According to a Reuters article, the immigration debate has affected the health of regional live Mexican music. Suffering in particular are underground dances known as "bailes," which are the heartbeat and key to promotion of musical events. Ticket sales are down, and promoters are concerned.

Stepped-up enforcement is creating a climate of fear, and fear is what is keeping people in the shadows. DUI officials have even been set up outside concert venues and nightclubs, ready to detain anyone who does not have a valid driver’s license. According to the article:

    In state after state, promoters say that burgeoning Mexican populations in towns little and big have hunkered down, out of sight and out of public events, to avoid confrontations withstepped-up immigration law enforcement.

    Fear has, by all accounts, made a significant dent in the lucrative regional Mexican market, with audiences often leery of attending the weekend shows that are the bread and butter of this music genre.


Tell us what you think; will the bailes recover?