But Wait....

In the argument for/against immigration, specifically those from Mexico, there have been many points. One of them is, "It's not like they're taking the jobs anyone else wants to do," like roofing, landscaping, construction, basically manual labor. No, I'm not saying that what all immigrants do for work, but it is a point that is made.

Doing the "manual" jobs we'd never want to do is pretty admirable, and what would we do without those employees? No, I'm not exactly supporting illegal immigration, I'm just making a point. We automatically think of those types of jobs being taken away, and that's "okay."

But when you're a skilled worker (Dental/Medical Assistant, Health Care Provider, Lawyer, even fast-food workers) and you think you've got it made because you're working. Then, say you want to change jobs, or do something better, and you read job ads that say:

"MUST speak Spanish!"

THAT is the problem. I don't know if that's what we think about when we think about immigrants "taking" jobs. But that's what I think about now when I hear that argument.

And, as a side note, isn't "MUST SPEAK SPANISH" kind of discrimination in a way? Just a thought.

Now, to me, I'm not going to go learn Spanish so I can "conform" to anything. But if I get into the healthcare field and see that I might need to know some, I will. I'll learn enough to get the job done. I may not be totally conversational with it, I don't think I should have to go that far.

But there's tons of people out there who REFUSE to learn any Spanish because that would be totally against their beliefs on illegal immigration. There's people who hang up the phone when the automated voice says, "Press 2 for Spanish." They're that extreme.

Back to my point: yes, immigrant workers are often seen doing manual-type labor. But when they're done working, the go the Doctor, they go eat, they shop, the have lives, without English. They may not be taking "our jobs," but "our jobs" are definitely going to get harder.

And quite possibly harder to come by.