MARISOL SILVA'S DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
Research Questions
- How are migrant's health affected by their working conditions?
- Do migrants have any human rights? And how is justice served when those rights are violated?
- What history does the United Stated have with migration?
- How do migrant workers affect the economy?
My Research
Question 1
Focusing particularly on migrant farm workers, who perform stertorous tasks that a U.S. citizen would hardly complete, are exposed to a variety of risks and hazards. "Low socioeconomic status and poor access to health care also contribute to existing health problems in this population. Potential farm work-related health problems include accidents, pesticide-related illnesses, musculoskeletal and soft-tissue disorders, dermatitis, noninfectious respiratory conditions, reproductive health problems, health problems of children of farm workers, climate-caused illnesses, communicable diseases, bladder and kidney disorders, and eye and ear problems." Many of these migrants do not receive enough help to overcome their health issues and not many health studies are done with this population. (Mobed, K et al) They "endure racial discrimination, disruption of cultural traditions and practices, language barriers, and an often unpredictable and stressful lifestyle." (Napolitano, Marie, and Bruce W. Goldberg)
Focusing particularly on migrant farm workers, who perform stertorous tasks that a U.S. citizen would hardly complete, are exposed to a variety of risks and hazards. "Low socioeconomic status and poor access to health care also contribute to existing health problems in this population. Potential farm work-related health problems include accidents, pesticide-related illnesses, musculoskeletal and soft-tissue disorders, dermatitis, noninfectious respiratory conditions, reproductive health problems, health problems of children of farm workers, climate-caused illnesses, communicable diseases, bladder and kidney disorders, and eye and ear problems." Many of these migrants do not receive enough help to overcome their health issues and not many health studies are done with this population. (Mobed, K et al) They "endure racial discrimination, disruption of cultural traditions and practices, language barriers, and an often unpredictable and stressful lifestyle." (Napolitano, Marie, and Bruce W. Goldberg)
Question 2
"Human rights violations against migrants can include a denial of civil and political rights such as arbitrary detention, torture, or a lack of due process, as well as economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to health, housing or education. The denial of migrants’ rights is often closely linked to discriminatory laws and to deep-seated attitudes of prejudice or xenophobia. (Migration and Human Rights). President Trump has created policies "that have caused catastrophic irreparable harm to thousands of people, have spurned and manifestly violated both US and international law, and appeared to be aimed at the full dismantling of the US asylum system."(USA: ‘You Don't Have Any Rights Here) These policies "have led to an increase in racial profiling, border killings, and denial of due process rights. Immigrant workers are often abused, exploited, and have become scapegoats and victims of racism and stereotyping. (...) Numerous international human rights documents firmly establish the principle that no human being can be “illegal” or outside the protection of the law. Yet despite the clearly established principle that discrimination and abuse based on immigration status are violations of human rights, U.S. government policies continue to sanction human rights violations against migrants and immigrants." (Human Rights and Immigration) "Today’s guest workers are denied one of the most fundamental rights offered by American society: the right to change jobs. Because they are brought over by a specific employer and then tied to them, workers are vulnerable to abuse and live in fear of reporting injustices. These workers are exploited on both sides of the border—paying exorbitant rates to unregulated hiring agencies in their home country and arriving deeply in debt to a country where they are often underpaid." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
"Human rights violations against migrants can include a denial of civil and political rights such as arbitrary detention, torture, or a lack of due process, as well as economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to health, housing or education. The denial of migrants’ rights is often closely linked to discriminatory laws and to deep-seated attitudes of prejudice or xenophobia. (Migration and Human Rights). President Trump has created policies "that have caused catastrophic irreparable harm to thousands of people, have spurned and manifestly violated both US and international law, and appeared to be aimed at the full dismantling of the US asylum system."(USA: ‘You Don't Have Any Rights Here) These policies "have led to an increase in racial profiling, border killings, and denial of due process rights. Immigrant workers are often abused, exploited, and have become scapegoats and victims of racism and stereotyping. (...) Numerous international human rights documents firmly establish the principle that no human being can be “illegal” or outside the protection of the law. Yet despite the clearly established principle that discrimination and abuse based on immigration status are violations of human rights, U.S. government policies continue to sanction human rights violations against migrants and immigrants." (Human Rights and Immigration) "Today’s guest workers are denied one of the most fundamental rights offered by American society: the right to change jobs. Because they are brought over by a specific employer and then tied to them, workers are vulnerable to abuse and live in fear of reporting injustices. These workers are exploited on both sides of the border—paying exorbitant rates to unregulated hiring agencies in their home country and arriving deeply in debt to a country where they are often underpaid." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
Question 3
