that these workers do manage to find creative ways to get income: they either insist on cash wages or they have some legal central contact person who is willing to broker the check-cashing.
I was wondering, where did you read that information?
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