CNN
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A 23-year-old American citizen, Catalina is confidently driving her to work as a nanny and earning fair wages. But her mother – an undocumented immigrant from Peru – has worked in the shadows for 30 years.
“We do the same job, we do the same thing and work the same hours, but the wages are very different,” Catalina tells CNN. “I was born here and I’ve done very well. Speaking Spanish makes my salary very good.”
CNN has changed her name to protect her identity and her mother’s safety. According to her daughter, Catalina’s mother considered returning to Peru during Barack Obama’s days in the White House.
The Obama administration focused on restraining the Department of Home Affairs’ deportation (as opposed to deportation at borders), particularly on the so-called “quick returns” of recent border arrivals, which have been perceived as less ties in the US.
“A lot of people said nothing would happen to her, and in fact they didn’t do anything,” says Katarina. Her mother finally decided to stay.
But the strict immigration policies of Donald Trump’s administration paint Bleeker’s picture for both. The 23-year-old fears that if her mother takes down children from a family she cares for to support her family, she could be detained.
“She’s a single mother. I’m the eldest son, so if something happens to her, I have to take care of my siblings,” says Katarina. “She’s going to do with her brother, her things, her money. That’s awful, but she feels ready.”
Katarina’s mother raised only her children and dedicated a part of her life to childcare. This is a sector facing a deep staffing crisis. This has gotten worse in recent months, as experts say, is essential for immigrants to maintain it.
“The childcare sector has long been facing a crisis and a shortage of workers, and migrant workers are important to maintain that system – both formal and informal sectors.”
According to a report by the National Women’s Law Center, 20% of early educators in the United States (an umbrella language that includes kindergarten teachers, home therapy providers, teacher AIDS and program directors) are immigrants. Women make up a “slight proportion” of the workforce in this sector nationwide.
“Carework is a job that enables all other jobs and ensures that all families can thrive,” the report said. However, caregivers face low wages, lack of profits, vulnerability to exploitation, and job insecurity. Undocumented workers also lack basic rights of work and protection.
She has lived in the United States for years, but Catalina’s mother is unable to access job benefits such as health insurance and social security.
“She’s paid in cash or check, but there’s no profit. There’s nothing,” Katarina said of her mother’s working conditions.
Every year, undocumented immigrants living in the United States pay billions of dollars of taxes, even though they know they can’t enjoy the benefits unless their status is regularized.
Furthermore, the constant threat of being reported limits her even if she accepts work. “If I had a job from an American family, I don’t think she would take it. She’s afraid that if something happened, someone would call the authorities.”
According to Cervantes, immigrant childcare workers are “often invisible labor.” Despite their important role in early education in an increasingly diverse child population, they are not fully recognized.
“One thing that is often not recognized is that these workers are one of the few bilingual and culturally capable people, especially in the formal sector. This is highly sought after. Many families want children in bilingual education programs, and these workers are essential to serving an increasingly diverse child population,” adds CLASP Director.
Beyond the numbers, tightening immigration policies under the Trump administration directly affected the reality of thousands of families like Catalina.
A few weeks after Trump took office, his administration announced that immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents could end long-standing policies that prevented them from arresting them near schools, churches, hospitals and other locations and operating in so-called “sensitive locations.”
“And now, in some states where there is greater cooperation with local police, nannies simply driving to work could be arrested, deported and separated from their families,” Cervantes notes.
Katarina’s mother experiences that anxiety firsthand every day while in the afternoon, while riding in the car to pick up children she cares for. “When she arrives, the traffic is always under control. Sometimes she hides in her car and doesn’t leave. She waits for her kids to get in. That’s terrible,” says Katarina. “If I see her at school, she feels a little better, but if she’s alone, she won’t.”
As with the “delicate place” policy, it is much more difficult for nannies to feel safe in serving their families and continuing their work, Cervantes warns.
“The way immigration enforcement measures are applied nationwide comes with little surveillance and accountability. For example, parents with humane reasons and humane reasons make more people vulnerable to deportation because of people with humane reasons.
Catalina is currently studying, in case her mother decides to return to Peru one day. “I don’t have any of my mother here, I don’t have any family, no sisters, no mother. Nothing. She’s alone,” she says, but she insists she doesn’t want to leave her alone. “She says, ‘My daughter will be left alone,’ so she’s even more worried. ”
Meanwhile, the growing push by the Trump administration to advance its massive deportation programme could further harm the US child care system.
“We suffer when we suffer migrant workers, especially those who care for our children, especially as a nation. If deportation continues at the current pace, the administration can further increase enforcement action if this budget proposal passes Congress.
This is the invisible role of Catalina’s mother. She is the person who allows others to work while the child is caring for them. Without her and many people like her, the United States would be a very different country.
