DAY 69

The Immigration representatives and four police officers arrived at the farm early in the morning.  They had located only one person on the list that showed up with a problem.  He was allowed to stay pending clearing up a problem because the offense was two unpaid traffic tickets, not a violent crime and within the limits if he paid the fines within fifteen days.  He was advised that failing to pay the tickets in time could be cause for deportation.  All of the other illegals were recorded and given temporary ID cards.  They would be staying pending a check with the Mexican authorities for any criminal past.  They questioned Manuel on the small number of problems.  He advised them that some of their people had felt they might be deported and had left voluntarily.  Immigration was concerned that they were just hiding somewhere.  Manuel provided the names and told them he had personally taken them over the border several days ago.  They checked the border lists and found this was true.  Immigration was able to clear all but three of the citizens in the first list during the visit.  All of these cleared within the next day.  They finished the first month list by eleven AM and left.  They had expected it to take several days.

By evening the new employees arrived and were being settled in the bunk house where the single men stayed.  One of the men who had come north that day asked what the gringo who ran this farm was like.  One of the men who had been there for several weeks smiled.  “He isn’t a gringo.  He is one like us. His father came across the river at night.  He asks for a hard day’s work but the pay is good and he takes care of us.”  He related how the day had gone with the immigration.  The new man shook his head.  “I heard this from the man who brought us to the border.  He says the man took him home and gave him a job in Mexico because he could not stay.  He said he was in a bar fight and was in jail.”

“Antonio worked hard for the man.  When he had to go back the man was sad.”

“Antonio told me the man made a job for him in Mexico.  He will be finding workers and bringing them to the border.  He cannot cross but he can do that.  He said the pay is not as good as working here but it will be more than enough to keep his family and he only works for the man a couple days a week so he can farm there.  He wants to use what he learned here to farm better there.  He thinks maybe he can show Mexicans how to farm there.”

“If anyone can do that, Antonio can.” 

DAY 117

The AIDS bill celebrated its first hundred days.  An accounting of the cost showed it to be running about seventeen percent below the early estimates.  A survey of one hundred large hospitals completed a month before brought some startling news.  The combined effect of the health care bill and the AIDS bill was making an impact.  It was difficult to determine how much of the impact was the resulted from each but the best estimates were the amounts were nearly equal.  All of the hospitals were seeing a reduction of unpaid bills.  The hospitals were instituting percentage price cuts that equaled the value of the decrease in unpaid bills.  The insurance companies and Medicare would thus see reductions in costs. 

To be continued?

Maybe some day.  What will happen to Judi and Jaci?