Jeff Bezos-owned The Washington Post is doubling down on claims that deporting illegal immigrants would entirely crash the hospitality industry. It recently interviewed the operators of four restaurants, who reported workers taking time off or not showing up after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents visited. The DHS had served 187 businesses with notices of inspection to ensure they abided by the country’s immigration laws.
“Owners or operators of four restaurants confirmed to the Washington Post that they had lost employees, whether permanently or temporarily, since DHS agents visited last week,” WaPo reported. “If they want to go by the book, there is not many restaurants left in D.C.,” said Luis Reyes, co-owner of Lauriol Plaza in Dupont Circle, a former illegal immigrant from El Salvador.
“Who will wash dishes? Nobody wants to do that. Only the hard workers, the people who come from Honduras and El Salvador, they happily do that … They want to make money and send [it] to their family.”
According to some restaurant owners interviewed, ICE enforcement action will force many workers out of the restaurant sector, causing it to crash. “Workers, even if they are in the country legally, are terrified right now,” said Josh Phillips, the co-owner of a restaurant visited by DHS agents.
“Phillips expects a ‘serious contraction of the labor market’ for D.C. restaurants, as workers opt to leave the industry of their own volition.”
Philips added that workers leaving the restaurant sector would cause employee shortages and wage rises, which some businesses cannot simply afford. When did the left stop being the champion of fare wages and opponents of slave labor? “Pick a job category,” Phillips continued. “If you’ve got fewer of them, everybody else gets more expensive. You’re going to start seeing bidding wars. You’re going to see people hopping from restaurant to restaurant again.”
While WaPo raises some arguably legitimate concerns, the impact of unchecked illegal immigration is destroying the country.
In December 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that American-born citizens accounted for just 16% of the population growth, while 84% of the population growth was driven by net positive international immigration, altering the national fabric.
“What stands out is the diminishing role of natural increase over the last five years, as net international migration has become the primary driver of the nation’s growth,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s Population Division.
The influx of foreign-born citizens also directly affects ordinary Americans, including contributing to the rising cost of housing and unemployment for American citizens.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of native-born Americans fell by 1.1 million in December 2024, while foreign-born individuals gained an additional 400,000 jobs. The general unemployment rate also increased from 4.1% to 4.2%. Similarly, almost all jobs created in 2024 went to foreign-born individuals, while Americans struggled to find work.
Further analysis by the Hamilton Project estimated faster population growth and labor force growth than the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, suggesting even more losses for native-borns.
“Moreover, we estimate that CBO’s current immigration estimates suggest faster population and labor force growth in recent years than currently reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) using Census population estimates,” it reported.
Meanwhile, less than 1% of illegal immigrants work in the agricultural sector, and they also account for less than 10% of the total hospitality workforce. However, the left continues to oppose the deportation of all illegal immigrants, including those not working in these sectors but with a serious history of violence, using hospitality and agriculture as excuses.
If needed, foreign-born workers can be allowed to work in the hospitality sector through the H-2B Visa for temporary non-agricultural workers. However, granting a blanket amnesty for all illegal immigrants, including terrorists and gang members, hoping that they would work in the hospitality industry, is preposterous.
I worked as a dishwasher when I was 15 to earn money for my first car, but hiring minors is now not legal, I suppose…
Who TF is going to DC restaurants anymore, except people who live in DC? Let the dead bury the dead.
Ask yourself why democrats are doing this to Americans? Ask who put us in this position? Who has this hurt the most? Who got richer? Who breaks laws? Who doesn’t believe in the constitution? Who destroyed our economy? Who died from Covid? Why was the Covid virus put in place? Who has lied to us? Who is above the laws? Who used our taxpayer money as a piggy bank? Who benefited from all of Americans misery? Who treats illegals like kings? Who never did anything to benefit American working class? Who used our earned benefits on illegals and why? Who brought the criminal illegals into the USA? Who turned our world upside down and why? Who had vaccine mandates to do anything? Who destroyed our communities? Who destroyed our monuments? Who looted with no accountability? Who pays for all the stupid things being done? Who is imposing sex in schools and why? Who didn’t care about child trafficking? Who pays the judicial system to be corrupt? Who didn’t get due process for four years? Who was censored for four years? Who has lied to us for years? Why did illegals vote in our elections? Why have illegals abused our birthright citizenship? Why are there two sets of rules? Why has the race card been played so many times? Why democrats and their voters never held accountable? Why are so many democrats put in government to destroy opponents in office? Who punished others for what they have done? Who actually works for the citizens of the USA? Who has used people to get what they want? Who uses others so their hands are clean of crimes? Who allowed China to steal our things? Who wants war and benefits from them? Who set up things to make someone else look bad? Why have people been allowed to disobey a sitting President? Why did democrats use Biden when we all knew something wrong with him since 2019? Who allowed senior abuse in White House for four years? Why has their been no accountability on democrats corruption for years? Just ask yourself these questions. Time for the working class to pay attention to everyone who is breaking laws and not being held accountable. Also pay attention to your elected officials and make sure they are doing what you elected them to do.
What? Ice crackdowns will shut down DC owned restaurants? Well, how did those restaurants survive BEFORE immigrants? By child trafficking? Hmmmm.
Past time to prosecute the business owners employing the illegals AGAINST US laws….a monetary fine first, then require them to sign documentation where they will face 10 years prison time if caught employing illegals again.