A Slippery Place in the U.S. Work Force

Nationwide, Hispanic immigrants, both legal and illegal, saw greater job loss in 2008 than did Hispanics born in the United States or black workers, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Nearly half of foreign-born Hispanics are illegal immigrants, according to the center, a nonpartisan research group in Washington.

Some illegal immigrants who lost jobs here, mostly workers with families back home, have left the country. Most are determined to stay. Employers, wary of immigration agents, now insist workers have valid Social Security numbers. Mr. López, who does not have one, said, “Without the number, you are nothing in this country.”http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/us/22immig.html?_r=1By Julia Preston — New York Times