August 6, 2007 [LINK / comment]

Immigration woes in D.C. area

I'm spending a few days in Northern Virginia, and this morning I drove through the suburb of Woodbridge for the first time in quite a few years. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by all the foreign business establishments that have created -- Mexican taquerias, etc. For anyone who wonders why suburban sprawl seems out of control, a big part of the reason is the "fuel" of cheap immigrant labor. Those workers spend almost everything they earn, after sending a little bit back home, so there is a huge multiplier effect on the local economy, creating more traffic congestion, higher housing prices, and more aggravation overall.

That's what drew my attention to the alarming observations about the dubious tax-exempt status of "Mexicanos Sin Fronteras" and the "Woodbridge Worker's Committee" made by Greg Letief (Black Velvet Bruce Li). Greg has been on a roll lately, no doubt capitalizing on the recent coverage by FOX-5 TV.

In a related item, the Wheaton branch of Peruvian rotisserie chicken chain, El Pollo Rico, has reopened three weeks after being shut down by Federal agents:

Immigration officers seized nine workers at the Ennalls Avenue restaurant on the morning of July 12 in a dramatic raid on a popular strip mall. Federal agents arrested four members of the Solano family that owns the landmark eatery and a sister location in Arlington.

(See Washington Post.) Peruvian-style roast chicken is mighty tasty, and there is now such an establishment in Harrisonburg, VA.