Unlucky immigrants
The six victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse were all immigrants from Mexico and Central America. When the container ship crashed into the bridge at 1:30 a.m. on March 26, they were on the bridge diligently doing the work that many immigrants have to undertake. That work eventually pushed them into the cold Patapsco River.
The cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Photo: Reuters
The next day, the bodies of two victims named Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and Dorlian Castillo were discovered and pulled out of a red pickup truck at a depth of nearly 2 meters underwater.
The remaining four missing workers presumed dead include Maynor Suazo from Honduras; Jose Lopez from Guatemala; Miguel Luna from El Salvador; and another person whose name has not been disclosed. In addition, two other workers were rescued.
Churches held vigils for the missing workers and advocacy groups quickly raised $98.000 for the victims' families. Some people were not surprised that all the victims were immigrants, even though they make up less than 10% of the population in Maryland's largest city.
The victims worked in maintenance jobs employed by Brawner Builders, a local construction company that has been fined seven times since 7 for safety violations. Company leaders said they were deeply saddened by the loss.
Do the jobs no one else wants to do
According to Lucia Islas, President of the non-profit group Comité Latino de Baltimore, one of the reasons why immigrants became victims of the accident is because they do work that no one else wants to do. They are maintenance workers, a less-than-remarkable profession but one that does difficult work through the night to keep the country running.
Immigrant jobs often have the lowest wages and worst conditions. However, some people still accept to do that job to support their families and lay the foundation for their children and grandchildren to have a better life.
Meanwhile, some others work hard to send money home to relatives living in less wealthy economies. According to Mexico's central bank, Mexican migrant workers transferred more than $60 billion to their country in 2023.
Migrant workers often work in high-risk industries such as construction. Photo: Spencer Platt
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latino workers are more likely to die on the job than other racial and ethnic groups. Accordingly, Latinos make up a high proportion of high-risk jobs: 51% of construction workers, 34% of slaughterhouse workers and 61% of landscape workers.
Community leaders say many Latinos in the city take low-paying jobs with few benefits. “The only option is to go to work, even without the salary that a citizen can earn,” said Carlos Crespo, 53, a mechanic from Mexico.
The issue of immigration will be the focus of the 2024 US presidential election
The Baltimore Bridge disaster occurred in the midst of the US Presidential election, in which the issue of immigration is once again the top concern of voters. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration is struggling to manage a recent record number of border crossings.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Donald Trump also often seeks to limit immigration. “Other countries are emptying prisons, asylums, mental institutions, getting rid of everyone, including scores of terrorists, into our country. Now they are in our country," Mr. Trump said at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire in January this year.
And yet, Mr. Trump vowed to significantly increase deportation of immigrants if he is re-elected on November 5. Mr. Trump's criticism was only aimed at immigrants trying to illegally cross the border into the US. But this also affects immigrants in general.
Mechanic Crespo expressed: “Many people do not take our Latino community seriously. They treat us like animals or think we live off the government. But that's not true, we also have to pay taxes."
The sacrifices of the missing may be worth remembering as anti-immigrant sentiment resurfaces ahead of the US presidential election in November. And as the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key bridge proceeds, there is no doubt that Immigrants will be the direct builders.
Hoai Phuong (according to CNN, Reuters)
