Undocumented workers bemoan U.S. crackdown

BY ALFONSO CHARDY AND HELENA POLEO

For thousands of South Florida's illegal immigrants, the new year offers more uncertainty, discontent and, for many, resigned departure.

From farms in Homestead to day laborer pickup sites in Florida City and Fort Lauderdale, migrant workers are struggling to find work as Homeland Security steps up enforcement after a firestorm of public opinion derailed an immigration overhaul in Congress. That proposal, which failed in the summer, would have eventually legalized millions of undocumented workers.

Adding to the turmoil: a slowing economy.

More than two dozen South Florida employers and undocumented workers interviewed by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald said they worry about tough times ahead. Evidence suggests immigrants are sending less money back to their families in Latin America and the Caribbean.

International economic analysts who track remittances said the immigration crackdown is a likely factor behind the slowdown in money transfers.

''Clearly, something is happening if the reported remittances to Mexico are flat,'' said Donald Terry, general manager of the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund, which has been tracking remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean since 2000.