Many may remember being taught the concept of our society being a great “melting pot” made up of people from all over the world, bringing different languages, foods, and cultures to the enrichment of us all.
Sadly, this country (like many) is going through another dark cycle during which immigrants are being unjustly targeted, persecuted, and denied their rights and due process.
I could cite statistics that directly contradict the claim that immigrants cause crime rates to rise, that they are an overall “burden” to our social services, and that they “steal jobs” from whatever your concept of a “real American” might be.
But those who believe negative claims about immigrants are rarely swayed by facts and figures.
Instead, I want to share a couple of personal stories on the topic.
1. Immigrants Picking Fruit
My family has owned fruit orchards in Hood River for over a century.
Here is a picture of me standing behind a fruit bin with my mom’s family name, “Asai” stamped on it.
One fruit bin holds between 1,000 and 1,100 pounds (450-500 kg) of pears or apples. A good picker can pick about six bins of pears in one day (roughly 2.5 tons/2270 kg) or about 10,000 pears. A top picker can pick up to 4 tons/3600kg (about 16,000 pears) in a day.
It is tough work! You have to carry a fruit bag up to 50 pounds (23kg), climb and balance on a tall ladder, all while picking fruit. A typical workday lasts 6 hours.
One of my cousins owns a fruit orchard. He hires workers, 99% of whom are Hispanic, either US citizens of Mexican ancestry or immigrant laborers.
I asked my cousin how many non-Hispanic workers ever tried to pick for him. He answered that in over 30 years, just one — and he had to fire him after just one day of work.
After two hours’ of work, my cousin found this worker asleep at the base of a pear tree. By day’s end, he had barely filled half a fruit bin.
2. Immigrants Preparing Food
A friend of mine used to own a restaurant. The majority of employees working in the kitchen were Hispanic.
Working in the kitchen is hard and stressful. Kitchen temperatures run high heated by the stove, ovens, and dishwasher. There is a constant pressure to deliver dishes on a strict time schedule.
What my friend found was that the immigrant workers worked hard and policed themselves. If one was slacking off, the others would reprimand them to shape up. They understood that one of them looking bad could reflect poorly on the whole group.
In contrast, a white kitchen worker could be a mediocre performer, joke or be rude to others, waste time, etc., and nothing would happen to him or her. The others would merely exchange quiet disgusted looks and carry on. A manager or owner would have take precious time out and intervene to discipline or fire the subpar white worker.
My friend decided to only hire members of the immigrant community via word-of-mouth and personal recommendations. Good workers would only recommend those who they knew were reliable, would do a good job, and with whom they would want to work.
You might think these issues regarding immigrant labor is unique to the United States. It is not.
3. Immigrants Workers In Japan
I have a friend who owns a large factory in Japan where steel tanks are fabricated.
Japan has an unusual law requiring employers to pay the same scale for immigrants and citizens alike.
This law lowers the likelihood immigrants will be paid less and/or exploited. It also bolsters a meritocracy where the best workers are hired, not simply the cheapest ones.
Concerns about “immigrants stealing jobs” would likely be allayed if the U.S. adopted a similar law.
Despite this law, my friend hires mostly immigrant workers from the Philippines. Although Japan’s laws make it very difficult to become permanent residents or citizens, immigrants are eager to work in Japan. They come and work hard for the number of years they are allowed in Japan. They earn good money and then return home.
My friend has trouble finding good Japanese workers.
He related a story to me where he received a phone call from the mother of one of his Japanese workers. She called on his behalf saying he was too tired to come into work and could he please be excused?
Conclusion
Immigrants do the hardest jobs here and elsewhere. They work in construction building homes and offices, they prepare meals, they provide healthcare services, they clean everything, they care for the elderly and infirm, they look after and raise others’ children, they plant and pick crops, they manufacture goods, they teach, they work in IT and high tech, they serve in our armed forces here and abroad, they fill the seasonal positions and assist in professions experiencing worker shortages, and much, much more.
From the Chinese (and some Japanese, like my grandfather) who built the railroads in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Mohawk ironworkers that helped build the Empire State Building, World Trade Center, and countless bridges all over the country, the Native Americans who helped build the Hoover Dam, and so many countless unnamed individuals speaking a myriad of different languages, this country was built by immigrants and continues to run today because of the hard work of immigrants.
If you believe immigrants are a drain on social services, if you believe immigrants steal jobs from citizens, if you believe immigrants contribute to crime more than citizens, I respectfully and firmly entreat you ask yourself why you believe the way you do — and to study evidence beyond social media and whatever are your normal and familiar sources.
Blatant Calm 