Meet the ILR Family: Alexis Fintland ‘22

What’s the title of your thesis?

Essential Work, Unlawful Labor: An Analysis of Undocumented Status & Migrant Worker Precarity During COVID-19

What’s your paper about?

This paper examines fifty interviews of undocumented Latin American migrants working across four different low-wage industries—construction, manufacturing, home care, and restaurants. These interviews span from January 2018 to June 2021, covering a critical transitional point where nearly half of the interviews studied identify immediate impacts following the onset of COVID-19. This paper argues that two elements of job instability—job stability and health/safety concerns— demonstrate a shift in worker mentality and an overall intensification of job instability throughout COVID-19.

Why did you choose this topic?

As a Cuban American growing up between Los Angeles and Miami, I have become increasingly concerned about the social and economic inequities impacting the Latino community today, especially undocumented ones. COVID-19 has only exacerbated these challenges, highlighting why we are in dire need of more worker protections and comprehensive immigration reform. After working on the Capitol Hill and then serving as a research assistant for the Worker Institute, I knew I wanted to focus on a pressing labor issue that policymakers will be forced to grapple with in the coming future.