Day laborers fear their lives will not improve no matter who wins the election

Historically, politicians from the Republican Party use hostile, racist rhetoric about immigrants taking people’s jobs and crime rates to stoke fear. And the Democratic Party typically presents itself as a “friendly” party to the immigrant community. 

This year’s election brings a unique twist to this scapegoating and fear tactics used on the immigrant community, especially to day laborers who go out every day to parking lots of department stores like Home Depot looking for work in Democratic and Republican stronghold cities and counties.  

Day laborers work across all physically demanding labor industries, such as construction, gardening, roofing, tree trimming, flooring and more.

Day laborers are placed in a challenging situation because of the fear of another Trump administration that brings flashbacks of his racist comments and executive orders that increased deportations, workplace raids, and his anti-sanctuary city policies that reduced protections for immigrants living in those cities. 

On the other hand, the Democratic Party nominee, Kamala Harris, is the current sitting Vice President of the Biden administration. The Biden-Harris administration has not fulfilled its campaign promises to bring about immigration reform. Lastly, the Biden administration has continued Trump’s policies on immigration and the border wall.

“Trump gives racists the courage to attack our people, physically and financially,” said Luis Valentan, the West Coast regional coordinator for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). “And we are aware that the Democrats have not pushed through a policy that helps the immigrant community, let alone our day laborers. We know they will not come and save us.”

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network has met with day laborers across Los Angeles County and nationwide over the past few months to discuss how to brace for a Trump presidency. They anticipate that it would lead to a rise in attacks on workers who are already facing racism as they wait for hours on street corners and parking lots looking for jobs. At the same time, they recognize that even if Harris wins, their material conditions are unlikely to improve— this is how presidential elections affect day laborers and the immigrant community.

The economic crisis

The National Day Laborer Network estimates that 35,000 day laborers across Los Angeles County are out every morning searching for work. According to Valentan, their ages range from 16 to 65. They make between $15 and $25 an hour and are paid in cash at the end of the day, but that is subject to change depending on the person who hires them. 

“Everyone has experienced wage theft,” said Valentan. “If you go to any corner or parking lot and ask everyone there, eight out of ten workers will raise their hands and say they’ve been robbed of their wages after doing hard labor.” Undocumented workers are afraid of deportation; therefore, they are more likely not to report wage theft or workplace violations, leading to further exploitation by employers. 

Shortly after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate went up, although the labor force participation rate went down. 

“The unemployment rate for the total labor market spiked, reaching 14.7 percent, while the rate for Black and Latino workers reached 16.6 percent and 18.8 percent,” stated Maya Brandon in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. “By April 2022, however, the total unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent, prepandemic level,” she added. 

Although unemployment numbers might be lower than the previous year, inflation's financial grip on day laborers is felt across the board. “They go days without work at times. And more and more people today are not looking to hire laborers because it is expensive to pay for the materials and pay a worker,” added Luis. 

Construction and work materials are not the only things that have increased in cost. In one month from September to October 2024, the price of one dozen Grade A eggs increased by 19.2%, according to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). You can find similar increases in meat and milk. “The real politics that should be discussed is how we (the government) will provide for the people in this country. They (Trump and Harris) don’t discuss the real issues that are hurting workers. They only attack their character,” said Valentan.  

The national unemployment and labor statistics measure do not reflect the reality of laborers in the slow economy. They have trouble finding housing, and many live in crowded spaces or in their cars. Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the country to live in, has witnessed an increase in our unhoused population. The homelessness rate has increased by 80% in the city and 70% in the county since 2015, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. 

In 2022, 69,144 people lived in RVs, tents, makeshift shelters, or interim housing in the county, and that number jumped to 75,518 in 2023.

“Day laborers just want to work and provide for themselves and their families, and they go out every day looking for that opportunity,” Valentan said. 

The immigrant community

“Trump and Harris are committing to secure our border and be tough on immigration but have not presented policies tangible to the community for a path to citizenship,” said Jose Luis Rodriguez, a Day Laborer in Los Angeles. “We are not dumb. And they have an opportunity right now to get our support but are failing,” Jose added. 

Rodriguez has been a day laborer in Los Angeles for forty years and is not eligible to vote in the election because of his status.     

“In the end, we are the ones who lose,” said Rodriguez, “because we have to deal with the results and continue to organize.”