According to this article in the December 27, 2006 edition of the Washington Post, many immigrants in the D.C. area are having trouble finding work, now that the housing market has taken a severe downturn:
Hispanic immigration to the Washington region has always followed a seasonal pattern, as the winter puts a chill on outdoor labor and drives workers south. But with home sales and housing starts dropping after years of steady growth, many Hispanic workers -- legal and illegal -- say the good times are gone....It remains to be seen if this new migration will affect areas not usually impacted by the presence of immigrants. And what if jobs are just not available?
Demographers who track migration patterns and embassy staff members say it's too soon to tell exactly how the housing construction decline has affected the region's Hispanic population. But stories of departing workers abound. Some workers say they're headed home; others, spurred by rumors of construction jobs, try their fortunes in the Carolinas, Georgia, New Orleans. "It's a little better here, but not much," said Raul Amayas, 21, a Salvadoran immigrant reached by phone in Charlotte....
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