I’ve worked in a restaurant kitchen for ten years, and my hourly wage is now $2 less than it was five years ago. The boss says, “There are plenty of people willing to do this job.” Those illegal immigrants are paid in cash and don’t have to pay taxes, leaving those of us with families to support with no bargaining power.
Rents are skyrocketing, and the emergency room lines at our community hospital are long. The TV says the state government spends over two billion dollars annually to resettle immigrants, yet our children’s school can barely afford textbooks. Last time our neighborhood was robbed, the police said they were short-staffed—they were all busy at the border, so who’s taking care of our safety?
The men in Washington are only concerned with votes. Democrats are sending immigrants to blue states, while Republicans are calling for a wall but not raising the minimum wage. They argue about whether the barbed wire should be taken down, but no one asks us: How will we pay the bills on shrinking wages? How will we provide our families with decent health care?
We’re not against immigration, but the situation is out of control. When politicians use immigrants as pawns, it’s always those of us at the bottom who are sacrificed. This isn’t some political gimmick; it’s the reality of how we can’t make it.
