May 14, 2006
The Washington Post
Linda Singer

For Washington Nationals outfielder Jose Guillen, getting his teammates "home" is a way of life. When Guillen's Dominican-born girlfriend was robbed May 3 after wiring money and cashing a check at a D.C. check-cashing store, many Americans learned for the first time about another way of life for America's immigrants: the routine practice of sending money home to help support loved ones abroad.

Considering that the foreign-born population in the District has more than tripled since 1980 -- giving us one of the largest immigrant populations in the country -- her experience was at once tragic and all too common. That a well-off person fell victim to this crime should launch a national discussion about a pattern of similar crimes against ordinary immigrants without the star power to make national news.

Crime against immigrants in the District and Prince William and Prince George's counties has doubled in recent years. Why? An overwhelming number of immigrants do not have basic bank accounts. They use check-cashing outlets to cash their paychecks and send money home, often paying high and hidden fees. On payday, immigrants are easy marks as they leave these stores with hundreds of their hard-earned dollars in their pockets.

Without a basic bank account, it's harder for immigrants to save money or earn the good credit that would allow them to pursue the American dream. Although there have been positive steps, such as letting immigrants who do not have driver's licenses open a bank account using a foreign consular ID, much work still has to be done to bring immigrants into the mainstream financial system. Banks need to recognize the power of the immigrant market and bring banking services to the communities where immigrants live and work. But the banks need to be prodded and supported, just as they were nudged to serve the low-income market when the federal Community Reinvestment Act was passed.

After all, if a famous baseball player who will earn $4 million this season is relying on Money Mart rather than his corner bank, we cannot fairly expect the nation's other 20 million immigrants to do it any differently.

Linda Singer is executive director of Appleseed, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on social justice and public policy issues.