Fear of deportation makes immigrants spend less

Wed24May2006

Fear of deportation makes immigrants spend less

19:34 H | Topics: Houston - Immigration - Money - Texas

The Houston Chronicle has a very interesting piece today about the economic impact of recent raids against undocumented immigrants in the Latino goods and services sector in Houston. Apparently people are leaving their houses less, some have left their jobs and others are stashing away cash out of fear of they'll be the among the next group of rounded-up immigrants. The impact is being felt mostly by businesses that cater to the Latino immigrant population in Houston:

Although temperatures are rising, sales of paletas are not.

Carlos Gonzalez said his sales are half of what they should be during this peak season when his mostly Hispanic customers traditionally try to stave off the heat with the fruit-flavored frozen treats.

"It has gone down a lot," said Gonzalez at an international bus station on Harrisburg Boulevard where he stopped his paleta cart to sell to passengers. "People are afraid to go to work."

Across Houston, some small businesses that cater to the Hispanic immigrant community are reporting a sales slump that began last month after federal agents swept through pallet company IFCO Systems, detaining undocumented immigrants.

Read the whole article at Chron.com.

Via / The Houston Chronicle