Adaywithout aMexican

What would happen if all of a sudden all the who live in the United Statesdis- appeared? Yes,all of them, the more than 7 million Mexicans who were born in bui live here in the .[...] A day without a Mexican in would mean lossesin the millions in the orange, s avocado, lettuce, and grape industries. Supermarkets would be without fruits and vegetabl-es, and wine shops without those famous Californiawhites and reds.(According to the j 990 census' slightly lessthan I5 percent of all Mexicans in the United States, legal and un- documented, work in agriculture.) A day without a Mexican in California would mean a complete hah in the construction and r0 garment industries, among many others. (Approximately 35 percent of Mexicans in the United Stateswork in these sectors.) A day without a Mexican in California would show that hotels, restaurants,stores, markets, gas stations, and offices depend on those workers who cross the southern border of the United States.(More than half of Mexicans in the United Statesare employed in the service rs industry.) A day without a Mexican in California would mean that thousands of English-speaking men and women would not be able to go to work becausetheir nannies would not show up to take care of their children and babies. A day without a Mexican in California would leave the televisionand radio stations with 20 the largestaudiences in the Los Angeles area - which transmit in Spanish, although few are aware of this - without viewers or listeners. A day without a Mexican in California would give the false impression that the official language in the United Statesis English. A day without a Mexican in California would mean canceled operations becausedoctors 2s would not arrive, unkept court appointments because lawyers would not show up, and .*ùÈ unfulfilled commitments because of absent executives. l,ElE: hnal Contrary to the triter stereotype I that all Mexicans in the United Statesare poorfy educated and gardeners are and work in the fields, the 1990 census revealed that there were 3,g69 immigrants, born in Mexico, who held doctorate degrees. That tears the stereotype to ]o shreds.lt is worth mentioning that Mexican labor, in US fields and gardens, just as in the assembly plants on the border, is considered among the best and most efficient in the wodd.

Jorge Ramos.The other Face otArneica.Z0O2