Underground economy expands to new states including Idaho

Legal and illegal immigrants fuel economic growth but also strain public schools, social services

Three years ago, a tiny financial services office opened in Nampa with just a handful of employees and a focus on Spanish-speaking clientele.

But along with Idaho’s Latino population, the business is exploding — El Centro is opening a second office in Caldwell, with plans to expand to Denver and Chicago soon, said manager David Cahoon.

"We’re looking at hyper-growth areas. In Denver there’s a huge Latino market there, and the same with Chicago," Cahoon said. "In Idaho, the Hispanic population is growing. It’s huge, and we don’t really have much competition."

Most of the United States’ Spanish-speaking immigrants — both legal and illegal — are from Mexico. Statistics from several agencies suggest the number of illegal immigrants in the country is growing, with Bear Stearns in New York estimating between 12 million and 15 million of the nation’s jobs are held by illegal immigrants. About 95 percent of Cahoon’s clients speak only Spanish, he said, and at least 15 times a week he turns down a hopeful home loan applicant because they lack U.S.-issued identification.

By Rebecca Boone
The Associated Press

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