Catalina’s mother is a Peruvian undocumented immigrant. For the past 30 years, she has been a hard-working professional nanny—profoundly and directly delivering the child care services and freedom that help millions of working families succeed every day. Her business contributions to the economy have amounted to billions of dollars in taxes. Even with this good fortune, daily anxiety and uncertainty is a part of her life due to the contradictory and constantly changing immigration policies of the U.S. All of this changed with the end of the “sensitive locations” policy, instituted by the Trump administration. Today, as Taneesha makes the same trip to pick up the kids she babysits for every afternoon, she lives in greater danger than ever before.
Immigrant workers are integral to the U.S. childcare sector. At this crucial juncture, this brain-dependent industry is in the midst of its own staffing hurricane. Catalina’s mother is bilingual and culturally competent. Like all of us, she plays an indispensable role in maintaining this system. Without access to other basic labour rights such as health insurance or social security, her situation is still precarious.
The Reality of Undocumented Workers
For Catalina’s mother — and millions of other essential workers — the daily commute to work is often a terrifying gauntlet. She now has to frequently retreat inside her vehicle, scared of being hassled by cops controlling the traffic.
“When she arrives, there are always police officers managing traffic. Sometimes she hides in the car, doesn’t get out. She waits for the kids to get in the car. It’s awful,” – Catalina.
The mental anguish that comes with these conditions is catastrophic. Catalina describes how her mother feels when she is alone:
“If I meet her at the school, she feels a little better. But if she’s alone, she doesn’t.” – Catalina.
This unending anxiety is not just detrimental to her mom’s mental health. It impacts the way she carries out her daily tasks.
Wendy Cervantes, director at CLASP, emphasizes the unfortunate legacy of today’s immigration enforcement practices.
“The way immigration enforcement measures are being applied across the country is happening with very little oversight and accountability. More people are becoming vulnerable to deportation because there is no longer prosecutorial discretion.” – Wendy Cervantes.
Cervantes shows the terror that has invaded the daily lives of the undocumented. They live with the daily threat of arrest and deportation, which can happen at any time.
The Impact on Families
Catalina has experienced what some of these challenges have done to her family life. As a working-class single mother, her mama has spent most of her adult life raising her children alone. You can tell that Catalina carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s afraid of taking on a quasi-parental role if something happens to her mother.
“She’s a single mom. I’m the oldest daughter, so if something happens to her, I’d have to take care of my siblings,” – Catalina.
For Catalina, there’s a new undercurrent of anxiety mixed with that fear of losing her mother. To ensure that her children are taken care of in case of any unforeseen emergency, her mother has executed legal documents specifying the care plan for Catalina’s siblings.
“She had to sign a paper leaving everything to me, just in case: what to do with my siblings, her things, her money. It’s awful to think about, but she feels prepared.” – Catalina.
The emotional toll of these choices illustrates the tenuous tightrope immigrant families are forced to walk in fear of being discovered at any moment.
The Essential Role of Immigrant Care Workers
The crucial role immigrant workers play in the childcare sector is hard to overstate. Catalina’s mom and women like her show our children the care and nurturing necessary to help them develop into successful adults. With this support, parents can reenter the workforce and help boost the economy.
“Care work is the work that makes all other work possible and enables all families to thrive,” – National Women’s Law Center report.
As immigration policy becomes more restrictive and enforcement goes sky-high, their essential workforce future is in jeopardy. As deportations proceed at a disconcerting rate, experts are sounding the alarm on significant hurdles awaiting. Millions of parents, especially moms, will be frozen out by impossible childcare situations.
“If we lose immigrant workers, especially those who care for our children, as a country we will suffer,” said a representative from the National Women’s Law Center. “If deportations continue at the current pace… this will have a very negative impact on the workforce overall.”
Catalina’s mother, for her part, has always had an iron will to support her family in spite of these challenges. She has thrown herself into the pipeline childcare, worrying, like many, about her own future fears and the uncertainties of the future. With Barack Obama’s presidency came a new, hopeful opportunity for comprehensive immigration reform. She considered going back to Peru and eventually decided against it.
The Path Forward
As policymakers continue to debate immigration reforms, the stories of individuals like Catalina’s mother highlight the critical role that immigrant nannies play in American society. Their work supports not only their families but countless others across the country who depend on them for childcare services.
The impacts of policy changes go far beyond one life. They are felt throughout entire communities and industries. Catalina’s mother and every door-knocking hero like her deserves to feel safe while they engage in the basic democracy-upholding work they do. This is an urgent need that cannot wait.
