Illegals dig in
By Kathleen Miller
Examiner Staff Writer 12/4/08
Workers congregate at the intersection of University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road in Takoma Park last year, at a popular spot where day laborers would regularly try to find work. Factors including high demand for hospitality workers for the upcoming inauguration and the difficulty of returning home are keeping immigrants in the D.C. area. Examiner File Experts say the Washington region’s immigrant population remains stable, even as an economic downturn and tougher enforcement have caused the first recent decreases in illegal immigration nationally.
National organizations have seen the number of illegal immigrants decrease, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to 1.3 million fewer people in the United States illegally. But locally, factors from a high demand for hospitality workers for the upcoming inauguration to the difficulty of returning home seem to be keeping immigrants here.
An October report from the Pew Hispanic Center said there were roughly 11.9 million illegal immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, down 500,000 people from the 12.4 million population estimate it reported in 2007.
The study said it was the first time in a decade that more immigrants were entering the country legally than illegally.
From 2000 to 2004, about 800,000 illegal immigrants a year entered the United States, but now the numbers have dropped to 500,000 a year, the report says. Meanwhile, legal immigration remains steady with about 650,000 authorized immigrants moving here each year.
Leaders of local immigrant advocacy groups such as CASA de Maryland and Virginia’s Tenants and Workers United say they’ve heard reports of immigrants heading home in other parts of the country, but they’re not seeing it here. Neither group checks the immigration status of the people they work with, so they can’t speak specifically about illegal immigrants, but they can discuss trends in the area’s immigrant community as a whole.
“The answer is a lot of people talk about it in a wishful way,” said Mario Quiroz, spokesman for CASA de Maryland. “They say, ‘I’m going to go home to be with my family,’ but in actuality, I have only seen one family who’s actually left.”
Quiroz says CASA, which operates day labor centers throughout Maryland, is seeing a 20 percent or so increase in those looking for work.
“Whatever conditions you have here are still probably better than what they have at home,” Quiroz said. “People used to send $300, $400, $500 a month back home; now they’re just saying, ‘Well, we’re having a bad time here too’ and not sending what they used to send.”
The Center for Immigration Studies, which favors stricter controls on all immigration, says the decline in the U.S. illegal immigrant population predates the current economic slump. The group reports a net loss of about 1.3 million illegal immigrants between August 2007 and May 2008, when the population slid from 12.5 million to 11.2 million.
Mark Krikorian, the center’s executive director, said he believes both the economic recession and increased enforcement efforts are causing the decline.
“The bad economy is not necessarily a self-correcting phenomenon for illegal immigration,” Krikorian said. “They’re not just going to leave because the housing market is tanking here when things are bad in their home country too, so increased enforcement is playing a role as well.”
Jon Liss, executive director of Fairfax County’s Tenants and Workers United, a day laborer assistance group, attributed the stability in the local immigrant population in part to the global scale of the economic slowdown.
“People know if the U.S. sneezes, the fact is Latin America probably has the flu,” Liss said.
Roy Beck, executive director of Numbers USA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration, said some illegal immigrants living in this area may be filling an increased demand for food service and hotel workers, in anticipation of the inauguration crowds, but added he believes eventually this region will also see a decline in the illegal immigrant population.
“There are some extra things going on here for a few months, but at the end of the day people will come for $15-an-hour construction jobs, but they won’t remain here for $7- or $8-an-hour service jobs,” Beck said. “When times are hard, the pull of home is much stronger.”
Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, who created one of the nation’s toughest local crackdowns on illegal immigration, said his county has already seen a dramatic drop in the number of estimated illegal immigrants.
He acknowledges, however, that there is no official way to track that and he’s relying on anecdotal information and census data about foreign-born residents in general, which show Prince William has lost 7 percent of its total immigrant population. He adds that Fairfax County has had a comparable increase in its foreign-born population and he can’t guarantee Prince William policies have resulted in illegal immigrants actually going home.
“The reality is illegal immigration knows no county boundaries; if we could do it regionally, we would be much more effective,” Stewart said.
