Undocumented Workers Lose an Ally
Spitzer supported undocumented workers getting drivers license, but caved in under public pressure.
Last year, Eun Suk Kim, who works as an undocumented nail technician in the East Village, thought that she was about to realize her dream of moving to a suburban Westchester or New Jersey where her 6- year-old son could go to school.
“When Governor Spitzer talked about driver’s licenses for undocumented people, I was very happy,” said Kim, adding that it would be almost impossible to live in a suburban area without a car, which she could not get with her expired passport.
When Kim heard the breaking news of the governor’s involvement with a prostitution ring, she repeatedly asked the client who handed her the paper if this was the same person that she knew as governor.
“He is still the person who was going to grant my hope,” Kim said. “What he did was totally wrong, but [former President Bill] Clinton continued his presidency after all those sex scandals; is this any different?”
Shocked by Gov. Spitzer’s prostitution scandal, many people, including pro-family leaders, have already called for the governor’s resignation, but he resigned on Wednesday. Many undocumented immigrants are frustrated to have lost an ally in the governor, who once was considered pro-immigration, until he gave up their fight last November.
Sara, a undocumented Russian nanny, who declined to give her last name, said she thinks prostitution shouldn’t be a cause for the governor’s resignation.
“In my country, prostitution is not illegal,” she said as she watched over children in Union Square. “As long as his family forgives him, I don’t care about his personal sex life.”
But there were voices of disappointment from undocumented people, who echoed the sentiments of other New Yorkers.
“Even though he did try to help our people in many ways, this is too much to be forgotten,” said Juan K., a Polish man working without a permit in the East Village “He should have been more ethical if he was convinced that he should help minority groups.”
But for Kim, there are more important priorities than ethical standards.
“I guess people will discuss what they should do with him now, whether to fire him or not,” said Kim, cleaning the floor of the Nail Salon during the quiet afternoon lull in business. “But whether he’s the kind of guy who gets prostitutes or not, if he could get me a driver’s license this year so I can drive my son to a better school in a safe town, he would be a great governor.”