Posted on 12/29/2007 9:05:46 PM PST by OKIEDOC
Many Oklahoma businesses that cater to or are owned by Hispanics have been bleeding profits in recent months. Business leaders in those communities attribute the losses to passage of HB 1804, the state's new immigration law.
Grider Food Stores, a major distributor of Hispanic foods, reported sales declines of more than $500,000 in the last three months.
Carniceria El Torito in the 2300 block of S Western has been a purveyor of meat for more than nine years. In that time, the owners say they have never seen such sudden sales declines. The owners are trying to sell the meat market.
"It's been real low for three months now, and it's getting worse,” said Javier Ramierez, one of El Torito's owners. "Everybody says business is low everywhere. It's because there's not too much work right now and people are leaving the state.”
Ramierez says business has been off about 30 percent since Nov. 1, the date most portions of HB 1804 went into effect.
A few blocks away, in the 200 block of SW 25, is El Mana Panaderia, a Hispanic-owned bakery. Owner Florentino Cornejo says sales have dropped 50 percent in the last two months. He has fired three employees, keeping only two, and picked up the slack by working longer hours.
Cornejo is not considering selling out, but says immigration enforcement has forced him to work a lot harder for less money.
‘It's hit us pretty bad' The immigration statute was adopted by the Legislature last spring and signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry. It received bipartisan support from state lawmakers who expressed frustration with Congress' inability to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The law prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving public services and driver's licenses. It also criminalizes transporting, harboring or sheltering illegal immigrants from detection. Beginning July 1, the statute will require employers to verify employment prior to hiring new workers.
It is considered the most stringent immigration enforcement statute in the nation.
Last month, its validity was challenged in court by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Religious Leaders. That lawsuit, however, was dismissed. Subsequently, the Oklahoma law has spurred the penning of numerous likeminded measures around the nation.
Felix Perretti is a board member of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and owner of Muebleria La Popular Furniture, also on the city's south side.
In October, Perretti's sales declined by 10 percent. In November, sales declined by an additional 10 percent. This month, even with Christmas, Perretti says he has been struggling to reach pre-HB 1804 numbers.
"We are definitely being affected by this law,” Perretti said. "We are struggling.”
Maxine Grider, the owner of Grider Foods, has operated her grocery store in the 2700 block of SW 29 for 45 years. If this trend continues, she says, the store's future is uncertain.
"It's hit us pretty bad. I'm sure not satisfied with sales,” Grider said.
"It affects your bottom line tremendously.”
Oklahoma homebuilders lost about 10 percent of their workforce after the law went into effect, said Mike Means, executive vice president of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association.
For Fernando Espinoza, a Farmer's Insurance agent who works largely within the Hispanic community, HB 1804 has not been entirely negative.
"It's been good and bad. There are fewer people here. But the people who stay here have something holding them down like a car, a house, a business or family,” Espinoza said.
"So they say if I am going to be here, I am going to do it legally.”
What about other stores? In mid-November, El Mariachi Supermercado opened at 415 SW 59 as a full-size grocery store and pharmacy specializing in Hispanic foods. Employers there said they had not noticed a significant decline in traffic. Budget Foods on SW 25, a discount grocer that also specialized in Hispanic foods, has failed to reopen since the ice storm. Signs on the front door blame the closure on storm damage
Yay, people whining about the illegal profits they made using illegal aliens in illegal work for illegal pay.
What part of “illegal” didn’t they understand?
They dont like the business climate here in the States? Let them move to mexico and service the “hispanic” clientèle there! What’s the problem?
Anyone from Oklahoma remember the last time newsok.com complained about lost profits from any other segment of industry?
“Subsequently, the Oklahoma law has spurred the penning of numerous likeminded measures around the nation.”
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This is just the beginning, this snowball is going to pick up speed and get bigger faster.
May immigrationis better handled by the States being united and not by the United States of America. Every state should adopt the same measures and the ones that don’t will feel the influx of immigrants and heat of the voters who are having to pay for it.
>> Oklahoma homebuilders lost about 10 percent of their workforce after the law went into effect.
>> folks are significantly impacted by scads of illegal immigrants moving in and undercutting wages of established legal black citizens.
OK, homebuilders, time for a little OJT (on the job training)? Maybe with a little push from the unemployment and/or welfare department you’d have some nice new employees that speak English?
If you mix a deep southrun drawl with ghetto-speak, I'm not sure you still get anything recognizable as English. However, I'll still take the citizens as workers. I might just need a translator.
"Excuse me, stewardess, I speak jive. Would you like me to translate?"
The article is a feel good piece to salve the open wound left by the gnashing of teeth and tearing of sack cloth by the righteous indignation of the politically correct liberal bleeding hearts club.
Wow, a state that is actually capable of doing the right thing. I wonder if this will end-up being a national trend...?
That workforce has moved to North Carolina.
Sounds like if 49 other states passed and enforced HB1804, there might be some real progress.
I realize, of course, that the media is trying to make the law into a bad thing by saying that Hispanic business are having bad sales but what it really says is that 20-50% of their business went to illegals who have chosen to leave.
Factor also that Oklahoma has been hit this month by terrible weather and power outages - something that probably hit ALL businesses very hard, not just Hispanic ones.
I’d like to know how the businesses are doing and the economy overall is doing 12 months from now. That would be a better gauge to measure the effect of this bill.
No, businesses employing bilingual legal residents whining about declining sales to illegal aliens. Macys is closing their Oklahoma City store too. They’re just not whining.
Nope.
“Beginning July 1, the statute will require employers to verify employment prior to hiring new workers.”
Unfortunately, thanks to a 30-year-old liberal Supreme Court ruling, school districts cannot check the immigration status of students or their parents. This means they are stuck providing free breakfasts, lunches, and 7 hours of free child care to non-citizens on the local taxpayers’ dime. This needs to be changed by the next President and Congress.
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