Immigrant Labor: California’s Undocumented Economy

The coastside town of Pescadero worries that new immigrant restrictions will stifle the economy, and cost its schools as much as 60 percent of their students.

Family farmers there are already losing workers to the higher- paying construction industry, the San Mateo County Times reports, and fear the new rules will put them out of business.

In San Diego, competition is stiff for a pool of up to 400,000 undocumented workers in restaurants, construction, agriculture and childcare. The underground economy produces affordable services and housing, KPBS TV reports, driving a regional biotech and telecom boom.

And at nearby Pitzer College, protestors say the arrest of 761 immigrants under “Operation Return to Sender” unjustly targets “good people” who contribute to the community, according to the San Bernardino County Sun.

Activists say the raid is counterproductive as President Bush calls for a new U.S. guest-worker policy.

Sources:

“Farmers fear workers won’t return”
San Mateo County Times (CA), January 20, 2007

“Undocumented workers have large impact on local economy”
KPBS (CA), January 25, 2007

“Marchers will protest sweeps of immigrants”
San Bernardino County Sun (CA), January 25, 2007

One thought on “Immigrant Labor: California’s Undocumented Economy

  1. It simply defies logic. They are actually targeting people at work , employed and paying taxes. and crowing about it.meanwhile murderers and rapists,gang bangers and corrupt CEOs walk free.