10 Comments
Reader Comments:
POSTED Dec 4, 2008
Concerned Citizen: "Per your photo have you ever driven down Little River Turnpike in Annandale? Will Obama honor his campaign statement tregarding his Aunt still in the US since 2004 when she was ordered to be deported, oh wait, he had and has no idea about her situation... What will be the policy of the President-elect's liberal AZ Gov appointed to DHS?"POSTED Dec 4, 2008
Wallace Warfield Simpson: "Thanks for using the term "illegal" in your title instead of "immigrants." These invaders need to go home- they are stealing jobs and resources from American citizens. How about the recent surge of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens? Fabulous, eh? End all taxpayer funding to CASA- or Central American Solidarity Association with ties to Marxist Hugo Chavez. Join Help Save Maryland"POSTED Dec 4, 2008
levotb: "The author of this story is not living in reality and is fometing some very big lies: 1) That there are 11.9 million illegals in the U.S. currently 2) That the Invaders have been cut down by 500,000 since Pew's last study in 2007. She further quotes the pro-illegal alien group CASA as a truth teller regarding how many illegals have left or are leaving. First off, the actual number of illegals in the U.S. is 40 million, not 11.9 million. The author fails to quote the most recent thorough study on the numbers, the CAPS Study of October 2007, which found that 38 million were in the U.S. The author also fails to mention that between 1.5 and 3 million illegals break into the U.S. each year. So, the few illegals who are self-deporting isn't making a dent in the numbers because 1.5 to 3 million are still getting through."POSTED Dec 4, 2008
EdwardPaige: "Stewart's a know nothing blowhard. The sooner he's replaced from office to slip into obscurity the better. He's single-handedly decimated our tax base by causing PWC foreclosures to be quadruple that of surrounding counties."POSTED Dec 4, 2008
avalonwitch: "I love Corey Stewart! By the way--someone needs to take down that RACIST anti-European wall painted in old town Manassas."POSTED Dec 4, 2008
Bettybb: "The police in CO raided one tax preparation firm and found 1300 tax returns by illegal aliens who were using stolen or fake id. The total amount of refund checks these illegals stole from the American people... 2.6 million. One has to wonder how much of this is going on across the country."POSTED Dec 4, 2008
Buzzm1: "Dear Legislators, Mandate, AND STRICTLY ENFORCE, E-Verify for ALL employers, for ALL employees, and for ANY benefit, and the I.C.E. raids, as well as all of the expemsive new detention facilities, would not be needed. The illegals would have to begin leaving of their own accord. Think of the economic effect of giving the 8.7 million jobs, that the illegals have illegally obtained, using forged, or stolen documents, back to Americans. Think of the economic effect of 65 billion more dollars being spent in our United States, rather than being remitted to Mexico, and South America. Think of the money saved by decreasing I.C.E.'s effort. Think of it, and then let's do it!!! BOYCOTT ANY BUSINESS THAT HIRES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!! AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT IT!!! DURING HARD TIMES, WE CAN HAVE AN IMPACT!!!"POSTED Dec 4, 2008
Chantal: "This article demonstrates the anarchy that exists in this country. "High demand for hospitality workers for the inauguration..." Illegal aliens employed by corrupt businesses, and residing with impunity granted by elected and appointed officials, for the ceremonies related to an incoming American president. If Obama had a spine he would demand that only legal citizens work or participate in any and all events. Reviewing his appointments to date, it is obvious Obama made many "deals with the devil" (LaRaza) in return for their support. It's time to let him know he represents all Americans and not one ethnic group."POSTED Dec 5, 2008
CC: "So we need illegals for support of the inaugaration. I am sure the pay would be higher for out of work legal employees if our laws were enforced. When are we going to see our country is being stolen from us? Our collapse and decay will come from within,unless we wake up."POSTED Dec 5, 2008
Delaware Bob: "I believe it is up to the States to pass laws like Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and a few others. If all 50 States would pass a law, the ILLEGAL ALIENS could soon be out of here. I have to ask, what gives them the RIGHT to be here in the first place? They come here, take our jobs, drop their ANCHORS that we pay for, then we have to school them, take care of their health and the list goes on. When is this going to end? And let's not forget the BILLIONS upon BILLIONS that is sent out of this Country by the ILLEGAL ALIENS. How is this helping our economy, may I ask? Look at California, 3 million ILLEGAL ALIENS there and it costs the State $9 BILLION a year to keep them. Anyone see a problem with that? Let's work to get the ILLEGAL ALIENS out of this Country! They don’t belong here! None of them!"