Thread: Anger rises toward illegal immigrants

Anger rises toward illegal immigrants

By MICHAEL EASTERBROOK, Staff Writer

An e-mail message sent early this month to El Pueblo, the Hispanic advocacy group in Raleigh, gave an indication of how confrontational an issue illegal immigration has become in North Carolina.
"Illegal Aliens have no Rights to anything in the U.S. other than deportation," the message said, according to a copy forwarded by director Andrea Bazan-Manson. "TAKE YOUR MEXICAN FLAG AND STICK IT!!!."

For years, the debate over how to treat the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the state has raged in editorial pages, panel discussions and countless other forums. Now it's moving to the legislature -- where lawmakers in the state House and Senate have introduced six bills that are provoking more discussion than ever, some of it far from polite.

"It has been percolating up from the grass roots for some time," said Andrew Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State University. Illegal immigration, he said, "is becoming increasingly visible to people."

The latest bill unleashed a ferocious response and drew national attention from conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Introduced Tuesday, the bill would allow undocumented high school students to pay in-state tuition at North Carolina colleges and universities. Currently, they pay the more expensive out-of-state rates.

Although it was launched with the support of former Gov. Jim Hunt in the interest of economic development, the bill lost several co-sponsors in short order after people lambasted it on the radio and in e-mail messages. One of the co-sponsors who hasn't backed away, Democratic Rep. Bill Faison of Cedar Grove, said he received three e-mail messages in favor of the proposal and 15 against.

"Some of it's pretty hostile stuff," Faison said.

Other bills introduced this session would put the squeeze on illegal immigrants by denying them driver's licenses and some public benefits, and force employers who hire illegal immigrants to cover some of their medical expenses if needed.

Although none of the bills has been voted on, they have the potential to usher in changes that would be felt by most of the state's estimated 300,000 illegal immigrants.

"The issue is heating up," said state Sen. Andrew Brock, a Republican from Mocksville who co-sponsored two of the bills that would restrict illegal immigrants' privileges.

A surge of immigrants

The state's illegal immigrant population skyrocketed in the 1990s, as migrants mainly from rural Mexico began pouring across the southern border and making their way to North Carolina.

In a recent study, the Pew Hispanic Center found that from 2000 to 2004, North Carolina's illegal immigrant population grew 43 percent to 300,000 -- making it one of the fastest-growing illegal immigrant populations in the country.

Industries such as agriculture, hospitality and construction rely heavily on this growing labor pool, because the workers are willing to pick tobacco, clean tables, hang drywall and perform other unglamorous jobs for long hours at low wages.

But after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, opposition to illegal immigrants began to intensify. Grass-roots groups, politicians and commentators argued that they represented a security threat.

Fallout from 9/11

In the Triangle, two anti-immigration groups formed after the attacks -- Stop the Invasion! and N.C. LISTEN. Last year, on the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks, about 15 North Carolinians launched the Raleigh-based Americans for Legal Immigration, which advocates an end to illegal immigration.

William Gheen, 36, the group's president, said he plans to visit the North Carolina legislature daily to persuade lawmakers to block the in-state tuition bill and support the other proposals that would deny driver's licenses and some public benefits to illegal immigrants.

"If they don't act on this issue," Gheen said, "I'm convinced we'll end up like California, where they're closing hospitals and closing schools and their tax base is fleeing the state."

The frustration appears to be broadening. A poll commissioned by The News & Observer in 2003 found that nearly three-fourths of 600 respondents said Mexican workers who had entered the country illegally but were otherwise abiding by U.S. laws should not be allowed to remain.

Membership in N.C. LISTEN grew from about 50 to 200 in the past two years, said its president, Ron Woodard. And on March 31, at least three North Carolinians boarded planes bound for Arizona to participate in a nationwide rally on the border aimed at preventing foreigners from entering the country illegally.

The three men spent a week in the desert before returning. One of them, Bill Gower, 53, of Louisburg, auctioned his grandfather-in-law's coin, stamp and baseball card collection on e-Bay to raise money for the trip.

"I'm just fed up with the problems the illegals have brought," said Gower, who is unemployed.

Legislators feel heat

North Carolinians are expressing their ire to lawmakers, too, moving a sentiment that had been at the fringes to the forefront of the legislature. State Sen. Hugh Webster, a Republican from Burlington, said many of his constituents contact him on a weekly basis to complain about illegal immigration.

