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January 6, 2008

A Swirling Hispanic Market Captured in a Few Headlines

In the downtime I've had over the last several weeks, we've seen a few headlines which, in sum, capture the turmoil in the U.S. Hispanic demographic, which has in turn translated into slower spending:

Results from a recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center indicate that a significant proportion of Hispanics across the country, including those that are citizens, "feel a chill" from the intense debate over immigration:

Just over half of all Hispanic adults in the U.S. worry that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported, a new nationwide survey of Latinos by the Pew Hispanic Center has found. Nearly two-thirds say the failure of Congress to enact an immigration reform bill has made life more difficult for all Latinos. Smaller numbers (ranging from about one-in-eight to one-in-four) say the heightened attention to immigration issues has had a specific negative effect on them personally. These effects include more difficulty finding work or housing; less likelihood of using government services or traveling abroad; and more likelihood of being asked to produce documents to prove their immigration status.

Reuters reports on the decision many Mexicans are making to "self deport", either returning to Mexico or moving to other states perceived as less hostile.

The Dallas Morning News named the 'faceless, nameless' Illegal Immigrant the 2007 Texan of the Year:

This essay cannot put a name or a face to an illegal immigrant, because that would subject him to possible deportation. Because he lives underground, the illegal immigrant becomes, in our rancorous debate, less a complex human being and more a blank screen upon which both sides can project their hopes and fears. . . .

We end 2007 no closer to compromise on the issue than when the year began. People waging a culture war – and that's what the struggle over illegal immigration is – don't give up easily. What you think of the illegal immigrant says a lot about what you think of America, and what vision of her you are willing to defend. How we deal with the stranger among us says not only who we Americans are today but determines who we will become tomorrow.

In 1982, Time magazine awarded its "Man of the Year" designation to the personal computer with these words: "There are some occasions, though, when the most significant force in a year's news is not a single individual but a process, and a widespread recognition by a whole society that this process is changing the course of all other processes."

Ponder the irony of these two designations at your leisure.

At the same time, retailers disappointed with results of this year's holiday shopping season are turning to Latinos for help, in the form of El Día de los Reyes--the Christian feast of Epiphany--which for many Latinos represents a gift-giving holiday.

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