Americans have been told for decades we’re in desperate need of an underclass to handle the work we don’t want to do ourselves.
We were convinced the development of an American caste system, with the “illegal untouchables” assigned the least-attractive duties, is what a prosperous nation like ours deserves.
This narrative’s purveyors swore to us the depth of illegal immigration would remain shallow enough that these people wouldn’t be a competitive workforce for jobs American citizens want to earn a living from.
This deception has created what I call “The Great Illegal-Immigrant Lie.”
Americans are waking up to the prevalence of illegal immigrants working side by side with them as they consistently lose out to a cheaper alternative to themselves.
Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant, caused a fatal vehicle crash Aug. 12, killing three people on the Florida Turnpike as he attempted to make a U-turn in an “Official Use Only” turnaround while driving a commercial truck.
Singh’s attempt to turn caused the truck to suddenly block the entire northbound lane, resulting in the loss of life of Herby Dufresne (30, Florida City), Rodrigue Dor (54, Miami) and Faniloa Joseph (37, Pompano Beach).
Further investigations revealed Singh failed English and road-sign tests, raising questions about his licensing eligibility.
Commercial trucking is a quintessential American blue-collar job that provides economic opportunities for people all over the country.
Even Mayor Adams sees trucking as an opening for formerly incarcerated people to find economic stability and minimize recidivism through training programs. He announced an expanded one Wednesday.
So why are illegal immigrants driving trucks when there are plenty of Americans who willingly work in the profession?
Undocumented immigrants account for up to one-third of total US immigrants and an estimated 7 million workers in the American workforce. Immigrants make up approximately 19% of US truck drivers, more than 275,000 truckers.
While it’s easy to point the finger at California for facilitating Singh’s ability to get a commercial driving license despite his immigration status and inability to read signs in English, the problem is deeper than a single state’s actions.
Culturally, we tacitly accepted that some jobs were broadly undesirable to Americans, and by not pushing back against this narrative, we opened the door to allowing small businesses and corporations to consider a cheaper workforce alternative.
It always starts with the roles that are unseen by most and pay the least, but with an abundance of people flooding the workforce, it was bound to happen that immigrants eventually would be working in roles that are highly visible.
The illegal-immigration lie has created a pathway for dangerous illegal immigrants to interact violently with law-abiding citizens, as TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel experienced when his Uber driver attacked him.
The driver, Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, denied him entry for having a service animal with him and then exited his vehicle and punched Kobel in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Uliumdzhiev, a Russian national who crossed into the United States via the southern border illegally in 2022, is an Uber driver in Broward County, Fla.
While Uber has stated it does not condone violence, it hasn’t condemned the use of an illegal workforce.
Uber used to market itself as a way for Americans to make extra income in the new gig economy — but now takes no responsibility when the citizenry is being outcompeted by an unverified immigrant labor force, with 56% of Uber drivers nationwide being immigrants of all statuses.
I’ve heard stories from older generations about how they were able to raise a family working a single factory job.
But today, if that factory job hasn’t been shipped overseas to China or across the border to Mexico, it’s likely being or in danger of being occupied by a cheaper illegal employee.
In my state of New Jersey, I’ve seen firsthand how systematic it is to cater to an illegal Hispanic workforce for the abundance of warehouses spread through the state by only offering job opportunities in Hispanic neighborhoods and providing transportation for a population that can’t legally drive.
Part of the great illegal-immigrant lie was getting the working class to believe this would benefit us the most.
Despite the rhetorical promises made, there are now towns across this nation overrun with illegal foreign nationals who have happily taken our jobs at a discounted rate.
We even go as far as believing that illegals are uniquely more resilient to handle backbreaking work, which is the same line of rationality that was used to sustain slavery in America.
This lie was always about undercutting the blue-collar workforce and saving money on labor costs by hiring people who will take less.
The trick was making us believe that this move was somehow a greater benefit for all of us by implementing an economic caste system.
Our collective egotism of believing we are too good to work jobs that generations of Americans occupied was the point of exploitation to groom us into the circumstance we’re in today.
But blue-collar jobs were only the start: White-collar jobs will be next.
Adam B. Coleman is the author of “The Children We Left Behind” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing.