MADISON AUMENT:
For 91.9 KVCR News, I’m Madison Aument. This is Economics IE. Today, I’m joined by my KVCR colleague Anthony Victoria. Anthony’s been covering immigration since the Trump Administration ramped up enforcement last year. After a year, data has begun to reveal the economic impacts of ramped enforcement.
Welcome, Anthony.
What does data show about the economic impacts of immigration enforcement?
ANTHONY VICTORIA:
The data shows immigration enforcement doesn’t impact one person, but has ripple effects on families and local communities. Public state and federal data shows households are of mixed status…citizens, permanent residents and undocumented people. They rely on immigrant workers to sustain their homes, food and basic needs. When someone is detained….what I’ve learned is that it destabilizes people’s lives.
MADISON AUMENT:
And what are you hearing from people?
ANTHONY VICTORIA:
People I’ve spoken to through my reporting have said they’ve had to juggle the stress of making sure their loved ones are ok, while also taking over as breadwinners. One woman…who didn’t want to give KVCR her name out of concern for her safety…said she’s working three jobs now after her husband was arrested and then detained at Adelanto. I also spoke with Perris resident Arleth Pacheco…who wanted to share her father’s story with us. Her dad…Gerardo… was arrested here in San Bernardino last month on his way to work. He’s lived in the U.S. for three decades and has children who are citizens, including Arleth. Her brother enlisted in the Marine Corps…a decision Gerardo supported. Now…Arleth says he’s in a detention center in Texas. She’s been left dealing with unpaid bills and rent…while she tries to get her dad home.
MADISON AUMENT:
What could this mean for the broader economy and local businesses?
ANTHONY VICTORIA:
It’s still unclear how this is impacting the Inland Empire, so I think it’s important we continue to seek clarity from the data and try to make sense of the effect it's having here. But we are seeing nearby cities and counties being impacted… Business owners in LA county are reporting losing many workers in the aftermath of raids. Construction crews in particular have been hit hard. Projects have been delayed and county officials say it's costing a lot of money.
MADISON AUMENT:
Join us again next Monday for Economics IE. You can find this segment and others at our website kvcrnews.org/econie. This segment is supported by the Nowak Family. For KVCR News, I’m Madison Aument.
