Max’s Delicatessen & the Immigration Law
Alabama’s new immigration law has been in the news a lot lately. There have been stories about police setting up road blocks outside immigrant neighborhoods and how schools are losing students. But this month one businessman has found himself at the center of the controversy – in a spotlight he never anticipated – or wanted. WBHM’s Tanya Ott reports.
Steve Dubrinsky moves swiftly between the meat cutter and the hot cooktop at Max’s Delicatessen.
“What are you cooking there Pedro?”
“Potatoes for the vegetable beef soup.”
Dubrinsky opened his New York-style deli in a Birmingham suburb three years ago. He named it after his dad and poured his heart into the place.
“Seven days a week, 15 hour days at a minimum, for three years. I think we’re closed maybe 1 or 2 days a year and that’s it.”
But earlier this month Dubrinsky saw his dream unraveling. He was quoted in the Birmingham News saying he was worried he’d lose workers because of the new law. About half of his 19 employees are immigrants. Many have undocumented relatives in Alabama and they want to move out of state. Other employees say they just don’t feel comfortable – or safe – living in Alabama. The article led to a tangle with Matt Murphy, a libertarian talk show host on a Birmingham radio station.
“You claim that you’re comfortable that all of your employees are legal and I don’t believe you. In fact I think you know some of your employees are illegal.”
For the record, Dubrinsky admitted to me that he has, in the past, employed undocumented workers. But, he claims, he checked the paperwork for all his current employees and he believes they’re all here legally. Still, callers to the radio show demanded a boycott of the restaurant. Max’s Deli became the talk of anti-immigrant websites. And within a day the Internet was full of newly-posted negative reviews for the restaurant.
“The very next day, a couple empty tables at noon and the thoughts that run through your head, what the heck did I do?”
Dubrinsky’s email account was flooded with messages from around the country.
“One of the emails I got was from a lady who said ‘I hope your un-American restaurant closes’ and I had to have a sense of humor otherwise I’d be crying, I said “I’ll close tonight” and she wrote back “idiot! I mean forever.”
The incident shows just how risky it can be for a business owner to take a stand on an issue. Stephen Craft is Dean of the business school at the University of Montevallo.
“You hate to drive the voice of the small business out of public policy; however, for better or worse, it is predictable that there’s going to be some repercussions when you weigh in on a controversial subject.”
Other media picked up the story. Telemundo came to interview Dubrinsky. So did the local Fox station. And the Huffington Post. And the roller coaster ride continues. Dubrinsky says he’s received hundreds of emails of support and 300 new Facebook friends for Max’s Delicatessen. Still, he’s weary from the experience and says he’s not sure he wants to stay in the restaurant business.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
