Thread: Presumed illegal - It's scary

Presumed illegal -- it's scary

At the Hispanic Family Center off Raleigh's Brentwood Road, the nation's roiling debate over immigration is far from abstract.
The center, a project of Catholic Charities, shares cramped space just off the Beltline with a bustling food bank. On any Monday to Saturday, it is like Grand Central Station.

Families wait to meet with counselors. GED and English language classes hum with activity. And the air is rich with the smells of the ripe produce heading out the door.

These days, though, there is something new in the air:

Fear.

Consuelo Kwee, program director of the center, said she has never seen the atmosphere so tense in the 11 years since she started the center.

"Everyone we work with is presumed to be illegal until proven otherwise," she said.

To Kwee -- and to many of us -- that translates into a de facto demonization of an entire race.

"They look at you -- the brown skin, the dark eyes," Kwee said. "They have a complete portrait in mind."

Maybe that's why there are more cheers than jeers for Beaufort County, where officials are trying to cut off services to undocumented immigrants. One county commissioner refers to Hispanics unapologetically as MOD EDIT. Nice.

Another local luminary suggested counting the number of Hispanic surnames in the county -- the idea being that if they have a Hispanic-sounding last name, they must be illegal, right?

Recently, when an alleged drunken driver who was Hispanic killed three young people in a heinous wreck on the Beltline, I wasn't surprised to hear from readers asking about the driver's legal status. His case did end up being flagged by ICE.

What troubled me was the number of calls about the legal status of the victims, who also were Hispanic.

They were victims; they were dead. Yet I guess our sympathy is reserved only for those with documents?

Kwee said she is not surprised so many immigrants are making sure their passports are up to date. She told the story of one family, with proper documentation, who came to her in a panic after the police conducted a raid at their mobile home park. The family had lived in this area for more than 10 years; no one in their home had done anything wrong.

But they were so traumatized by the event, Kwee said, they packed up and moved back to Mexico. For keeps.

Of course, that's exactly what the anti-immigrant crowd wants.

It's an age-old pattern. Bring in cheap labor from another country, work 'em to death, then demonize them as the "other" when the economy tightens up. It happened to the Italians, the Chinese and, my ancestors, the Irish.

Now, Hispanic immigrants are on the hot seat. They're an easy target -- just presume they're all undocumented.

Kwee said she has struggled to make sense of the situation.

"I'm not very much into politics; I'm a social worker," she said.

But in her 22 years living in North Carolina, she has seen the region flower.

"Now you see this beautiful city, the tall buildings, the million-dollar homes," she said. "They were built by immigrant hands."

Kwee likened the current situation to a front door. It may have been hung by the Hispanic workers she sees at the center.

"Now it's being slammed in their faces," she said. " 'We don't need you anymore.' "


ruth.sheehan@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4828




http://www.newsobserver.com/138/story/1119468.html

Some good comments have been left about that article.

What a moronic article! I guess it's easier to hide what the issue really is, than to fix it. The real issue is ILLEGAL immigration. The fix is DEPORTATION of illegal aliens.

I came here legally, so can they!

We have had hispanics in this country since day 1. Never, that I have ever known, has there been this problem with them. There has never been an issue, till this last group of illegals. They have brought it on themselves for every negative though about them. They are insane if they think public views are going to change when they blasted every American for being racist, been told they were lazy, defamed our flag, shoving this "must speak Spanish" down our throats, carried posters declaring their hate for America and all the rest. All because we want our laws enforced and our language spoken. This is the ONLY group whining at every move and claiming how wonderful they are, while we are seeing our cities and towns destroyed with crime and corruption. You reap what you sew because this country has bent over backwards catering to these people for nothing but more demands and hatred. So much so there's their own people who don't want to be associated with them because they don't like this either, yet are deemed a traitor if they don't support their views.

I feel for those falsy accused, but there's plenty of people still bashed for something they never had a part in either and I'm sorry if when right now, it's your people who are the vast majority of illegals and the vast majority causing problems across this country and you get hit as well. Guess that comes with the territory when rule of law, seperation, and this attitude that if your hispanic you must be exempt from any responsibility of the law, comes back to bite you.

Crazybird, it is so true. They marched and rallied against Americans who want our laws enforced, called us names, defamed our flag, made demands (although they are the ones in the wrong) and then get upset and hurt when it turns against them?

