Immigration crackdown impacts Myrtle Beach tourism industry
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — As the White House cracks down on immigration, the head of a local immigration services agency claims hotels and restaurants in the Grand Strand are taking a hit, due to a shortage of cleaning staff.
Based in Myrtle Beach, A&B Immigration Services assists immigrants on their paths to citizenship, and helps local companies hire seasonal employees during peak tourist season. Most companies A&B works with hire cleaning staff for hotels and restaurants.
The owner of A&B, who chose to remain anonymous, told News13 there is not only an uptick in deportations, but also in visa denials.
'The small businesses, like the staffing companies and cleaning companies, they have suffered significant loss. Owners are even closing up their businesses and are looking for employment themselves, because they depend on the international workers during the peak seasons,' she said. 'We noticed this year that a lot of the individuals, whether they're J-1 and H-2b workers that are applying for the work visas overseas, that at the US embassies, there's an uptick in denials.'
She emphasized that A&B encourages taking a legal path to citizenship, and claims the immigration crackdown has put up more barriers for legal immigration.
'We dealt with having workers come to the United States legally and going home, and [the immigration crackdown] has an effect on it. [In] a lot of immigration situations, you're talking about undocumented, but it's not only undocumented, it's immigration as a whole,' she said. 'People who are trying to get here legally, they're unable to because of the climate.'
The owner of A&B Immigration said because some hotels are struggling to hire cleaning staff, it's become difficult for them to accommodate the number of people booking rooms. A News13 reporter spoke with a hotel manager on Ocean Boulevard, who said there is an 'everything shortage' in the hospitality industry.
* * *
Shelby Martin is a multimedia journalist who joined the News13 team in May 2025. Shelby is from Orange County, California, and graduated in 2023 from California State University, Fullerton. You can read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
42 minutes ago
How the US bombarded Iranian nuclear sites without detection
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- It was an unprecedented attack years in the making, with some last-minute misdirection meant to give the operation a powerful element of surprise. U.S. pilots dropped 30,000-pound bombs early Sunday on two key underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, delivering what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow to a nuclear program that Israel views as an existential threat and has been pummeling for more than a week. American sailors bolstered the surprise mission by firing dozens of cruise missiles from a submarine toward at least one other site. Dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, U.S. officials say the plan was characterized by a 'precision strike' that 'devastated the Iranian nuclear program,' even as they acknowledged an assessment was ongoing. For its part, Iran denied that any significant damage had been done, and the Islamic Republic pledged to retaliate. Taking off from the U.S. heartland, B-2 stealth bombers delivered a total of 420,000 pounds of explosives, aided by an armada of refueling tankers and fighter jets — some of which launched their own weapons. U.S. officials said Iran neither detected the inbound fusillade, nor mustered a shot at the stealthy American jets. The operation relied on a series of deceptive tactics and decoys to maintain the secrecy, U.S. officials said hours after the attack, which was preceded by nine days of Israeli attacks that debilitated Iran's military leadership and air defenses. Even before the planes took off, elements of misdirection were already in play. After setting parts of the plan in motion, Trump publicly announced Thursday that he'd make a decision within two weeks on whether to strike Iran — ostensibly to allow additional time for negotiations, but in actuality masking the impending attack. One group of B-2 stealth bombers traveled west from Missouri on Saturday as decoys, drawing the attention of amateur plane spotters, government officials and some media as they headed toward a U.S. air base in the Pacific. At the same time, seven other B-2s carrying two 'bunker buster' bombs apiece flew eastward, keeping communications to a minimum so as not to draw any attention. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at Sunday's briefing that it was all "part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise' and that only 'an extremely small number of planners and key leaders' knew about it in Washington and Florida, where U.S. Central Command is based. After 18 hours of furtive flying that required aerial refueling, the armed B-2 Spirit bombers, each with two crew members, arrived on time and without detection in the Eastern Mediterranean, from where they launched their attack runs. Before crossing into Iran, the B-2s were escorted by stealthy U.S. fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft. A graphic released by the Pentagon showed the flight route as passing over Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. It was unclear whether those countries were notified of the U.S. overflight in advance. Most U.S. lawmakers were also kept in the dark, with some Republicans saying they were provided a brief heads-up by the White House before the strike. 'Our B-2s went in and out and back without the world knowing at all,' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters Sunday. About an hour before the B-2s entered Iran, Caine said that a U.S. submarine in the region launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against key targets, including a site in Isfahan where uranium is prepared for enrichment. As the U.S. bombers approached their targets, they watched out for Iranian fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles, but encountered none. At 6:40 p.m. in Washington and 2:10 a.m. in Tehran, the first B-2 bomber dropped its pair of GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrators on the deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant. It was the first time these so-called 'bunker busters' had ever been used in combat. Each 30,000-pound bomb is designed to burrow into the ground before detonating a massive warhead. The Fordo site received the bulk of the bombardment, though a couple of the enormous bombs were also dropped on a uranium enrichment site at Natanz. The U.S. bombs fell for about half an hour, with cruise missiles fired from submarines being the last American weapons to hit their targets, which included a third nuclear site at Isfahan, Caine said. Both Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination around the sites. The mission included: — 75 precision-guided weapons: these included 14 GBU-57 'bunker buster' bombs deployed by the seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and more than two-dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a U.S. submarine. — 125 aircraft, including the B-2 bombers, fighter jets and refueling planes. Hegseth said Sunday that 'our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now.' But a U.S. official said one woman was among those piloting the B-2 bombers. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the mission publicly. Caine said the use of the bunker-buster bombs made the mission historic, as did other elements. 'This was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown, exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11," he told reporters Sunday. ___
