You're experiencing the after-effects from Bush's crackdown on the Mexican border.
I'm glad I live up north. We mostly get Canadian up here.
What crackdown? The illegals are thicker than ever here. I can't go anywhere without running into a gaggle of the browns, and most admit to being illegal.
Can't say the same for the green.
I'd say that I'm glad I'm fluent in Spanish-- but the Spanish I speak doesn't help a lot unless I'm speaking with a person who actually speaks proper Spanish. Further, around here, job ads that say "must be bilingual" are actually veiled job offers for Hispanics only. Being an Anglo who happens to speak Spanish is a sure way to NOT get a job. I've actually had potential employers decline to hire me because their "predominantly Hispanic staff wouldn't be comfortable working for an Anglo supervisor...". And you know what? This is an "at-will" state, and it's nearly impossible to fight that reason. "Of course, employers want someone with whom their staff would feel comfortable... that's a bona fide reason."
God only knows what pidgin language these illegals are speaking, but it's hardly Spanish other than for a few syllables here and there... let's just say that when I order a meal at a fast-food place in both English and in Spanish, they still screw it up somehow. :noidea: