One of the perks of being a resident of the United States is having the right to fair treatment and wages by employers. Unfortunately, if you are one of the many undocumented immigrants in the Miami area, you may lack such protections at work simply because your employer may use the threat of deportation against you.
The Guardian states that there are over 11 million undocumented migrants in the country today, most of whom work in low-paying jobs that many Americans don’t want to do. These include positions in day labor, construction, the food industry, cleaning and agriculture. Many of these immigrants deal with grave injustices from their employers every day, from dangerous work conditions to working inhumanely long hours or having their pay withheld.
A large amount of employers who hire undocumented workers will overlook the need for work permits as long as employees do their jobs without complaining. However, once a worker demands better conditions, a fair wage or access to a union, the employer fights back with threatening to report immigrants to authorities.
One example included a man who, along with his co-workers, was denied pay even while working both night and day shifts without rest. After the crew reported the man to a workers’ rights group, which in turn took legal action, the employer started sending the crew texts threatening he would report them for deportation.
Not surprisingly, this kind of treatment can have a detrimental effect to your emotional well-being, as well as your ability to make a living. Immigrants who have been treated badly by their employers reported feeling like they are nothing and having difficulty trusting future employers. While you may consider this helpful information on employment immigration, you should not take this as legal advice.
