CHICAGO – An army of Latin American migrants, some of them having only recently crossed the dreaded Darien Gap, have worked up to 19 hours during these four days of the Democratic National Convention to make everything work and clean up the confetti from the political coronation of Kamala Harris, candidate for president.
Johselis (Venezuela) and María (Colombia) are two of the hundreds of workers who, from August 19 to 22, have moved among the thousands of delegates and journalists, hundreds of congressmen, Hollywood and music stars without being detected to collect the trays, clean the bathrooms and, on Thursday, clean up the rain of more than 100,000 balloons and confetti in honor of Harris, the daughter of immigrants.
Both have worked 19 hours a day for these four days, from 5 am to 12 pm, when all the delegates have long since headed to their hotels or to the many parties organized in the city during this Democratic conclave, the largest political show on the planet.
Both also crossed the Darien jungle between Panama and Colombia on foot a year ago, as they explained in an interview with EFE.
“We saw dead people and it was very hard. I came here from Peru,” explains Johselis, who says that life in Chicago is hard and far from family and friends, but “there is a lot of hope and possibilities for improvement.”
In the corridors of the United Center, echoes of politicians and actors can be heard talking about “the land of opportunity,” the “promise of America,” or trying to shape the profile of candidate Harris, the daughter of immigrant teachers from India and Jamaica, for American television viewers.
“It’s an experience, but it’s a lot of work over many hours. We see a lot of important people, but here we are. A year ago I wouldn’t have imagined it,” explains Maria in front of a large rolling cube, while the armoured Escalade van of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party, moves nearby.
In this enclave, the tens of thousands of people who share the space are authorized to move around by the Secret Service, as well as the cleaners, many of whom are also Mexican, and the closeness that can be seen is something out of the ordinary, although most will only see the central blue velvet stage at the end of the festivities.
Johselis, a young man who has just left his teens, laughs and shrugs when asked about the “American dream” and simply says: “I’m delighted to be here.”
If he reaches the White House, his government would offer an incentive of up to $25,000 to new homeowners. To see more from Telemundo, visit
