Hispanics in U.S. feel pull of the suburbs

Driving around Little Village, Mark Doyle points to "For Rent" signs on storefronts, more than he's seen in his 26-year career at the locally based Second Federal Saving bank.

RENTS RISE

In some ways, Little Village is a victim of its own success. Rents and property values on 26th Street have skyrocketed in recent years as landlords began to understand how much money their tenants were making.

As a result, entrepreneurial newcomers find the price of entry prohibitive. "It's not easy making money running a taco stand when your monthly rent is $3,000," said Doyle.

The rise of violent gangs, who have divided Little Village into warring territories and drawn increased scrutiny from law enforcement -- including the border patrol -- have added urgency to the suburban flight.

"It's not what it used to be," said Richard De La Vega, inside the video store on 26th Street that he has operated since the mid-1980s. "People are afraid to come out."

It's tempting to see the rise of these suburban ethnic enclaves as signs of Latino assimilation. But Hispanics living in the suburbs often settle in clusters that leave them more segregated than their peers who remain behind in Chicago.

And the reception they received from their suburban neighbors hasn't always been open-armed.

In Carpentersville, a suburb about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, the police have begun checking the immigration status of the people they arrest, joining a controversial trend by some local law enforcement officials around the United States.

Princeton University's Tienda said that 570 anti-immigrant ordinances have been introduced in recent years in 32 states where large suburban clusters of Latinos have arisen.

Some experts think that backlash might turn out to be good news for Little Village and other historic enclaves in jurisdictions that don't check the immigration status of the people they arrest.

And despite its latest challenges, many residents of Little Village think the old neighborhood has life in it yet.

"Every time I think Little Village has plateaued, it surprises me and goes to the next level," said Juan Giron, who runs a Spanish-language book distribution company and owns a bookstore on 26th street.