Thread: Work ethic earns illegal immigrant a new life

Work ethic earns illegal immigrant a new life

Posted at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010
By Chris Collins / The Fresno Bee Share

The first time 16-year-old Nacho tried to cross the border, he was caught and turned over to Mexican police, who beat him up and took his money. But Nacho was a stubborn-headed teenager and tried again. Without the help of a smuggler, he made it across.

Now 39, Nacho owns a home in Kerman and manages a ranch. He's so indispensable that when a judge threatened to deport him for a series of traffic tickets in 2004, his boss pleaded with the judge: If you can find someone who can work as well as he does, then deport him. If not, then let him stay.

The judge let him stay.

His boss's intervention is an example of how much farmers have come to depend on illegal immigrants. Farmers say immigrant workers tend to have a better work ethic than other employees. Many have had decades of experience and can do the job better than anyone else.

It wasn't easy for Nacho to earn this respect. As a teenager, he cut grape clusters in Raisin City and lived in the back room of a shop with several other farmworkers.



GARY KAZANJIAN / THE FRESNO BEE
Nacho, who is a field supervisor, came to the U.S. when he was 16. He now owns a home near Kerman.
Editor's note
- Join the conversation: Go here to comment on these stories.

- Most illegal immigrants, fearing deportation, agreed to speak only if The Bee identified them by their first names. Interviews in Spanish were conducted with help from professional interpreter Darlen Perez and others.

- The Bee follows Associated Press style, which favors "illegal immigrant" over "illegal alien" or "undocumented worker" as the most neutral and factual term.

- Bee staff writer Chris Collins reviewed dozens of studies from government agencies and advocacy groups with varying viewpoints as part of his research. Go here for a bibliography and collection of links.

Illegal immigration burdens local, state government Taxpayers picking up tab for illegal immigration It was 1987, the year after amnesty was granted for illegal farmworkers, and fake documents were readily available. Forgers created green cards in the middle of the fields and sold them for $50. Farmers almost always accepted them.

Eventually, a sympathetic rancher hired Nacho for $4.25 per hour and gave him free housing. In his new job, he learned to drive a tractor, operate machinery and manage a farm. Nacho kept just enough money to survive and sent the rest to his family in Mexico.

For the past 14 years, he's worked on the farm in Kerman, where half the employees are illegal immigrants. When he started out, he made less than anyone else, but his boss gave him several raises for his hard work. He now earns $40,000 to $50,000 a year, oversees a 25-member crew and works nonstop during the harvest season, sometimes as much as 90 hours a week.

For Nacho, the long hours and hard work are a blessing.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/11/17/216 ... grant.html

NACHO LOL Funny...Go HOME!
My brother could and would do that work you do..In fact he made less than that back then.
He also speaks English no Spanish and that is why you were hired so you can be the big man to all your little aliens. And MR farm owner could make money,You're nothing special your just Illegal and you get picked before my brother who fought in Nam..But hey gotta Love The USA

Oh please. Another blah blah blah about how hard-working these people are. Come on farmers , stop the nonsense and tell the truth. They are CHEAP workers. Hey Taco or Tamale, or whatever your stupid name is, you can still be deported one day, so stop being so smug.