script

Script (2)

[shot of crowd milling through HTH]
(Mari) Most people have a pre-formulated concept about the lives of migrant workers and illegal immigrants in the United States.

[shot of Mari in front of interviewees]
(Mari) So, __________, what kind of lives do you think that illegal immigrants lead?
(Three peer interviewees) _______________________________

[photographs of Great Depression]
(narration) Latin American workers, which will be the main focus of our segment, started coming to the states during the Great Depression. Due to the ruined financial state of the country, their wages were often extremely low, and the labor was time-intensive and rough. Conditions were unforgiving and workers were rarely able to better their lives, having to keep working to barely escape bankruptcy.

[pictures of newspapers with articles on illegal immigration]
In the last decade, the issue of illegal immigration has become more and more pressing, and more awareness has arisen towards the problems that occur with the increasing presence of a migrant labor force.

We at Working Class Heroes Productions are going to discuss the problems that specifically affect those workers, such as housing and wages.

[statistics on a background]
Economically, the united states is more dependant on the flow of migrant labor than many would imagine. According to the Inter-American Development Bank, migrant workers in the United States sent home a collective $62.3 billion dollars in 2006, which is a 14% increase from 2005. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia have the highest receiving rate of remittances. With the pressing issue of illegal immigration however, the INDB estimates that the number of remittances will begin to decline, which could have negative effects on the economies of not only the recipients, but the United States as well.


Migrant farm workers as a whole do not have adequate housing, and the issue is often glossed over by the government.

[shot of immigrant housing, taken while in Mexico]
In some circumstances, employers are not required to provide housing for their workers, and thus, it is upon the migrant worker themselves to find shelter for their families, on a sub par minimum wage. Also, if the worker does not have legal status, housing seems an even bigger nuisance, as many land lords mandate that tenants provide proof of legal residence. Those who speak out against the assimilation of illegal immigrants into US society, such as groups like the minute men, argue that this is knowledge that all illegal immigrants choose to accept, and that should they obtain legal citizenship the proper way. However, the current legal process is a taxing and time consuming affair that can take several years. Meanwhile, outsourcing of work seems to be increasing at a rapid pace, and creates difficult situations for the people in countries of which many migrant workers originate from, creating a cyclical pattern of opportunity forming into exploitation.



[group member in front of interviewee]
Here, we interview ___person___ on the subject of migrant workers.
(interview questions here).