I see it as their own fault for handling themselves in the way they have. It is a shame, that in that innocent legal immigrants have been caught up in that. This should set and example to those legal ones, distance themselves from those who are here illegally, and yes, even if they are your "raza". I know I would do the same.

Crime, degradation and corruption is what American has gained from the illegal aliens, not productivity. Sure they work, anyone does who wants to pay the bills, but that does not make them something special above Americans who work hard to, it just makes them job thieves.

crazybird, Well said your right on the money

Recently, when an alleged drunken driver who was Hispanic killed three young people in a heinous wreck on the Beltline, I wasn't surprised to hear from readers asking about the driver's legal status. His case did end up being flagged by ICE.

What troubled me was the number of calls about the legal status of the victims, who also were Hispanic.

That's because the press doesn't adequately report the story and readers have to pull the infomraion out of them. It's a shame when the public has a better nose for the facts than the very reporters hired to tell it. Why didn't the reporter ask the questions, or answer it before the public asked? Isn't that their job, to report fully, accurately and not to omit facts important to the report? Otherwise, "reporters" are just fictional story tellers.

The truth is, the killer was a drunk illegal alien. Futhering the unreported facts, where did he get his drivers license?

As for the victims, the readers probably wanted to know if another American had been killed by a crime committing illegal alien. It wasn't about them being Hispanic, it was about them being Americans innocently living their lives until they were destroyed by a irresponsible illegal alien.

Americans have started tracking these preventable deaths and they want to know the truth, not spoon-feed and filtered half-truths from the press, that should be reporting and not maniulating the story.

Dixie

Sick of it

Flagrantly biased propaganda articles like this one are the reason people are not buying newspapers anymore. It's a shame that citizens concerned about illegal immigration have to write and pressure the N&O to report the facts of the case since the paper is notorious for bias and censorship. Just like the illegal alien gang rape down in Greenville you forgot to report. How about an article about all of the innocent NC citizens suffering because of illegal immigration instead of constantly inserting race into the debate? William Gheen www.alipac.us

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Racist article

It is no wonder so many Hispanics are afraid when they are reading racist articles like this one that make the false association between Hispanics and illegals. Most North Carolinians do not have a problem with race, but with legal status. Most of the groups fighting illegal immigration feel the same way. The N&O and Ruth Sheehan are contributing to the false fears of Hispanics by writing race issue article like this into the media.

"Now you see this beautiful city, the tall buildings, the million-dollar homes," she said. "They were built by immigrant hands."




Built by ILLEGAL ALIEN hands which stole those construction jobs from Americans and legal immigrants and, adding insult to injury, further destroyed the lives of those same Americans and legal immigrants by stealing their identities to steal those jobs.

Bleeding Heart Kwee can take her sympathy and stuff it right back into the dictionary where we all know it can be found.

Consuelo Kwee, program director of the center, said she has never seen the atmosphere so tense in the 11 years since she started the center.

"Everyone we work with is presumed to be illegal until proven otherwise," she said.

That's what happens when you have groups like la raza, the hispanic caucus, etc. who care only about hispanics - labeling Americans who believe in the rule of law as "racists."

There needs to be more hispanics who speak out against these falsified racial attacks initiated by these "hispanic interests only" groups. There might not be this attitude if hispanic groups were not so quick to turn the issue of illegal immigration into a racial issue - which any reasonable person can see it's not!

How are the needs of legal hispanics any different from that of any other American citizen? Why the need for a special interest group? Who's interests are they promoting? I don't get it!

You can only march down our streets for so long, making demands while waiving the mexican flag before people begin to retaliate . How do you expect people to react? How would Americans be perceived in mexico if we were to march down their streets, making demands that we were not entitled to? Do you think mexicans in that country would embrace us and welcome us with open arms. I'm not so sure they would.

I realize not all hispanics are illegal and I also realize many are also against illegal immigration (my wife included). But you would never know that by listenting to the hispanic interest groups (la raza for one). They seem to present their arguments as inclusive of "all hispanics." I suspect this is not by accident! They never seem to be willing or able to make the distinction between legal and illegal! Why is that? Do you think that's helping relations in this country?

Americans are as a nation are a tolerant and charitable people. But you cannot keep kicking us like a dog and expect to be welcomed with open arms. Eventually, that dog is going to bite back!