- Historians started dating migration in the United Stated a few years after the Civil War when agriculture became the main focus of business. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- "1600's: Indentured servants were brought from England to work in the fields. They were guaranteed passage into the colonies in exchange for their labor." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1650's-1800's: Africans were brought into the U.S. to work in the fields to provide more labor. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- Towards the end of the Mexican American War (1846-1848) migrants from Mexico arrived at the U.S. getting temporary jobs. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- "1860's-1930's: Farming became a large-scale industry. The U.S. began importing Asian labor as African Americans moved into other industries and as the need for labor increased. By 1886, 7 out of every 8 farm workers were Chinese. Japanese and Filipino workers were also brought into the country." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act banned the employment of Chinese workers to reduce flow of migrant workers. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1890's - 1900's: Constitutional amendments were passed but, "Former slaves and their descendants continued to work in the fields, because they were in debt with the landowner or by sharecropping (working the fields in return for a share of the crop produced in the land)." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1914-1918: "During World War I, migration to the U.S. from Europe declined, increasing the demand for Mexican labor to fill the void. During this period, growers lobbied to create the first guest worker program, allowing more than 70,000 Mexican workers into the U.S. The program ended in 1921." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1930's: The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl destroyed farmland so farmers had to sell their land and migrate to other farms to find food. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- During the Mexican Repatriation, many Mexicans and Mexican Americans were deported or pressured to leave. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- The U.S. government passed a series of labor laws. "These laws specifically exclude farm workers from basic labor protections such as overtime pay, workers’ compensation, protection for unionizing and collective bargaining, workers’ compensation, and child labor laws." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- Because of World War 2, there were labor shortages so the Bracero Program was created to import temporary laborers from Mexico. (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1952: Temporary guest worker visa program was made an official law as part of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1964: "The Bracero program was ended because of the abuses to which Bracero workers were subjected. The enforcement of regulations on Bracero wages, housing, and food charges was negligible; to this day, Bracero workers who worked in the fields are still fighting to get the 10% mandatory reductions from their wages that they were supposed to receive when their contracts ended and they returned to Mexico." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
- 1970's: "As African Americans moved to other industries, there was a shortage of labor in the fields. Immigrants, primarily from Latin America, began to work in the fields. Today, most farm workers are immigrants from Latin America, and it’s calculated that up to 75% of them are undocumented. The vast majority of our nation’s farm workers are from Mexico and Central America, although many African Americans and immigrants from other regions of the world (particularly Asia) continue to work in the fields." (Timeline of Agricultural Labor)
Question 4
H-1B visas are given out to who have highly knowledge or bachelors degree which most of the jobs are in science, engineering and technology sectors. "In 2017, 13 percent of H-1B petitions for new employment were denied. That number rose to 24 percent in 2018 and 32 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services data that was analyzed by the nonprofit National Foundation for American Policy." The denial rate rose because of the trump administration. Businesses have laid off American workers and replaced them H-1B visa holders which went against the rules. Most H-B1 holders will take jobs that Americans wouldn't take, getting paid less (even though the government prohibits it), boosting the economy. (Frazee)
H-2B visas are for low skilled seasonal or temporary workers and thousands have been given to migrants. The numbers seem to increase as the years go by because many companies heavily depend on H-2B visa holders. " In Maryland, for example, the Washington Post reported that about a third of the state’s crab picking jobs were unfilled along the Eastern Shore last summer. As a result, crab companies could not meet customer demand and lost profit. (...) As the average household income in the U.S. rises, there will be more disposable income, and more demand for hotels, restaurants and construction — the kinds of services H-2B visa holders supply.". (Frazee)
H-1B visas are given out to who have highly knowledge or bachelors degree which most of the jobs are in science, engineering and technology sectors. "In 2017, 13 percent of H-1B petitions for new employment were denied. That number rose to 24 percent in 2018 and 32 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services data that was analyzed by the nonprofit National Foundation for American Policy." The denial rate rose because of the trump administration. Businesses have laid off American workers and replaced them H-1B visa holders which went against the rules. Most H-B1 holders will take jobs that Americans wouldn't take, getting paid less (even though the government prohibits it), boosting the economy. (Frazee)
H-2B visas are for low skilled seasonal or temporary workers and thousands have been given to migrants. The numbers seem to increase as the years go by because many companies heavily depend on H-2B visa holders. " In Maryland, for example, the Washington Post reported that about a third of the state’s crab picking jobs were unfilled along the Eastern Shore last summer. As a result, crab companies could not meet customer demand and lost profit. (...) As the average household income in the U.S. rises, there will be more disposable income, and more demand for hotels, restaurants and construction — the kinds of services H-2B visa holders supply.". (Frazee)