Confessions from a Migrant Worker

It is almost amusing to me the political rhetoric that is taking place concerning immigrants. It is a complicated issue no matter how you look at it but I would like to offer a personal perspective. As an evangelical leader who grew up working the fields of Eastern Washington and Idaho I cringe when I hear that immigrants are taking jobs away from citizens. When I was working as 11yr old I saw no protests, I saw no human rights activists, I saw know debates and no forums. What I did see is families refusing to be fed by a system that traps the poor in welfare and social programs. My father taught one principle and it is a value to this day. If you don't work you don't eat! One issue that cannot be avoided is that millions of people are working so that millions of people can eat. Argue about the law, or argue about policy, but don't paint all Latino immigrants with one broad stroke. For every dollar spent on social medicine how many dollars are saved from your food bill? There is a Latino work ethic that at times gets ignored. While we are working hard to find answers let's make sure we are asking the right questions. By the way, out of 11 children my parents produced: A farmer, 2 school administrators, 3 teachers, one minister, 4 medical field professionals, and some of the greatest citizens these United States have seen. I know there are many stories. Let's just remember that not all of them can be written off by referring to an entire ethnic group as illegal.

By Nick Garza