Do these immigrants who work in technology, the aerospace industry, or robotics know how to hammer a nail, build a house, or plant acres of vegetables?
The next Trump Administration has relentlessly threatened to combat illegal immigration and close the border. In return, they will increase the number of visas for highly skilled immigrants who, according to them, can contribute a lot to the development of key industries in this country.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Let me explain. When I read about this Trump policy, I had just watched some videos about the cleanup efforts being carried out in Los Angeles as part of the reconstruction after the devastating fires. Hundreds of people were in line, perfectly organized, carrying buckets, brooms, and other tools to help cut trees, and remove wood, debris, and other garbage that had been left on the streets of different cities.
Also, thousands of construction workers are preparing to start rebuilding these ghost neighborhoods, many of whom are undocumented. Despite the risks, hundreds of thousands of farm workers go out every day to plant the food that will be consumed by millions of Americans.
In all these images, I didn’t see any ‘highly skilled’ immigrants according to the Trumpist definition. And then I wonder: aren’t all of these essential workers in the reconstruction highly skilled? Do these immigrants who work in technology, the aerospace industry, or robotics know how to hammer a nail, build a house, or plant acres of vegetables? What about the service industry? Thousands… no, hundreds of thousands of workers in hotels, restaurants, and other places are undocumented but… they do impeccable work. How will the word ‘highly skilled’ be measured? Through diplomas?
All this led me to remember a joke a teacher once told me. Hundreds of years ago, during a sea voyage, there was a very rich and ‘educated’ person traveling as a passenger. He never left his cabin. At night, an old cook would bring him his dinner. The first night, the traveler asked, “Do you know anything about astrology?” The old man, uneducated and illiterate, replied, “No, sir. I never went to school.” The traveler grumbled and said, “You’ve lost a third of your life.”
The next day, the old man returned, and once again, the traveler asked, “Do you know anything about the weather?” The old man gave the same answer, and the rich, educated man replied, “You’ve lost another third of your life.” On the third day, the old man came back, and once again, a question awaited him. “Do you know anything about biology?” The old man, totally embarrassed, confessed that he was uneducated. The rich man replied, “I don’t know why you came into this life. You’ve completely wasted your time.”
The old man left, thinking the rich traveler was right. However, on the fourth night, the old man went to the cabin and quickly asked the man, “Can you swim?” The rich man, confused, replied that he had never learned. The old man looked at him with pity and said, “Well, with all your education, you’re already dead. We’re sinking, and there are no lifeboats.”
How many workers who aren’t ‘highly’ skilled could say the same…
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