Market for Day Laborers Sours With the Economy

NY Times ^ | October 19, 2008 | KIRK SEMPLE

[nj26]

More than 50 day laborers stood, bored, anxious and mostly silent, in the sun-blasted parking lot of a Home Depot here last week, tracking the ebb and flow of customers and hoping for work. The hours crawled by. Six, maybe seven men scored jobs. The rest just waited...

Two years ago, when the economy was booming and home-building was thriving, many of these same laborers were working every day. Now, they are lucky if they work twice a week, many of them say. Their lives have become a test of wits, patience and hope.

Simple lives have become simpler. The laborers, most of them illegal immigrants, said they had stopped eating in restaurants, buying new clothes, and sending money home to their families. In interviews with more than a dozen laborers in New York City and its suburbs, many said they were thinking about returning to their homelands.

Carmelo Pena Garcia, 59, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who waits for work every day at Roosevelt Avenue and 69th Street in Queens, said he is trying to make just enough money to buy a plane ticket home. “Sometimes you don’t sleep because you are thinking about work and nothing else,” he said on a recent morning.

[nj26]

Figured everybody could use a good news story today.

[raybbr]

Simple lives have become simpler. The laborers, most of them illegal immigrants, said they had stopped eating in restaurants, buying new clothes, and sending money home to their families. In interviews with more than a dozen laborers in New York City and its suburbs, many said they were thinking about returning to their homelands.

Don't think. GO!

[Tax-chick]

Please go somewhere with a better economy, guys! Oh, we still have the best economy available? Rats! Well, then please just GO, anyway.

[max americana]

That story made my day. Now if the Cowboys lose, I’ll be in heaven.

Leave it to the NYT to make a sob story into a comedy for us.

[NormsRevenge]

a couple of my local home depots have been pretty barren day laborer wise.. who do I sue? ;-)

[17th Miss Regt]

Awww. I feel sorry for them. Let’s give them driver licenses, free medical care, free education, and no requirement to pay taxes.

[al baby]

Maybe they should just go home then

[freeangel]

Bye, don’t let the door hit ya on the way back to mexico.

[itsthejourney]

they had stopped eating in restaurants, buying new clothes

Welcome to my world. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[cripplecreek]

Adios.

[itsthejourney]

Carmelo Pena Garcia, 59, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who waits for work every day at Roosevelt Avenue and 69th Street in Queens

Psst, ICE, ya maybe wanna stop by there tomorrow?

[MSSC6644]

Now if the Cowboys lose, I’ll be in heaven.

Say, "Thank you, Rams." :-)

[fso301]

Two years ago, when the economy was booming and home-building was thriving, many of these same laborers were working every day. Now, they are lucky if they work twice a week, many of them say. Their lives have become a test of wits, patience and hope.

McCain will put them back to work building nuclear power plants and off shore oil/gas rigs.

[max americana]

Thank You Rams.

[capn dino]

Hmmm,,,,Gee, that’s a shame. all illegals know there is risk involved breaking Americas immigration laws. this a risk they didn’t foresee. well,,,,,shit happens. Que le vaya bien!