Kelly Osburne, President Trump and the Lives of Immigrants

In 2015, Kelly Osbourne stunned Latines across the country by dropping a seemingly racist comment—now a viral meme—about immigrants on the American talk show, The View. While addressing Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s policy on immigration, Osbourne stated, “If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilets, Donald Trump?” 

 

At first glance, Osbourne’s comment appears as a racist, stereotypical remark on immigrants, that all are “toilet cleaners.” The notion that all Latine immigrant labor is, for example, construction workers and janitors, has negatively portrayed Latines in the media for decades. However, her take is not as ridiculous as it seems. 

 

In the United States, the industries with the highest share of immigrant workers are the construction and service work industries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published that Latine immigrants account for 21.8% of service workers and 13.8% of natural resources, construction and maintenance workers.

 

In hindsight, it might appear that Latines only account for a small percentage of manual labor. However, it is important to put these percentages into perspective. 

 

Comparing the scale of Latine immigrants to all immigrants in the U.S. is important. Senior Policy Analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, Jeanne Batalova published a report in 2022, finding that “44 percent of U.S. immigrants (20.4 million people) reported having Hispanic or [Latino/a/e] ethnic origins.”

 

While it might seem like immigrants of other races have a higher volume of manual laborers because their percentages are higher. When taking into account that almost half of U.S. immigrants are of Latin origin, on paper, other races amount to fewer people compared to Latines. 

 

So, if Trump were to “kick every Latino out of the country,” the number of people working in those fields would drop drastically. 

 

While the upsetting reaction to Osbourne’s comments was warranted, seeing as a white woman should not be making open critiques on behalf of Latines, it does open a crucial conversation. 

 

The statistics reflect that a majority of immigrant Latinos provide manual labor. However, these statistics shouldn’t garner the negative response they are often associated with. Labor-intensive work is heavily taken for granted. Physically demanding jobs such as construction and janitorial work are difficult and dangerous. It’s skilled labor that no one wants to do, but it needs to be done. 

 

It’s also important to take into consideration that for many immigrants, especially those who are older and/or undocumented, labor-intensive and service jobs are their only options. Those who are undocumented are not granted aid from the government. Their need to maintain a roof over their heads and food on the table pressures them into taking these difficult jobs. 

 

Having a father who worked as a garment worker and a mother who has worked as a custodian for over a decade, I witnessed firsthand the impact of these lines of work. There were countless times in my childhood when my father would come home with cuts and bruises on his arm or occasionally even a sprained wrist. My mother developed knee and back problems as well as blisters and rashes from the chemicals she used while cleaning. 

 

These are the experiences that Latine immigrant workers live through every day. Despite being mistreated, overworked and underpaid, they provide us with essential services. 

 

Now, 10 years after Osbourne’s comments, America is once again faced with the crisis of mass deportation of immigrants. In an article by the BBC, Ana Faguy reported that prior to President Trump’s inauguration, massive deportation and ICE raids began appearing in cities across the nation and were anticipated in major metropolitan cities such as Newark, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. On the day of his inauguration, President Trump signed executive orders that could harm the lives of immigrants and their children for years to come. One executive order (EO) he signed, EO 14160, consisted of ending our 14th amendment of birthright citizenship which grants all individuals—including children of immigrants—born in the U.S. automatic citizenship. Fortunately, as reported by journalist Mike Wendlingo with the BBC, this was blocked by federal judge Deborah Boardman, however, it doesn’t take away from Trump’s efforts to set the precedent of withholding the rights of immigrants in this country. In addition, on January 20th, the White House announced President Trump also signed EO 14163, which suspends the U.S. Refugee Admission Program, which allowed immigrants to seek asylum and resettle in the U.S. This is only the beginning of President Trump’s term; it is impossible to tell how these orders and the lives of immigrants will play out. Nevertheless, now more than ever, it is important to support our families, friends and even fellow UCLA students who are being affected by President Trump’s orders.

 

It is time for us students, who were mere children the last time Trump was inaugurated, to reflect on the importance of the hard work and labor of Latine immigrants especially here at UCLA. Fortunately, we are privileged enough to receive an education, something that cannot be said as comfortably by our undocumented community members. For this reason, we shouldn’t take their labor for granted. Make sure to thank the custodians next time you see them cleaning the restrooms, and thank the cooks at the dining halls who keep you fed. It is thanks to their labor that we have the opportunity to live comfortably while gaining an education. 

 

It is unfortunate that 10 years later we’re still dealing with the same fear and uncertainty about the possible mass deportation of Latine immigrants. However, as a Latine community, we continue to have the power to support our undocumented friends, family and neighbors. This time around, let us be the voice in our community and not another white nepotism baby on a talk show.