Woke Up This Morning to Hurricane News and Thinking about How Immigrants Contribute to the Literal Re-Building of our Nation

Friends:

Many of us are waking up to regular news on the staggering devastation and wreckage of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This morning, I woke up thinking about the 23 people who lost their lives, the hurricane's emotional and psychological toll, and the daunting task of rebuilding in those many areas impacted.

I was reminded of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a category 5 hurricane, when immigrant workers were brought in to help rebuild the devastated areas. Similarly, undocumented immigrant labor played a key role in constructing Olympic Park in Georgia for the 1996 Olympics, as highlighted in the article titled, "Spirit of International Unity: How Immigrant Workers Helped Create the 1996 Olympics." 

The same situation occurred with Hurricane Ian in 2022. What’s deeply troubling is that despite immigrants’ consistently vast and invaluable contributions—so essential that our states couldn’t rebuild without them—they remain targets of persecution—as if they were less human. Why, then, are so many people susceptible to anti-immigrant rhetoric filled with blanket statements and stereotypes that are simply untrue? 

And why is Gov. DeSantis specifically so horrible towards them? As with our own governor here in Texas, it's clearly a great tactic politically because the issue makes people fearful and more willing to vote for the party that promulgates fear. It's ultimately, however, a toxic ideology that treats immigrants as "other," and as "less than" when the only non-immigrants in our nation are our native people Indigenous to this continent.

Most Mexicans and Mexican Americans are of Indigenous origins, as well, even if they don't claim it due to colonizing, historical processes of erasure, particularly in school curricula, that keep us from connecting to the stories, histories, and identities of our forebears. Hence, the importance of battles over school curricula that play out in local school boards, as well as in state policy, and the Texas State Board of Education.

I heard an elder say recently that treating immigrants harshly is unfair. "They're just coming home." If one has a sense of history that pre-dates the colonial period (1690-1820), this statement makes abundant sense. After all, our ancestors roamed freely across the continent. The Nahuatl-speaking Aztecs are in the same Uto-Aztecan language family as the Utes and Paiutes of the American Southwest. 

Like Texas, Utah gets its name from its Indigenous people. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, 26 of the U.S.'s 50 states have Native American names. Of all things, "Texas" comes from the Caddo people and it means "friendly." This is such a beautiful meaning that we fail to live up to when it comes to immigrants and Indigenous people.

Borders are thusly socially constructed through ideologies, policies, laws, statutes, ordinances, and ultimately through ways of knowing that distinguish who does and does not belong in our country. It's heartbreaking to realize that the greatest barrier to understanding is the layers of fiction used to separate people and justify prejudice and discrimination against them.

I have worked closely with the immigrant community my entire life. My grandfather even established a Baptist church in my hometown of San Angelo that was committed to the immigrant community. 

There is no one as hard working as them. And yes, they come to improve their lives, but also to offer a helping hand as the above stories indicate. Moreover, they give much more to our country than they ever get back in return. Heck, they keep everybody's social security afloat and receive no benefits in return.

I would only ask that folks consider the hypocrisy and animus when we witness the rebuilding of Florida and other states through the widespread use—and ongoing exploitation—of immigrant labor. 

Remember that they, too, are disoriented, shocked, and suffering from these Earth-shattering events that affect untold numbers of people. Moreover, like ourselves, they also have dreams and families with needs like our own and hopes for a better future.

-Angela Valenzuela 

Immigrant Workers Set to Play Pivotal Role in Florida’s Recovery–Despite Dehumanizing Anti-Immigrant Stunts from Gov. DeSantis

Immigrants definitely should not be subjected to dehumanizing stunts. We're good to also remember Hurricane Andrew back in 1992 when immigrants were brought in to help rebuild it. Let's also remember that immigrant workers helped build the Olympic Park in Georgia in preparation for the 1996 Olympics.  This article titled, "Spirit of International Unity: How Immigrant Workers Helped Create the 1996 Olympics." To be sure, immigrants' support and contributions to our country are significant and go a long way. Lamentably, however, cruelty goes even further as our current, toxic, anti-immigrant moment attests.