"They want the flood to stop," said Webster, who sponsored the Senate bill that would deny certain public benefits to illegal immigrants.

The bill, known as the Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, would also require employers who hire illegal immigrants to cover "necessary" medical expenses and demand that people show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

It was introduced March 24 and has nine co-sponsors. A House version of the bill appeared a week later. Other bills would make it more difficult, if not impossible, for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses.

Though advocate groups and liberal Democrats have been among the most vocal defenders of the rights of illegal immigrants, they aren't the only ones. President Bush has pointed out repeatedly that employers depend on illegal immigrants for labor.

Bush has proposed a guest-worker program that would give temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents 3 million businesses, supports the proposal.

And in North Carolina, two of the four primary sponsors of the in-state tuition bill are Republicans -- state Rep. John Sauls of Sanford and state Rep. Jeff Barnhart of Concord. The bill was also backed by Hunt, who called it "economically necessary" for the state.

That kind of mainstream support is one reason El Pueblo's Bazan-Manson thinks the backlash against illegal immigrants is still primarily among fringe groups, albeit vocal ones.

"In the 12 years I've been doing this, I've seen anti-immigrant groups become more active, but I believe it's a small group of folks," Bazan-Manson said. "The regular person out there has welcomed the community."

Staff writer Michael Easterbrook can be reached at 836-5701 or measterb@newsobserver.com.

http://www.newsobserver.com/member_center/

Here in SF many Latinos have 'parking for Mexican only' signs on their house and in their windows and these idiot locals think nothing of it.

I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of this article. Analysis please.

W

William, the article is hard to follow. It discusses a broad range of issues but does not address the real issue of unemployment amongst Americans as the result of illegal immigration. Mr. Gower from Louisburg, is unemployed. That is the point and only point of major importance to North Carolinians. Their jobs are being sold out to illegal aliens in violation of American immigration, labor, and civil rights laws that Americans worked hard to establish to protect us all and ouR future generations.

The Raleigh-NewsObserver needs unemployment facts from around the state. Raleigh and Durham have the lowest unemployment in the state so it may be difficult for those trying to assess what is good for the state overall by what they see in the Raleigh-Durham area, which is not representative of the state as a whole.

A reply should be made to this staff writer with unemployment facts from around the state. I'll email my unemployment study to the writer of this article. I'll also e-mail you the communications with Senator Webster, our delegation here, and Jim Morrill of the Charlotte News-Observer.

The FACTS on unemployment in North Carolina must be known and understood to wipe out the argument that opponents to illegal immigration are against the people coming in illegally. That is not the case. We are against them ONLY because they are here taking valuable jobs away from American Workers and American Families and therefore contributing to a decline of our economy and an increase in hardship and poverty throughout the state--facts which can be verified by statisticss in almost every county and certainly in the 64 counties with 5.9% unemployment or more as of Feb 05, the latest data available.

The media must search out the economic facts concerning illegal immigration and not be side-swiped with talk of "globalization" and normal reaction from Americans suffering at the hands of proponents of illegal immigration. It is perfectly understandable that reaction and the normal communications from people hurting at the hands of illegal aliens will be harsh and hostile. If you lost a job and couldn't find another one because employers were hiring illegal aliens that aren't supposed to be here, then you'd be speaking in harsh and hostile tones as well. It is very important that the media understand that these are normal reactions to an intolerable situation.

Based on the number of unemployed persons just in the 64 rural counties with 5.9% unemployment or more, there are over 125,000 unemployed North Carolinians. If the Pew Hispanic Institute estimate of 25,000 illegal aliens is correct, the employers in North Carolina had a 5:1 applicant to job ratio of Americans signed up, willing to work, and waiting for the opportunity to reach them through NC Employment Security Commission. BUT, they don't get the call, because the employers bypass the EEO requirements and hire 100% illegal work crews which are 100% hispanic and evidence that EEO rules and requirements are being ignored.

The article yammers across points, but doesn't make any. A reply is required to nail the point that illegal immigration is taking jobs away from North Carolinians and that is wrong, wrong, wrong....not to mention ILLEGAL.

What is it about this word the Elites don't seem to understand?

The media has to "get it".

