Thread: African-Americans Discuss Immigration

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Posted on Sat, Nov. 18, 2006email thisprint this
African Americans discuss the impact of illegal immigration
By Franco Ordonez

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - More than a dozen Charlotteans, many frustrated with growth of the illegal immigrant immigration population, met Saturday to discuss how African Americans are impacted by the growth of the undocumented community.

Maria Macon, chairwoman of the Millions More Movement of Charlotte, which hosted the event at Spencer Memorial United Methodist Church, said that, until now, African American voices have been mostly left out of the immigration debate.

Tensions exist between some groups of African Americans and Hispanics over competition for jobs, decreased wages and the disbanding of certain historically black neighborhoods.

Queen Thompson, 60, worries about a strain on schools and hospitals.

"There must be some regulation on the number of people who can come to a community," said Thompson, a counseling psychologist.

The symposium also demonstrated that illegal immigration issues extend beyond Latin America.

Rosaline Russell, a native of Liberia, said many people from Africa come to the United States in search of a better life.

"It's not just a Hispanic issue," said Russell, 29, who moved to the United States eight years ago and is now a U.S. citizen. "It's also a West Africa issue, an Africa issue. It's an everybody issue."

Macon said African-Americas are suffering economically because of the growth of the illegal immigrant community, but that the groups can work together to improve lives and working conditions."It's important that we speak up because we have gone through some of the same things the Hispanic community is going through," she said.

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I have spoken to African Americans about this and seen alot of it myself. In two of the predominently African American areas in Miami Dade County, the Hispanics have began moving in their neighborhoods. In fact many of them complain that there are houses being rented out in their area to multiple families. They claim they have vehicles parked all over the place, play their Spanish music loud, there kids run around wild, screaming their heads off and that they have a lot of trash all over the place.
There are concerns over the Hispanic gangs and African American gangs having turf wars. MS 13 gang members have been arrested in a African American area where there are numerous homicides that are gang and/or drug related.
The African Americans showed how they feel when someone wrote on a billboard by the highway. The billboard was about stopping illegal immigration and someone spray painted: "Save our hood" on it.