Thread: Lack of illegals "victimizes" legal restaurant own

http://delawareonline.com

Elsmere's posturing over immigration law victimizes a good American
06/26/2005

In the weeks since Elsmere Town Council voted down a law that would fine landlords and residents who could not prove legal immigration status, we have heard various endorsements of the intent behind it.

Indeed, if there's one point on which both sides agree, it's that those who have followed the immigration rules are to be admired. These legal immigrants, hard-liners insist, have nothing to fear from a crackdown on those without papers.

So when I visited Latinos in Wilmington and Elsmere with Cecilia Cadesa-Lusardi of Voices Without Borders, who served as interpreter, I was particularly struck by the story of Virginia Espinosa Sanchez, who owns and runs La Fonda restaurant.

Espinosa Sanchez, a 45-year-old single mother with a broad, expressive face and sparkling brown eyes, came to the United States from Puebla, Mexico, under the sponsorship of her brother-in-law, who owns a pair of bodegas. She lived and worked with him and eventually earned her own documentation.

Like many immigrants, she found herself nostalgic for the home cooking she missed, and knew others felt the same. Using money she scraped together with her four sisters and a sister-in-law, she bought the restaurant 18 months ago.

The business was doing well, she said, until talk of the proposed law stirred up fear. Rumors swept the community -- federal immigration agents were picking up people at this grocery, or that restaurant, or at Value City. None of it was true, but none of it could be checked out, so it was safer to stay indoors.

The atmosphere made Espinosa Sanchez feel "like an animal trapped in a corral." Though she had nothing to fear herself, "you all feel the same because you are a community," she said.

The immigration raids never came to pass, but Latinos in Elsmere felt lasting effects. Before the proposed law was voted down, some landlords warned tenants that, facing potential $1,000 fines for undocumented residents, they found it too risky to rent to Hispanics. Dozens, maybe hundreds, left for more hospitable environs.

Those who remained stayed out of sight. La Fonda's usual weekend rush had been mainly Mexican, Espinosa Sanchez said, and when it evaporated she cut back on her employees' hours. While Latino-based businesses elsewhere reported a rebound, La Fonda's revenue has not returned to the pre-scare level, she said.

"People are still afraid to come here because of the location," she said. In other circumstances, the restaurant's high-visibility spot across the street from a major intersection and the Elsmere fire hall would be an asset. But it's a liability with so many Mexicans looking over their shoulders, she said.

Espinosa Sanchez said she feels responsible for the money her sisters invested in her, but if business doesn't rebound soon she is considering closing the restaurant.

Despite the threat to her livelihood, she feels no bitterness toward Americans -- how could she, she said, when their business is the only thing keeping her afloat?

Such is the legacy of Elsmere's dabble in immigration law. A few dozen undocumented immigrants have scattered to the winds. Left behind to suffer is Virginia Espinosa Sanchez, the person immigration hard-liners claim to support -- a legally documented business owner who, until two months ago, was living proof of the American dream.

Al Mascitti's column prints Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. His weblog, First Statements, appears at www.delawareonline.com. Contact him at 324-2866 or amascitti@delawareonline.com.

"People are still afraid to come here because of the location," she said. In other circumstances, the restaurant's high-visibility spot across the street from a major intersection and the Elsmere fire hall would be an asset. But it's a liability with so many Mexicans looking over their shoulders, she said.

They are afraid to come because they are ILLEGAL.
Give me a break.

Another whinefest.

I understand that they have great Mexican Food in Mexico, so they should pack up and head there for authentic cooking if they are here illegally.

http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 30312/1004

A letter to the Delaware News Journal editor, regarding the posted story (it is much more eloquent than the one they ignored from me..LOL ):

Elsmere business' plan needs a revision

I'm a little concerned about Al Mascitti's June 26 column on Elsmere, immigration and the American dream.

While the Town Council's effort seemed to be more about revenue enhancement than crime fighting, the basis was still the legality of immigrants. America began as, and continues to be, a land of enormous opportunity. But that opportunity comes with responsibility. In this case it would be compliance with our laws of residency.

Ms. Sanchez apparently understood this, and navigated her way through the system to the point of legal status and business ownership. That's the American dream part. What Mr. Mascitti seems to be saying, however, is that the law (or the recognition that it was being broken) is somehow at the core of Ms. Sanchez's current situation.

As I understand it, illegal immigration is, well, illegal. The fact that we don't pay a lot of attention to it doesn't make it any less illegal; it just makes it more comfortable for the lawbreaker.

When Elsmere upset this comfort zone, Mr. Mascitti tells us "maybe hundreds [of Hispanics] left for more hospitable environs," while "those who remained stayed out of sight." I admit that I have no roots in the Hispanic community, but it seems simplistic and somewhat insulting to suggest that an entire community of legal residents is now afraid to eat out because of a defeated proposal that would not have affected them.

What seems more likely is that La Fonda's business plan needs some revising, especially since "Latino-based businesses elsewhere reported a rebound." Every day in the world factories close, populations shift, economies change and local businesses suffer. Perhaps Ms. Sanchez should adjust her marketing efforts in the Hispanic community, or draw more on the Americans whose "business is the only thing keeping her afloat." Years ago when Sweeney's Bakery faced eviction because the Naaman's Road construction was cutting into its revenue, the neighboring businesses and customer base rallied around to save it. Everyone knew roadwork was the culprit, not the Department of Transportation's hard-line approach to traffic flow. They just found a way to make things happen. In the words of Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge: "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome." That's the American dream part.

Jim Fortgang, Wilmington

I like this Jim guy! What an eloquent way of saying that Ms. Sanchez, the legal immigrant owner of La Fonda, made a grave mistake by ASSuming she could capitalize on her largely illegal clientele indefinitely. OUCH!!

Thank you, Mr. Fortang, for taking the time to address this, and for doing it so well.

Referring to the story GreyParrot posted up top here, well its nice that she earned her legality and was able to launch a successful business. That is the American dream. I respect her for that, but the slant on the presentation of the story is of the same mindset we have been witnessing from pro-illegal types, especially with interviews. What we could probably use are some interviews or stories that are slanted the other way (pro-legal). Why should we feel bad because her patrons were found to be illegal. If we allow businesses to profit over law, there will be no law. She must take it on the chin like the rest of us do when it comes to the law. We have laws for a reason. Maybe there are things she can do to attract more business from legal patrons.

Originally Posted by LegalUSCitizen

Thank you, Mr. Fortang, for taking the time to address this, and for doing it so well.

You're welcome.

Welcome Mr. Fortang. Nice letter. We need more folks like you writing across the nation.

William

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Welcome Mr. Fortang. Nice letter. We need more folks like you writing across the nation.

William

Thanks. Nice to be here. By the way, it's Fortgang (two G's).