There was a quarterly "care conference" for my mother this morning so I arrived at Rosewood earlier than usual. Upon entering her room, Mom asked me if I had noted unusual activity in the lobby. I had noticed that Dulce wasn't in her usual place at the desk and that there were a lot of hospice people around, but nothing strange had jumped out at me.
Mom then said that she didn't get breakfast until after 9:00 and that they were served by the administrators, social workers and other "bosses". She said that there had been a raid by immigration and kitchen workers either were taken or had not shown up at work. I thought this might be another case of my mother's imagination gone awry, but nuanced statements during the care conference did fit her story. I probably will never know what, if anything, actually occurred this morning, but it did awaken strong feelings in me.
My first reaction was actually a feeling of horror in the pit of my stomach. "La Migra" (The Immigration Police) is the cry of terror shouted in places where undocumented people work. As irrational as it sounds, I felt like someone was coming for me. Maybe I've seen too many movies about undocumented people living in fear of La Migra. Maybe I've read too many stories of families torn apart. Maybe I've just put faces and personalities on possible "illegals".
I was hugely relieved to see Dulce and many of the CNAs who take such good care of the residents doing their normal tasks today. I didn't see Lupe, the dear housekeeper who deeply touched me last Valentine's Day when she gave my mom a big stuffed bear. I don't know if this morning's event involved her. I so hope it didn't.
The whole illegal immigration issue, obviously, is extremely complex and difficult. I don't pretend to have the answers, but I can't stop seeing the human faces of these undocumented people. These are people who have come to the U.S. because helping old people use the toilet here is so much better than the opportunities they have in their home village. Some of these are people who have shared their stories with me in Spanish. These are people who work very hard and show so much love for the residents in spite of their low wages. These are people who are trying desperately to make things better for their families.
These are people who are doing something illegal...but are they really wrong?
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I completely agree, and I'm glad that somebody else sees it that way.
ReplyDeleteI just got back from my Intro to Transportation Planning lecture and I'm fuming over a remark somebody made about illegal immigration. It's very interesting how undocumented immigration along our southern border - rather than people arriving at airports and then overstaying on tourist or student visas - gets all the attention.
ReplyDeleteMonday was the first night of community tutoring, where I teach a free-and-worth-every-penny English class for the mothers of some of the neighborhood schoolchildren. We were talking about situations where improved English ability would be especially useful, but I steered clear of any interactions with government agencies. I don't dare ask about anybody's immigration status, because I don't want to know, and I don't wan't anybody to skip tutoring out of fear.