By: Dr Avi Verma

A federal policy analysis from the South Asian business perspective

The political context: A post-Schakowsky open seat

Devon Avenue sits within Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, long represented by Jan Schakowsky. Her retirement has transformed the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary into the decisive election for the district’s future representation. Because the district is solidly Democratic, the primary winner will almost certainly become the next member of Congress. For immigrant-owned businesses along Devon Avenue, this race carries direct economic consequences, particularly regarding federal immigration, trade, and small-business policy.

Devon Avenue as an economic and cultural engine

Devon Avenue is more than a retail strip—it is a regional South Asian economic hub serving Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and broader diaspora communities. Its restaurants, grocery stores, jewelers, travel agencies, and clothing boutiques operate on thin margins and rely heavily on immigrant consumer foot traffic, imported goods from South Asia, family-based labor networks, and predictable regulatory environments. Federal policy decisions often shape the corridor’s day-to-day financial stability.

Immigration policy and economic confidence

Immigration policy directly affects Devon Avenue’s commercial vitality. Heightened enforcement climates can reduce customer visits as immigrant families—regardless of legal status—may avoid public commercial spaces during periods of uncertainty. For businesses dependent on daily volume, even temporary declines in foot traffic can significantly reduce revenue. Workforce stability is equally critical. Visa backlogs, green card delays, and limited entrepreneur visa options—particularly for Indian nationals who lack access to certain treaty investor visas—affect staffing, succession planning, and expansion decisions. For Devon merchants, immigration reform translates directly into economic confidence and operational continuity.

Trade, tariffs, and import dependency

Many Devon Avenue grocers and retailers import spices, grains, specialty foods, textiles, and jewelry from South Asia. Federal tariff policy directly influences wholesale costs. Because grocery margins often range between two and five percent, merchants have limited capacity to absorb price increases without passing them to customers. Higher prices can weaken demand and competitiveness. Trade stability and tariff policy are therefore immediate economic issues for the corridor rather than abstract geopolitical concerns.

Small business capital and federal support

Access to capital through federal programs—particularly via the Small Business Administration—can determine whether immigrant-owned businesses modernize, expand, or survive downturns. Loan guarantees, disaster assistance, and technical support are critical tools. However, effective outreach and culturally competent engagement are necessary to ensure immigrant entrepreneurs can access these programs. Federal commitment to small-business inclusion plays a significant role in corridor resilience.

Candidate positions and implications for Devon Avenue

Bushra Amiwala

Amiwala has articulated the most expansive pro-immigrant reform platform among leading candidates. She supports a pathway to citizenship, reinstatement of DACA, halting deportations until appeals are exhausted, and calls to abolish ICE. On trade, she opposes tariffs that increase costs for working families and small businesses, advocating repeal of Trump-era tariffs. Her economic messaging centers on affordability and a “people-first economy,” directly addressing Devon merchants’ concerns about import costs and consumer confidence.

Daniel Biss

Biss supports immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship, opposition to mass raids, and protections for sensitive locations. On trade, he expresses concern about tariffs that harm working Americans while emphasizing fair trade principles. His progressive economic agenda focuses on affordability and worker protections, reinforced by endorsement from Pramila Jayapal. Biss represents institutional continuity paired with immigration reform support.

Laura Fine

Fine offers a stability-focused and incremental approach. While she has not detailed expansive federal immigration or trade platforms in this race, her background suggests moderate reform. Merchants may view her as providing predictable governance and legislative experience, though without tailored economic tools for import-heavy businesses.

Phil Andrew

Andrew emphasizes public safety and accountability. While security may resonate with merchants mindful of historic corridor safety challenges, he lacks detailed proposals on immigration, trade, or small-business reform, leaving economic impacts uncertain.

Kat Abughazaleh

Abughazaleh positions herself as an anti-establishment progressive advocating systemic economic reform and rejecting corporate PAC influence. Her platform emphasizes broad structural change but does not provide specific proposals addressing immigration, tariffs, or import-dependent business needs.

Comparative outlook for Devon Avenue

From a Devon Avenue business perspective, Amiwala aligns most clearly with aggressive immigrant protections and tariff repeal, directly addressing consumer confidence and import costs. Biss combines strong immigration reform support with institutional viability and progressive economic framing. Fine offers legislative stability but lacks a clear trade or visa reform agenda. Andrew emphasizes public safety but without detailed economic policy. Abughazaleh focuses on systemic reform, but her proposals do not specifically address corridor dynamics.

What is at stake for Devon merchants

The economic future of Devon Avenue depends on stable immigration policy, predictable trade rules, accessible capital, and sustained consumer confidence. As the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary approaches, South Asian merchants are weighing not only representation but which candidate’s federal policy direction is most likely to stabilize revenues, control import costs, protect workforce pipelines, and preserve the long-term economic vitality of this historic commercial corridor.