And how wrong-headed. We seem to never learn—or don't want to learn—about these significant stories. Instead of demonizing immigrants, let's hold on to that precious "Spirit of International Unity," and let's stop super-exploiting these black and brown "others," who don't want handouts, but rather to work—and in these cases, to offer a helping hand.

Angela Valenzuela
 

Immigrant Workers Set to Play Pivotal Role in Florida’s Recovery – Despite Dehumanizing Anti-Immigrant Stunts from Gov. DeSantis

BYAV PRESS RELEASESONOCTOBER 4, 2022

Washington, DC – As Florida rebuilds from Hurricane Ian, immigrant workers – documented and undocumented – are an essential part of the recovery workforce. In the process, immigrant workers are exposing the lie at the heart of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republicans’ efforts to demonize migrants and asylum seekers and portray them as threats instead of contributors.

The low levels of immigrants and refugees allowed into the U.S. is having an economic impact, slowing growth, and making problems of inflation and labor shortages harder to tackle. The essential role of immigrant workers was also demonstrated to the nation during the pandemic which saw immigrants and refugees, some of whom lacked legal status, play a vital role in health care, food supply and delivery and a range of other critical jobs. But in the area of hurricane and climate disaster recovery and reconstruction, immigrant workers play an outsized role. As Miriam Jordan wrote in a 2019 New York Times story: 

“The increased frequency and severity … [of extreme weather due to climate change has] given rise to a new recovery-and-reconstruction work force. It is overwhelmingly made up of immigrants.

Like the migrant farmworkers of yesteryear who followed the crops, the hurricane workers move from disaster to disaster. They descended on New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; Houston after Harvey; North Carolina after Florence; Florida after Irma and Michael. And as the United States confronts more extreme weather caused by climate change, theirs has become a growth industry.”

The essential contributions of immigrant workers in the disaster recovery and broader economy is at odds with how Republicans’ portrayal throughout this year. Most notably, Ron DeSantis’ recent dehumanizing and transparently political stunt flying Venezuelans to Martha’s Vineyard flies in the face of recent news that Florida is now seeking to recruit migrant workers to help the state’s rebuilding and recovery. 

As the Daily Beast highlighted in a story titled, “Irony Meter Explodes as Migrants Lured TO Florida for Hurricane Ian Cleanup,” the “Migrants are reportedly being transported from New York City to Florida for work supporting cleanup efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian—weeks after the governor put migrants on a flight to Martha’s Vineyard. Over the weekend, scores of Venezuelan migrants were boarding vans heading to the Sunshine State from a pickup point in Queens.”

According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice: 

“As it turns out, Florida needs immigrants after all, just like the rest of the country. With or without a hurricane, the economy is being starved of immigrants because our legal immigration and refugee systems are so narrow. But Florida, as it has before, is about to witness how critical immigrant workers are in a moment of crisis. When it comes to the mobile workforce that goes towards climate disasters and lends immediate help, immigrants, many of them undocumented, play a pivotal role. Without legal status and labor protections, many of the immigrants who will do the hard work of cleaning up Southwest Florida will be subject to exploitation and wage theft, adding insult and injury to their heroic and necessary work.

The best of America is on display when communities are in crisis and neighbors, friends and family are joined by hardworking specialists in cleaning up after disasters. It takes sacrifice, dedication and perseverance to recover and move forward. And yet, our politicians continue to mostly ignore the realities that drive the escalating damage and death caused by climate change and also fail year after year to address our out-of-date immigration system and laws that do not meet the moment.

It is in local communities standing shoulder to shoulder with immigrants, with and without official documentation, rolling up their sleeves to help rebuild the communities and country they call home that we see what America is all about, not in the political stunts, dangerous rhetoric and demonization of migrants that we are seeing from prominent Republicans in Florida and across the country.”