Jose del Rio has known he wanted to be a police officer since he was a little kid. His dedication didn’t waver as he grew older – and although he has been trained as a police officer, state law in Wisconsin (where he grew up and still resides) says he can’t serve as an officer in his hometown – or
any other city in the state.
Angelina Romero Ruiz, who has been a farmworker for 17 years, handles unforgiving triple-digit temperatures by trying to stay hydrated and work earlier hours – despite recent reports by the CDC that farmworkers are 20 times more likely to die from extreme heat than other workers.
Rony Ponthieux, a registered nurse and TPS holder, worked in the COVID-19 unit in his hospital early in the pandemic – while simultaneously facing uncertainty about the future of his protected status in the United States.
Jose, Angelia and Rony – as well as the 23 million immigrants, legal and undocumented, in our nation's essential workforce – all deserve our gratitude and thanks for their roles as essential workers throughout the pandemic. Millions of Dreamers and TPS holders have cared for us when we have been sick, kept food on our tables, and served in essential jobs as teachers, grocery store clerks and more.
78% of farmworkers were born outside of the United States, including the undocumented, temporary guestworkers, green card holders, and naturalized
citizens. About 130,000 TPS holders are currently contributing as essential workers, and nearly 30,000 DACA recipients work in health care across the U.S.
Thanks for all you do on behalf of immigrant workers,
Becka Wall
Vice President, Digital Communications
National Immigration Forum
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