According to an article in the Washington Post today, the Metro DC Latino communities are suffering this holiday season due to the crippling economic recession. Day laborers and construction workers have been hit particularly hard as service industries are scaling back and construction is coming to a standstill. Latino-owned small businesses are experiencing major setbacks as many of their clients have lost their jobs.Travel agencies say they have sold very few round trip tickets to Central and South America, but they are currently surviving off of one-way tickets to countries like El Salvador and Guatemala. More and more immigrants are "giving up on the U.S. economy after years of legal residency." Pedro Guadrón, an immigrant from El Salvador said, "I was proud to buy a house, but this year we had to take in relatives to help pay the mortgage. The way I feel right now, Christmas doesn't even exist for me."
- Sara Skinner, US Grassroots Coordinator
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