San Diego-Tijuana border

Each day in U.S. border cities legal and, mostly, undocumented (illegal) immigrants from Mexico and Central America gather in certain parts of town looking for work. This photo was taken in the northern, wealthy suburbs of San Diego. In Houston police estimate that over 85,000 laborers, 85% undocumented workers, look for day work, being paid around $40/day in cash. Most of them work in construction and do garden work. Wealthy families discreetly and illegally hire undocumented workers as maids and gardeners. "We may vote against immigration but we still want a cheap gardener," confesses a Galvestonian. Optional: read about day-labor centers in Phoenix and elsewhere in the U.S.

Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 11 September 1997; last revised on 06/22/07.