Their persistence in finding a job for the day to provide for their families kept them running anxiously over to trucks and vans.

The workers huddled around a pavilion at 6 a.m. at Fort Worth Drive and Collins Street, as they do every morning.

Students from a NT social work diversity class handed out piping hot coffee, orange juice, tortillas and doughnuts to migrant workers who were anxiously waiting for a truck to pick them up to go to a construction site.

Syl Flores, the instructor of the course, was also on site. He said that the optional service went on through out the week and another group would be out on Saturday.

"Commuter students have also come out here to help out as well," Flores said.

As a police car drove by, he also said that as the workers walk out of the station away from the pavement they have to be careful.

Police patrol the area watching the workers to make sure they aren't in the street, because if they are they may be arrested.

"It's kind of like a game of cat and mouse," he said. "The workers have to be very careful."

The class served breakfast to the migrants as early as 6:30 a.m., trying to help and communicate with them.

John Golden, Sacramento, Calif, senior, was a leader of one of the volunteer groups and said he was impressed at the amount of help received from businesses' sponsorship.

"We got a lot of corporate sponsors like Grandy's, Sonic, Ester's Bakery, Mi Casita restaurant and Starbucks were our primary sponsors," he said.

"They gave us food and cups to help the workers."

Golden said the experience of helping the workers gave him a new perspective on life.

"It's eye-opening to see what's going on," he said. "It's humbling to see these guys out here hustling trying to make ends meet." Ricardo, as well as the rest of the Spanish-speaking migrant workers who were interviewed, asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of being deported.

Migrant workers typically work in agriculture and construction jobs, Ricardo said. Despite accusations of not wanting or being willing to work in other places, he said if they hear someone is hiring, they try to get that job.

But working in construction is what they know and the workers' goal is to get a steady job, he said.

With a declining economy, the day laborers said that it is hard to get work.

Hispanic workers are not the only ones that occupy the pavilion. They said that because they speak Spanish, at times blacks and whites are chosen first when sub-contractors come by to pick them up.

The types of companies that come by are subcontractors trying to get cheap labor. Luis said that migrant workers work eight to nine hours a day, and the pay ranges to from $5 to $8 an hour.

Unfortunately, some people cheat the workers by not paying them at all.

Because migrant workers are desperate to get work, they automatically jump into vehicles that stop by without even looking for proof of any kind that they will be paid.

Luis said one time they worked all day and were promised a particular amount of money per hour.

When it was pay time, the workers the employer said they would pay them later. Unfortunately, he was not paid at all.

Another migrant worker said the other day they were picked up and worked all day. When he got his white envelope there was only $20 inside.

Ricardo said a van came by one day and promised to pay workers $14 per hour for a job. Instead of going to a job site, the workers were deported.

The workers stay at the port for long hours trying desperately to get work so they can support their family in Mexico.

Eduardo, another worker, has been deported numerous times and had to walk and hitchhike for five days to come back to America.

He has a family in Mexico and an 8-year-old son to whom he sends money. He has been in America for about 10 years and rarely gets to see his son.

"People have their preconceived notions about these workers; some people dehumanize them," Jannell Amrine, Crowley senior, said.

"This is what happens when you get down to zero. Everyday someone's getting laid off. It could happen to any of us."

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