2 hours ago
Israel-Iran live updates: Iran's Khamenei says 'punishment' of Israel will continue
Israel, the ayatollah said, "has made a grave mistake." The United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced. B-2 bombers dropped a number of Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs -- known as "bunker busters" -- during the U.S. mission over Iran, U.S. officials said. Trump on Sunday said that "Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran," though Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said a full battle damage assessment is still pending. Jun 22, 2025, 11:29 PM EDT 'Bullseye': Trump says damage to Iran nuclear sites is 'far below ground level' President Donald Trump took to his social media platform on Sunday night to further detail the U.S. strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. "Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!" the president wrote on Truth Social. Several B-2 bombers were used in strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities -- Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. More than 125 aircraft participated in the mission, including seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, according to U.S. officials. Trump did not mention which location he was specifically referring to, but said, "The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame." "The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!" Trump added of the strikes. -ABC News' Michelle Stoddart In an early morning message local time, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the "punishment" of Israel will continue. Khamenei did not mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his statement. "The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now," Khamenei wrote. -ABC News' Will Gretsky The State Department has issued a new worldwide caution alert prompted by the conflict between Israel and Iran, saying there is "potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad." 'The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,' the alert reads. Earlier this month, the State Department issued a regional alert related to the conflict, advising Americans in North Africa and the Middle East to exercise increased caution. In October 2023, the U.S. issued a similar worldwide caution alert stemming from the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and ensuing military campaign in Gaza. -ABC News' Shannon Kingston
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth says ‘Iran has a choice,' US not seeking regime change
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday morning that Iran faces a choice between a negotiated settlement or an escalating conflict with the U.S. after strikes hit three nuclear sites in the country on Saturday. 'Now is the time to come forward for peace,' Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon along with Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine. 'And I think Tehran is certainly calculating the reality that planes flew from the middle of America and Missouri overnight, completely undetected over three of their most highly sensitive sites, and we were able to destroy nuclear capabilities,' he added. Caine said the damage assessment was ongoing but that all three nuclear sites targeted in the strikes sustained 'severe damage and destruction.' Trump on Saturday said the facilities had been 'obliterated.' Iran signaled little interest in diplomacy in the hours after the strikes, dubbed as Operation Midnight Hammer. 'The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragaci posted on the social media site X shortly after the strikes. 'In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.' Hegseth said Saturday's strikes were limited in scope, but pointed to President Trump's warning on Truth Social that 'any retaliation by Iran against the United States will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.' The Pentagon chief said the operation was 'not and has not been about regime change' in Iran. He said it had set back Iran's nuclear timeline. Caine also provided new details about the operation during Sunday's briefing, which he called the largest B-2 bomber operation in history. He said the U.S. dropped 75 guided weapons on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear enrichment and research sites. This included 14 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, the first operational use of the weapon, and two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a submarine, he said. A total of 125 aircraft were involved in the mission. The B-2 bombers involved in the operation flew 37 hours non-stop from their base in Missouri, refueling in the air. Caine said that a group of the bombers had been deployed west over the Pacific Ocean as a decoy. The weapons were dropped in a window from 6:40 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Eastern time. Trump announced the strike via a Truth Social post about 45 minutes later. The American forces appear to have gone undetected in Iranian airspace. Caine said no shots were fired at American aircraft, nor did Iran's missile defense system notice them. 'Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise,' he said. Hegseth said Congress was only notified of the attacks after warplanes had dropped their payload and exited Iranian airspace. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle accused the administration of violating the Constitution, which requires congressional approval before entering foreign wars. 'This is not Constitutional,' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted as the news broke. Massie sponsored a House resolution earlier this week to require Congressional authorization for any strike in Iran. Vice President Vance, a veteran and frequent skeptic of foreign intervention, congratulated the troops and others involved in the strike on Sunday morning. 'I think what they did was accomplish a very core American national objective. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program,' said in an interview on ABC News. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
