A year after the U.S. border was closed to all non-essential travel, the pandemic has underscored an informal economy that many fronterizos prefer not to talk about even as they struggle to adapt to a new reality.
鈥淲e were quickly trying to scramble and figure out what we do next,鈥� said Patricia, a single mother of three in El Paso. Her family relied on a woman from Ciudad Ju谩rez to help care for her ailing grandmother.
Across the border in Ciudad Ju谩rez, Catalina depended on the income from her job cleaning houses in El Paso to help support her family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 made it very, very hard for us,鈥� Catalina said.
The women, like many others, spoke on the condition their full names not be used because the work is not authorized.
Mexicans with border crossing cards normally can visit the United States to see family and friends, shop and enjoy social gatherings, or go to appointments. But they are not supposed to work. Even so, generations have held down informal jobs.
"We did have a lady come to El Paso every week Sunday to Friday, and she would care for my grandmother full time, day and night, which was very helpful because the entire family has full time jobs, they go to school, lots of commitments,鈥� Patricia said.
She鈥檚 not alone.
鈥淚 do have a lot of people I know who do depend on workers coming from Mexico for different reasons whether it be for care of an elderly person, care for children, for home care,鈥� Patricia said.
The women from Mexico who do that work are a vital, affordable support system for women in the U.S. so they can hold down jobs outside the home.
That 鈥渃aring work" or "caring labor鈥� is happening all along the U.S.-Mexico border, said Josiah Heyman, director of the Center for Interamerican and Border Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Indeed, the pandemic has exposed just how essential informal workers and caregivers from Mexico are to the families in the United States who depend on them 鈥� they are often affordable essential workers for others doing essential work.
But they are part of a hidden economy and most Mexican citizens with border crossing cards are not allowed into the U.S. because pandemic restrictions limit travel to essential reasons.
鈥淚 think essential was very much in the eye of the beholder. I think when we go to figure out who was essential, we鈥檙e going to figure out it鈥檚 a very insightful map of power,鈥� Heyman said.
Those who hold down jobs connected to international trade are among essential workers still allowed to go back and forth across the border.
鈥淭he law itself doesn鈥檛 match with reality very well,鈥� Heyman said.
The informal labor market carries a risk; Mexican citizens could lose their border crossing cards if they are caught doing unauthorized work.
That makes it hard to calculate this hidden workforce, but a survey by the El Paso Community Foundation offers suggestions about the potential pool of people, Heyman said. He and colleague Eva Moya at the UTEP School of Social work co-authored the 2018 study.
During the previous two years, nearly 75% of those surveyed in Ciudad Ju谩rez had visited El Paso. Those who did not cited lack of a border crossing card as an impediment. Among the top reasons Ju谩rez residents came to El Paso: shopping, visiting family and friends, and entertainment.
The survey did not ask if people also worked while on the U.S. side but nearly 5% volunteered they had crossed to work. Some could be U.S. citizens living in Ju谩rez who can work legally in El Paso.
The unauthorized workforce is no doubt much larger than self-reported and is overlooked by authorities, Heyman said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 largely unnoticed, not valued and not recognized,鈥� he said.
But the disruption during the pandemic has created economic hardship for families on both sides of the border.
In El Paso, Patricia has no idea when her grandmother鈥檚 caregiver will cross again. The family has had a hard time finding a stable and affordable alternative.
鈥淧rivate health care facilities and companies are just not affordable for the typical family. The cost is just outrageous to hire somebody through a health care agency even to come for even three hours. It can range from $30 to $50 an hour,鈥� Patricia said.
Her grandmother is disabled and has diabetes and needs round-the-clock care.
Catalina, the Ju谩rez mother, also is struggling during the border shutdown. She has not been able to find work to make up the income she used to earn crossing the border four days a week to clean homes and do laundry, mostly for older El Pasoans.
That income helped pay the tuition for her children鈥檚 schools in Ju谩rez. Her husband works full time but they relied on a dual income to support their family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 affected us a lot,鈥� Catalina said. 鈥淚 have friends, my sisters, we all depend on going to work in El Paso and here we are still waiting."
Finding a job at amaquiladoraor factory, usually a fallback position for Ju谩rez residents, also has become more difficult during the pandemic. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not hiring people older than 45,鈥� said Catalina who is 50.
Mayra, 30, decided to stay on the U.S. side of the border with her three young children who are dual citizens. But that means she hasn't seen her mother and other relatives in Ciudad Chihuahua for a year.
鈥淣ow with the pandemic, I haven鈥檛 been able to visit my family. If I go, I can鈥檛 come back,鈥� Mayra said.
While she鈥檚 been in El Paso this past year, an aunt and uncle died from COVID-19 in Chihuahua. 鈥淚t has been difficult not to see them,鈥� she said.
As hard as it is, she鈥檚 stayed in the United States to give her children a better life and has found plenty of housekeeping work.
She works for five different families. Her grateful employers tell her, 鈥淭hank goodness we found you. Thank you for giving us a helping hand,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 tell them, 鈥楴o, thank you for helping me.鈥欌��
Mayra鈥檚 60-year-old aunt, who used to work in El Paso, continues to draw a salary from her longtime employer while waiting in Chihuahua for the border to reopen.
鈥淚t was a blessing they kept paying her,鈥� Mayra said.
Strong cross-border bonds between those who depend on each other have also been revealed during the pandemic.
鈥淪he鈥檚 just become like family to us,鈥� Patricia said of the woman who was her grandmother鈥檚 caretaker. Every other week, one of Patricia鈥檚 relatives crosses into Ju谩rez to bring the woman groceries and used items her family can sell to make a little cash.
One of Catalina鈥檚 El Paso employers is also helping her by regularly sending cash. 鈥淕od put some very good people in my path,鈥� she said her voice cracking. 鈥淲e need them as much as they need us. And we miss them a lot.鈥�
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