The backyard of Hilario Ramirez shows off the results of his 17 years here in Painesville's landscaping industry. He's laid out wooden planters and brick walkways, which lead you to a central pond with lily pads. It's a far cry from his days as a teenager in 1990, when he snuck across the Mexican border in pursuit of the American Dream.
Hilario Ramirez: I was 17 years old and I was so excited I was coming to the United States.
And his destination was the fertile soil of Northeast Ohio. This area is home to dozens of nurseries In fact, the Lake County nursery industry brings in $100 million a year. For years, the region has proved to be a magnet for workers from Leon Guanajuato, Mexico, looking for a better American paycheck. But, the work's not very pleasant. Entry-level field hands spend all day digging up ornamental trees and shrubbery.
Hilario Ramirez: I would say each person would dig about 200 plants a day, and it's really, really hard.
Ramirez eventually legalized his status by getting a green card, and now he's a salesman for one of the local growers. Jay Daley, who manages Sun Leaf Nurseries, says the stream of Mexican workers that flows into Painesville keeps him in business. He claims he can't find citizens in this country willing to do the work.
Jay Daley: Americans don't raise their children to work in the field. We'd prefer them to work in other places that correlate with success.
Carla Lee, who heads the Nursery Growers of Lake County, sides with Daley. She says local growers have actively solicited American workers, by visiting high schools and offering internships. She adds, they also spread the word through the Lake County Jobs and Family Services agency.
Carla Lee: We're not giving away American jobs. We welcome anyone to come in and work with us. We don't get enough applicants.
Harriet Applegate is skeptical. She heads the Cleveland-based North Shore Federation of Labor.
Harriet Applegate: Here we are the poorest city in the country, right next to Lake County. I'm sure there's someone in the inner city of Cleveland that might take some of these jobs.
Applegate adds that she believes that most growers in the region don't mean to flout the law.
Harriet Applegate: It's not those specific growers in Lake County that's the problem, it's the whole system that's developed. We have millions of undocumented workers who are working side-by-side with legals, throughout our country. I'm not faulting these particular growers, but I fault the system from which they benefit tremendously.
While Congress continues to debate the best way to reform that system, one estimate says there are many as 4,000 Mexican immigrants in Northeast Ohio working here illegally. A number of them have bought houses and have children going to area schools. Hilario Ramirez, the former illegal immigrant, says the recent federal raids in Painesville have had a chilling effect on the local Mexican community.
Hilario Ramirez: It was very upsetting. The town became pretty empty. There was no one in the stores. People were scared.
Things have calmed down since then, but the raids could resume anytime. Gazing proudly around his backyard patio, Ramirez says he's come a long way from those early days when he spent hours in the fields digging trees out of the Painesville soil. Suddenly, he gets a bemused look on his face.
Hilario Ramirez: I think that's what the government is trying to do with us. [chuckles] They are trying to dig us up from the ground and trying to change us. [laughs]
Hilario Ramirez thinks it's going to be tough to dig-up and toss out all of the undocumented workers, because they've grown some deep roots and many employers are nurturing them. David C. Barnett, 90.3.