SocialDocumentary.net | Eric Alverne Anderson | Jornaleros/Day-Laborers

Photographer: Eric Alverne Anderson

Title: Jornaleros/Day-Laborers

Location: New Jersey-Washington D.C., United States

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Passaic, NJ: Workers "shape-up" (line up) for work in Home Depot parking lot, while local police patrol to keep workers off the store property. Police officers will frequently hand out expensive fines for trespassing, so workers are forced to the edge of property.

Most people in the United States are generations removed from their ancestor's desperate and uncertain journeys to America. Migration has always been central to the history of the US--almost every generation has seen mass movements of people seeking a better life here. These people are fleeing political, religious, and economic troubles.

Each generation encountered tension and resistance to this. Entering the U.S. across the Mexican border is a controversial subject for many. On a human level, this journey is as harrowing and dangerous as any sea-crossing of a century ago--in many cases ending with as much danger as it began. Yet, the pressure to make such a journey is tremendous when faced with the opportunity to provide for families in desperately poor conditions back home.

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Jason Turi provided tremendous energy and insite into this project as well as writing most of the captions for the photographs. I want to thank Casa Freehold and the United Day-Laborers of Pasaic for their kindness and the work that they do.

Entering the U.S. across the Mexican border is a controversial subject for many. On a human level, this journey is as harrowing and dangerous as any sea-crossing of a century ago--in many cases ending with as much danger as it began. Yet, the pressure to make such a journey is tremendous when faced with the opportunity to provide for families in desperately poor conditions back home.

In Passaic, New Jersey, day-laborers gather in the parking lot of a Home Depot waiting for work. Local contractors or homeowners often drive through these parking lots seeking cheap labor. There are countless stories of day-laborers who are denied payment for their work, harassed by locals, and victimized by unfortunate and frequent violence. There are groups of day-laborers working together to secure basic work and safety rights, though this is far from common. The political climate in the US is split over the issue, but the reality of demand for cheap labor is a driving force behind continued migration.

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