Almost every time I visit my older relatives, I hear things like, “These immigrants are taking all of the American jobs.” What they fail to recognize is that these immigrants are only taking the jobs that average American citizens turn their heads to, the jobs that take so much effort and offer so little in return that even the most desperate Americans hardly look to them as last resorts.

 
Most immigrant workers involve themselves in agricultural work. Of all farm workers in the United States, 75 percent were born in Mexico, according to the Student Action with Farmworkers Organization. Though field work comes with low pay and poor conditions, these people put up with nine to 12-hour work days seven days a week to make better lives for their families.

 
For all the hard hours farm workers do to put food on the table, they are paid almost nothing. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the average annual income for a 3.8-person family of undocumented immigrants is $12,991. Meanwhile, the average income for a 2.4-person family of American citizens is $28,185. With fewer family members, American citizens are earning more money than immigrant families with more members.

 
Though immigrant farm workers are under the poverty line, very few of them enjoy the luxury of government-granted benefits. Less than 1 percent of all farm workers use general assistance welfare. Only 2 percent use social security, and fewer than 15 percent are Medicaid recipients, according to the Student Actions with Farmworkers (SAF).

 
Not only are field workers underpaid, they are basically choosing to risk their lives by simply showing up at work.

 
Ranked one of the top three most dangerous jobs in the U.S., working on farmland is underrated in this society. Farm workers suffer from the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries and skin disorders of any workers in the country. They are also known to suffer heat stress from staying out in the hot sun for hours on end, rarely taking breaks.

 
The migrant farm workers are not the only ones affected by their low-quality jobs. Their struggles are often passed on to their children as well. Their children have higher rates of pesticide exposure, malnutrition and dental disease than the general population, according to SAF. They are also less likely to have the necessary immunizations because most immigrants cannot obtain health insurance.

 
Immigrants go through a lot of trouble to build better lives for themselves in this country. They do not come here and immediately get high-ranked, high-paying executive positions. Instead they work long days in the blistering sun, getting scratched and poked by crops, underpaid for their hard work.

 
In the words of the United Farmworkers co-founder Cesar Chavez, “Every time we sit at a table to enjoy the fruits and vegetables from our good earth, remember that they come from the work of men and women and children who have been exploited for generations.”

 
So the next time you want to complain about what immigrants do in this country, think to yourself: how would you feel if you were in that position?