Thread: FL: Immigrant day laborers struggle to find work in Golden G

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Immigrant day laborers struggle to find work in Golden Gate
By Zach Smith

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Golden Gate — The hurricanes that blew through Martin County in 2004 and 2005 were a blessing in disguise for Golden Gate's Latin American day labor community.

Extensive damage to homes meant work was easy to come by, and laborers had plenty of money to send home to relatives.

But many say the recent housing slowdown and a lack of hurricane activity have made employment opportunities dry up.

"There is no work," said Javier Lopez as he stood outside a labor hiring center on Old Dixie Highway.

Lopez, a native of Guatemala, used to work five days a week.

But since September, the local day labor job market has dwindled drastically, Lopez said. Now, he feels lucky to find a day's work.

The scarcity of employment is causing many illegal immigrants in the local community to pack up and return home, said Baldomero Bartolon, a Guatemalan day laborer who lives in Golden Gate.

Bartolon lost his job with a roofing company and now sits outside the Texaco on Dixie Highway where many illegal immigrants gather in hopes of being picked up for a day's work.

Others have dealt with the downturn by seeking job opportunities elsewhere, moving north to states such as Delaware or Minnesota to work on chicken farms, he said.

Businesses serving Golden Gate's Latin American community also have begun to notice a change.

"Nobody's coming," said Andre Caldaron, an employee at the Latin American grocery El Mercadito Mexicano. "A lot of people are leaving town."

Shopkeepers say a drop in remittances being sent to Latin America has been the main indicator people can't find jobs.

"Business has definitely been slower," said Jonathon Ucelo, whose family owns the wire transfer store El Centro de Envios.

Bartolon, who used to send money to his family in Guatemala on a regular basis, said he hasn't been able to send a dime since Christmas.

"Between rent, bills, and lunch there's not much left over," he said.

Isis Gomez, music director at Golden Gate's Iglesia Bautista church, said many people in the community are leaving to look for jobs in states such as Illinois, Michigan, and Texas in hopes the economy is better there.

Some moved back at the first hint of an economic downturn. Gomez said a friend worked two restaurant jobs and saved all the money he made to return home before things got bad.

"He was smart and saw what was coming," she said.

House of Hope, a local charity headquartered in Golden Gate, has seen an increase the number of Latin Americans seeking assistance from their Pantry Program that distributes food to Martin County's hungry.

"We look out for them," said the program's warehouse manager Kathy Carmody.

Carmody said the program has seen a jump of more than 140 people registered without official documentation. Only one person per family is permitted to register for the program, and Carmody worries the small amount of canned goods families receive might not be enough.

She said many receiving help from the food bank's services are stranded with no money or transportation to move elsewhere.

The downturn in demand for day laborers has some Golden Gate landlords worried about their property investments.

Juan Gomez, who owns three duplexes in Golden Gate, said one of his properties has been empty for the past several months. He worries he and other landlords won't be able to make payments if many of the current residents continue to leave.

"Somebody has to do something," he said. "In six months it will be a mess."

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Golden Gate — The hurricanes that blew through Martin County in 2004 and 2005 were a blessing in disguise for Golden Gate's Latin American day labor community.

Extensive damage to homes meant work was easy to come by, and laborers had plenty of money to send home to relatives.

But many say the recent housing slowdown and a lack of hurricane activity have made employment opportunities dry up.

Does this mean they will be heading for Iowa?