Crackdown on Immigrants and Impact on Businesses and the Economy

Posted by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin on August 31, 2007

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, according to an article on the Washington Post by Spenser S. Shu posted yesterday on their website addresses an issue that we need to pay close attention in our rural towns in Minnesota.

The article relates to the economic impact through disruption of business activities that a planned immigrant crackdown could have on many key business sectors around the country.  The housing market downturn and the related economic impact of the housing market (consumption of durable goods), has already added stress on an economy that has unarguably been in trouble for many years.

No matter on which side of the arguments on undocumented immigration one stands these days, there are measures that are just plainly counterproductive if we consider all of the other factors already affecting our social and economic conditions.  We have the right to demand that our leaders are held accountable for predictable impacts of their actions in this issue of immigration policies. Cracking down on a population that is already in an economic corner, in an economy that like it or nor not depends on them to a great degree, is not going to automatically create opportunities for others, has nothing to do with fixing the broken immigration system, but has significant consequences for our local economies.