16 South by Midwest: How Has Immigration from Mexico Affected the State of Ohio?

Ohio has long been a hub in the Midwest for immigrants from all over the world to come and make money, find housing, and start families. In the early 20th century, the Industrial Revolution brought a great influx of immigrants to Ohio. There were jobs that needed to be filled and immigrants played a critical role in filling these jobs, more so than native Ohioans. By 1920, approximately 50% of all manufacturing jobs were being filled by first or second generation workers country-wide. Specifically in Ohio, around 12-13% of all manufacturing jobs were filled by immigrants. However, just as the Industrial Revolution created a “pull” of immigrants to manufacture-dense areas, deindustrialization and job loss pushed them away. Immigration declined around 4.7% nationally and 3% in Ohio specifically. Today, Ohio has pulled away as an immigration hub for the U.S. with about 4.4% of the population being made up of immigrants. In fact, Ohio’s small percentage of immigrants ranks it in the bottom 5 states nationally, along with Missouri, Lousiana, Kentucky, and Alabama (Ohio’s New Americans 6).

All of the statistics given in the previous paragraph were about documented immigrants, but as we know today, lots of people cross our borders without going through all of the proper prerequisites. So, what about Ohio’s undocumented population? It is harder to record statistics for this group of humans because they are, of course, undocumented. It has been reported that approximately 107,000 undocumented residents live in Ohio, a number that has remained largely unchanged since 2009. Out of this 107,000, 40% of undocumented Ohioans come from Mexico. Ohio’s lack of labor laws and aid is harmful to undocumented immigrants from Mexico and oftentimes makes them turn to more unsafe, under the table jobs so they can make a living wage every month.

Undocumented immigration is a hard subject to talk about because there is not a lot of information on it. In 2018, Ohio was called the “worst state for undocumented immigrants” by Lynn Tramonte. She states that since the Trump Administration increased detainment and deportation, an already difficult environment has become even worse. She proves this claim by talking about several cases of immigrant abuse in Ohio. She talks about exploitation and abuse of underaged and undocumented Mexican immigrants at the Case Farms chicken processing facility. Also, Ohio’s police state and connection to immigration officials. Lastly, she details the 36% increase of the number of people deported in 2017 from Ohio (Tramonte). This was despite the fact that deportations had declined at the national level. These are just a few of the many hardships that Mexican immigrants have to face while trying to find work in Ohio.

Undocumented immigrants have an extremely hard time trying to make a living after coming to the United States. Firstly, just getting into the country is extremely difficult. Especially now, with the growing restrictions on immigration, specifically from Mexico, and the influx of raids by ICE or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After they make it here, what is there to do next? Finding housing, work, and support. Ohio has some forms of immigrant support but the state is largely unhelpful for the most part. In 2019, a report was done that stated “if all undocumented immigrants in Ohio had a pathway to citizenship, the amount they collectively pay in taxes would increase by 31% from $83.2 million to $108.7 million (Ortiz).” Ohio was one
of 21 states that did not enact any of the 4 policies mentioned in a report released by the CBPP or Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

• Ohio has just six investigators to protect working people from wage theft. Stronger law enforcement will ensure all workers, regardless of immigration status, are fully paid for all the hours they work.
• Expanding health coverage to all children, regardless of immigration status, can improve long-term health outcomes, high school and college completion, and long-term economic benefits for the child and for states and communities. Only six states and D.C. offer health care coverage to all children.
• In-state tuition and state financial aid for college students who are undocumented will boost the skills and wages of the state workforce. Twenty-one states and D.C. have adopted “tuition equity” laws and 12 of these states plus D.C. offer state financial aid to students who are undocumented.
• Allowing undocumented immigrants to hold drivers licenses can help them get better jobs, make roads safer, and modestly reduce insurance premiums. Fourteen states and D.C. allow immigrants to get driver’s licenses regardless of their status.

These policies cover several different facets of basic needs to be a functioning citizen in the US, and Ohio failed to implement any of them to help their immigrant population. It is extremely difficult to find jobs and housing without proper documentation, that these people do not have, so they struggle. Not only do the adults struggle to find security but the children do too. Studies show that around 100,000 undocumented students graduate from high school every year. Some of these students will have the chance and funding to attend college, but for most, they will work under the table jobs for money and will fall into the same vicious cycle as their parents. In 2012, Barack Obama enacted DACA or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This allowed students who were in the country illegally to work and go to school for two years without the fear of being deported. In 2017, President Trump took office and ended this program, leaving around 700,000 young people without protection. Since then, states have passed in state college tuition laws for high school graduates without legal immigration status. Ohio is not among these states. To qualify for in state tuition in Ohio, immigrants must be granted permanent or temporary residency by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This is almost impossible, and when possible, it takes years and years.

Among all of these other barriers that make life difficult for an immigrant, is racial discrimination. In Latino Heartland, author Sujey Vega, dedicates an entire chapter to micro- aggressions and racism against Latinos in the Midwest. Vega uses Walmart as an example of a place of tension between immigrants and their American counterparts. Walmart is a perfect example to use because everyone goes to Walmart, rich, poor, black, or white. “During interviews conducted in 2006, Wal-Mart was repeatedly identified as a space of both interaction and evasion (Vega).” She retells the stories of several Latino immigrants facing discrimination in Walmart, detailing all the stares and mean words these people encountered while buying groceries.
In conclusion, life is difficult for Mexican immigrants in all facets of their life, specifically in the job market but other areas of life as well.

Works Cited

“Immigration in Ohio.” Ballotpedia, ballotpedia.org/Immigration_in_Ohio.

King, Danae. “Study: Nearly 100,000 Undocumented Immigrants Graduate from High School Each Year.” The Columbus Dispatch, The Columbus Dispatch, 9 June 2019, www.dispatch.com/news/20190609/study-nearly-100000-undocumented-immigrants- graduate-from-high-school-each-year.

Ortiz, Daniel. “Strengthen Ohio by Including Undocumented Immigrants: Policy Matters Ohio: August 21, 2019.” Policy Matters Ohio | August 21, 2019, 21 Aug. 2019, www.policymattersohio.org/press-room/2019/08/21/strengthen-ohio-by-including- undocumented-immigrants.

Piiparinen, Richey A. Our Pathway to a Brighter Future: Ohio’s New Americans. 2018, https:// ccswoh.org/assets/Ohio-Immigrants-Report-FINAL.pdf.

Tramonte, Lynn. “Study Shows Ohio Is Worst State For Undocumented Immigrants.” Medium, Medium, 27 Feb. 2018, medium.com/@tramontela/study-shows-ohio-is-worst-state- for-undocumented-immigrants-f5d2e9aefec9.

Vega, Sujey. Latino Heartland: of Borders and Belonging in the Midwest. New York University University, 2015.