Immigrant entrepreneurs

I lived in downtown San Jose from 1973 to 1985.  When I moved there the downtown could have been described as a wasteland.  What transformed San Jose into a bustling zone of economic activity was Vietnamese immigrants.

Last Sunday New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on “Meet the Press” proposed that Congress pass a law permitting immigrants to come to the U.S. as long as they agreed to move to Detroit.  Detroit, by the way, has lost about one-fourth of its population since 2000.  

What Mayor Bloomberg was alluding to was that immigrants and economic vitality go together.  At one time you could see this in Hazleton.  A few years ago my wife and I drove up there to eat at a Dominican restaurant.  It was obvious that what economic activity existed in downtown Hazleton was the result of immigrants.  I believe under Mayor Barletta’s tenure, those immigrants were largely driven out.  Is Hazleton better for this?  

See for yourself.  Drive through Hazleton.  Does it look prosperous?  Do you see new businesses, or do you see vacant storefronts?  

Now Barletta has introduced a bill in Congress to punish “sanctuary cities.”  Maybe he wants to bring them down on a level with Hazleton.