An Alabama woman has caught national media attention after claiming that an inability to speak Spanish is preventing her from securing a job.
Sandra Langlois is German-born, though she speaks English fluently in addition to her native language. Having lived in Albertville, Alabama for decades as a legal immigrant, she now says that the high percentage of Hispanic laborers- both legal and illegal- have changed the face of the local workforce. According to her, it’s making it nearly impossible to secure a job in America.
Currently living out of a motel, Langlois believes that she’s running out of time to find a suitable job to support her family. After being turned down for several positions, she says that she’s being forced to compete with a large Spanish-speaking labor pool.
“It’s kind of, really, discrimination,” Langlois told CNN. “If you’re not here legally, then you need to go ahead and go back home. … They need to come over here the right way. Don’t sneak over. Don’t stay here.”
According to reports, 30 percent of Albertville, Alabama’s residents are Hispanic.
“It’s just not fair,” she added. “It’s like they’re getting special treatment.”
She’s not alone in her resentment. According to the report, a CNN/KFF survey of working-class white Americans revealed that 40% of those in Southern states have faced similar circumstances.
In 2011, the Alabama Legislature attempted to address the high influx of illegal immigrants by passing HB 56, which was regarded as one of the harshest state-led immigration laws in the nation. Some of the most notable provisions compelled schools to check the legal status of students, and would have also required law enforcement to arrest individuals who could not prove their citizenship. Though HB 56 resulted in the “self-deportation” of many illegal immigrants, the federal government ultimately halted states’ effort to self-enforce immigration laws.
Ahead of the election, Alabama voters continue to display approval of candidates in favor stricter immigration controls. To that end, Donald Trump, who partnered with Senator Jeff Sessions to create a hardline federal immigration policy, is expected to win the state handily in November.
