Day Laborer = Illegal Immigrant?

Stamford residents, diverse as we are, have at least one thing in common: we’ve all seen the day laborers standing near exit 9 waiting for work.

I’ve talked to quite a few area residents who have expressed shock at the sight. “Can you believe that?" Uh, yeah, I can. People want cheap labor to build their houses and clean their lawns. The day laborers want to make money. I’m not surprised people are standing by a dirty, smelly highway hoping to be whisked away by a man in an SUV.

Other residents are outraged that illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans. I’m not so sure that the men off exit 9 are taking jobs from good, wholesome citizens, and I’m not even sure they are illegal immigrants. Maybe they’re all legal. Why not?

I don't know, and that’s why over the next week I’ll be doing several posts on issues relating to immigrants in Stamford. I want to learn more.

I don’t have any decisive opinions about the topic yet, but I'm leaning toward the "show some kindness" side. There are some people in this area who do seem fanatical about "illegals," but I need to learn more before I rant- I mean, write- about them.

In the meantime, I'll post this weekend about my indignant reaction to a police survey that mentioned day laborers.

Let me know what you think about the presence of day laborers, and tell me of any interesting experiences you’ve had with (maybe illegal!) immigrants in Stamford.