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What are the most interesting demographic changes involving illegals have you noticed in a particular urban neighborhood or a small town/village?
For me, it's Gulfton, a section of mid-rise apartment complexes in Houston, Texas - Gulfton was once a singles and couples only community for White oil workers, but after a mid-1980s recession in the oil industry combined with a civil war in El Salvador, the apartment owners lost money when the white young people left, so they had to change their policies and open their apartments to poor, unskilled Latin American immigrants. Many were illegal, and many had fled the civil war in El Salvador.
Gulfton was literally caught with its pants down; it not designed for families, at all. It was built on a short term basis with no thought for the future. So when the families came, they found no playgrounds, no parks, no libraries, and almost no sidewalks. The local schools were not prepared for the HUGE influx (from 400 kids to 900 in a single year) and over two decades the school district had to open two new elementary schools and re-open a closed elementary school as a "relief" school. Since the apartment owners stopped checking tenants, crime increased and the police couldn't cope with it until they opened a new substation. NOW Gulfton has stabilized, and it has a library and a park.
Similar demographic changes happened in other Houston areas, but instead many of the new residents were U.S. citizens. But in Gulfton the new residents were immigrants.
The most noticeable effect is over crowding in schools as well as rental price increases because you have more renters chasing the same available apartments.
You also have the non assimilating factor.
They want to make here more like their home.
So they speak no English, & demand to be catered in their language.
There was doubling up of apartments, which did contribute to overcrowding.
But what was the biggest factor is that, before the economic collapse, zero of the children at the local school came from the apartments. This was pre-1990 Fair Housing Act (prohibited most complexes from banning kids). Those apartments banned children altogether. They had to allow children once their financial model was no longer viable. For those of you familiar with the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas, the 1990 Fair Housing Act forced that area to change into a family area, which also has a lot of illegals.
Many illegals are actually illiterate in their own native language and work long hours in low wage, long hour jobs. It's very difficult for them to learn English. There are charitable programs which try to teach the adults English.
I'm sure the language barrier was a problem too, but I don't think the adults (many of whom fled war in El Salvador) thought "I'm going to sit on my butt and demand that everyone speak Spanish to me!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by All American NYC
The most noticeable effect is over crowding in schools as well as rental price increases because you have more renters chasing the same available apartments.
You also have the non assimilating factor.
They want to make here more like their home.
So they speak no English, & demand to be catered in their language.
There was doubling up of apartments, which did contribute to overcrowding.
But what was the biggest factor is that, before the economic collapse, zero of the children at the local school came from the apartments. This was pre-1990 Fair Housing Act (prohibited most complexes from banning kids). Those apartments banned children altogether. They had to allow children once their financial model was no longer viable. For those of you familiar with the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas, the 1990 Fair Housing Act forced that area to change into a family area, which also has a lot of illegals.
Many illegals are actually illiterate in their own native language and work long hours in low wage, long hour jobs. It's very difficult for them to learn English. There are charitable programs which try to teach the adults English.
I'm sure the language barrier was a problem too, but I don't think the adults (many of whom fled war in El Salvador) thought "I'm going to sit on my butt and demand that everyone speak Spanish to me!"
Believe the unbelievable in many places they want Spanish signs, workers & press 2 for Spanish.
The most noticeable effect is over crowding in schools as well as rental price increases because you have more renters chasing the same available apartments.
You also have the non assimilating factor.
They want to make here more like their home.
So they speak no English, & demand to be catered in their language.
Welcome to the United States Of Latin America. USLA
In Houston many signs and announcements are in Spanish. City and school district officials have Spanish. But those are meant for recent immigrants who do not know much English. I actually take it for granted that something will be in Spanish too.
But recent immigrants who don't know much English will be offered jobs that pay more than what they can get at home, but in American standards those jobs pay very little.
Gulfton in particular is a magnet for recent immigrants. Established Chicanos often live in different neighborhoods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by All American NYC
Believe the unbelievable in many places they want Spanish signs, workers & press 2 for Spanish.
In Houston many signs and announcements are in Spanish. City and school district officials have Spanish. But those are meant for recent immigrants who do not know much English. I actually take it for granted that something will be in Spanish too.
But recent immigrants who don't know much English will be offered jobs that pay more than what they can get at home, but in American standards those jobs pay very little.
Gulfton in particular is a magnet for recent immigrants. Established Chicanos often live in different neighborhoods.
I think when you have a neighborhood that attracts recent immigrants, its culture will not reflect the dominant culture. But there is a high amount of turnover since the recent immigrants age or move back. Their kids likely won't come back to that neighborhood, and will instead live elsewhere.
Chinatowns in many American cities function the same way - they are gateways for "new" immigrants, but the "older" ones and the kids move away.
I think when you have a neighborhood that attracts recent immigrants, its culture will not reflect the dominant culture. But there is a high amount of turnover since the recent immigrants age or move back. Their kids likely won't come back to that neighborhood, and will instead live elsewhere.
Chinatowns in many American cities function the same way - they are gateways for "new" immigrants, but the "older" ones and the kids move away.
We don't have a high number of illegal immigrants from China.
We do have a high number from nations south of our border. With that many there is no need to try an assimilate, when you have an overwhelming amount from the same countries across America.
Do you have a source for your info on immigrants moving back?
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