Failure Of Immigration Bill May Spell Trouble For Sidewalk Vendors

Last week the Senate failed to pass an immigration bill. That is bad news not only for proponents of immigration law reform, but also for street commerce. Here's why. An influx of undocumented workers over the past several years has coincided with an increase in the number of folks doing business on the street. Sidewalk vendors proliferated, especially in larger cities, and day laborers waiting on roadsides and in Home Depot parking lots appeared just about everywhere. Many of these people were immigrants; a substantial portion were undocumented. These street entrepreneurs became a very visible symbol of immigration, and for opponents evidence of the failure of the federal government to stem the flow.

Lacking action in Washington, immigration opponents turned to state and local governments. Cities such as Escondido, California and Hazleton, Pennsylvania responded by making it illegal for landlords to rent to undocumented workers. Others like Salinas and Santa Ana, California tightened traffic regulations. Rules making it more difficult to operate taco trucks or to stop on a roadside to pick up or drop off passengers were indirectly aimed at illegal immigration. Finding it impractical to send their cops to the border, locals decided to discourage immigration by making it harder for immigrants to do business in their fair city. Putting aside the negative impact these rules have had on immigrants themselves, these new rules shielded some established businesses from competition and helped suffocate street life for everyone.

Federal immigration reform promised to "solve the problem" and get cities and towns out of the business of attempting to control immigration through indirect means. But now that the Senate bill is dead, you can be sure that other localities will step into the breach with their own version of reform. Whether you're the native buying tacos on the street, or the undocumented immigrant selling them from a truck, this is bad news.