The economic downturn had affected us directly or we know of a loved one, or a close friend that has been downsized. Two weeks ago yours truly became part of the labor statistic due to my past employer eliminating ten percent of their staff.
This bubble burst is impacting immigrants legal or illegal even more drastically. The reason is obvious, many only have the domestic skills or blue collar competencies. With a finite amount of jobs that are now being filled by Americans there is little to no opportunity due to the scarcity. Some immigrants faced with very tough times are moving back to their country of origin.
I recently attended a lecture put on by a Hispanic marketing expert that brought out some interesting facts. Hispanics in the United States now number more than that of Canadians and have a purchasing power greater than the GNP of Canada and Mexico. If we Hispanics were a country we would make up one the top twenty global economies.
According to research by Stephen Klineberg, a sociologist from Rice University, Hispanics will be the majority by the year 2050. This is due to the higher birth rate of minorities and the death rate among aging white population.
Our country is in the middle of massive social and political change. With this change comes the usual fear of the boogie man that some fringe groups try to create. It is already happening, Hispanics and other non white immigrants are providers of medical care and other professional services to the very people that once were racially discriminating towards them.
If there is moral to this post it’s that the very person that saves you or your family from a fire, medical emergency, or crime just might be an immigrant or a child of one.
Friday, May 15th 2009 at 8:24 am |
Thank you, Mr. Escalante. Every person in this country, with the exception of Native Americans, is an immigrant or a descendant of immigrants. We need to stop vilifying other people because of their country of origin.