New York, NY —
Lawmakers in Washington are still struggling to find some compromise on immigration reform, but the disagreements are stark. Many Americans have long since given up on action by the federal government. Take the village of Brewster, a couple hours north of New York City.
There, dozens of Guatemalan day laborers wait for work every morning, and are paid illegally by the contractors and local residents who come to pick them up. Some in the area are aghast and they’re pushing for local representatives to get the men off the street. But it’s difficult to fashion local laws that hold up in court, so one group of activists is looking toward non-governmental solutions: peer pressure. WNYC’s Marianne McCune has the last of her series from Brewster.