La Migra - Day Two

Fifty people are no longer at Rosewood: kitchen and laundry workers as well as CNAs.

I don't know if these people were "just" fired, were fore-warned and didn't come to work yesterday, or have been deported. What I do know is that the sweet CNA who put my mother to bed each night with a caress to her cheek and a gentle "Good night, mama" is not there. Lupe who always has a smile for everyone and who has learned a tremendous amount of English in a few months is not there. Aldo, father of a young boy who sometimes came to work with his dad, is not there. It's very sad.

The lobby is filled today with people filling out applications for employment. Most of the CNA's have trainees shadowing them as they learn the job. Office people continue serving meals. Staff members look frazzled and dejected. Residents are feeling the strain of being assisted by inexperienced people. It's very sad.

I admit to some surprise that proper papers were not a requirement for employment, but also wonder if the home is faced with great difficulty in finding "legal" people willing to do the work. All I know is that I just keep seeing the faces of Lupe, Aldo and others and I'm very sad.