The Country's Own Immigration Problem Surfaces in Tourist Hotspot Cancun Elena Toledo - PanAm Post
go to original February 7, 2017

Immigrants from Central America and Cuba arrive to Cancun under the notion that they will work in Five Star Hotels, but they are actually hired to pick up garbage on beaches, at best. (Youtube)

Cancun is one of México‘s most touristic cities, but it is also shares a border with Central America, which has created an interesting dynamic.

Immigrants perform the most difficult jobs in the city. Their work hours start as early as seven in the morning and finish late into the day. For the base salary of 100 pesos per day (US $5), they do everything from waiting on tourists, setting up beach chairs by the seashore, cleaning and other labor-intensive duties.

People from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Cuba are mostly the people who come to Cancun. They thought they were buying into a better life and salary, but instead of being employed as waiters at five star hotels, now collect garbage on beaches or have resorted to prostitution.

Eventually, they turn to any immigrant work in the peninsula that provides them with a roof over their heads and money for food.

Manuel Amador is in charge of refugees, and said he had never noticed so much immigration to Cancun before. Since 2014, he said the influx of Central Americans has only increased from 120 illegals to as high as 300. Most of them have to perform physically intensive tasks on beaches, which qualifies as labor exploitation, because their salary is below the minimum wage and in high season they don’t have breaks.

Read the rest at PanAm Post | Español

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