Lets figure out how to get the Charlotte and Raleigh News&Observers fully informed.

get a grip on things while you can.My little cousin moved to Raliegh from San Pablo,Ca. here in the Bay Area and I hate to tell you guys from N.Carolina but she sees similarities.

rickesteves. You mean by your post that your cousin sees similarities here to what California is experiencing with uncontrolled massive illegal immigration? That is good to know if that's what you mean. My cousin lives in California. Lost her job when the plumber she worked for retired. Is living on equity from the sale of her HOUSE and living in Mobile Home. She can't find a job because they are filled with illegals and as an American, no one even interviews her. Also, the problem is so bad that the local hospital had to close because they were faced with staying open and having to take care of illegal aliens which was breaking the hospital, or turning them away. Generally, they won't or perhaps can't legally turn them away, so they closed the hospital. Now Americans in her community have lost access to medical services.

William,

I agree with Judy that the article is hard to follow .. I'll go one step further and say it is quite poorly written. It reads like a mish-mash of info thrown onto a page.

The article is slanted as well.... purposely or not .. beginning and ending with a comment from the El Pueblo spokeswoman creates bias in the mind of the reader ... IMO

First paragraph .....

An e-mail message sent early this month to El Pueblo, the Hispanic advocacy group in Raleigh, gave an indication of how confrontational an issue illegal immigration has become in North Carolina.
"Illegal Aliens have no Rights to anything in the U.S. other than deportation," the message said, according to a copy forwarded by director Andrea Bazan-Manson. "TAKE YOUR MEXICAN FLAG AND STICK IT!!!."

Ending paragraph ..

"In the 12 years I've been doing this, I've seen anti-immigrant groups become more active, but I believe it's a small group of folks," Bazan-Manson said. "The regular person out there has welcomed the community."

What a farce ... if the "regular person" had welcomed the community then why this?

A poll commissioned by The News & Observer in 2003 found that nearly three-fourths of 600 respondents said Mexican workers who had entered the country illegally but were otherwise abiding by U.S. laws should not be allowed to remain.

Even Sen. Webster was quoted as saying "they want the flood to stop."

This conclusion by Bazan-Mason ...referring to mainstream support .. the real mainstream should be what the people of NC want ... to call the support "mainstream support" is inaccurate because the support is from a few law-makers/breakers that refuse to listen to their constituents and call the measure "economically necessarily."

That kind of mainstream support is one reason El Pueblo's Bazan-Manson thinks the backlash against illegal immigrants is still primarily among fringe groups, albeit vocal ones.

Yes Judy that is what I mean.Your cousin is right.They won't even interview most non-Hispanics.I am olive complexioned;my background is Filipino,Portuguese,Spanish (not Latino,the real thing from Spain),German,Scottish,and English.I had to learn Spanish to help myself on some jobs I've had.My family goes back to 18th century Mass. and Virginia yet there is such an unfair struggle here in Ca. when dealing with the Latin American mass of invaders you'd think they belong here and me and mine don't.

Not only do they close down medical facilities,schools get shut down,counties cut down on fire/police to make up for their losses,and so on.

William, I agree 100%. Here is the situation with Ms. Manson. The only facts she has are facts that contradict her statements. Barrage the issue the FACTS.

Also, I do not undestand El Pueblo and their aggressive legislative initiatives obviously costing alot of money begging the question of "Where does money to underwrite her position and the costly lobbying of the General Assembly of North Carolina come from?"

I've read reports where the Legal Latino Community was just as upset about job loss and unfair competition with illegal aliens as any American Worker.

Also, people should know that El Pueblo which strikes me as a political action group has somehow snared IRS 501 C 3 Status, reserved for "charitable organizations" like the Food Bank of North Carolina and the Salvation Army.

The Food Bank of North Carolina delivers food to starving Americans in 34 Counties of this state.

The Salvation Army raised money for weeks in our county last winter to have money to help freezing Americans purchase heating oil.

These are "charitable organizations".

Somehow, El Pueblo, does not seem to me to fit that designation by the IRS according to their actions.

I'm no expert, but it certainly struck me as "odd" and worthy of Inquiry.

This status means that anyone who contributes to El Pueblo can deduct the contribution from the Income Tax Return...thus American Tax Payers are underwriting El Pueblo's political action activities which is not allowed under federal law to my knowledge.

Political action groups are not eligible FOR tax deductible contributions and they are required to file AND REGISTER under a separate section of Law.

If anyone has knowledge of the actual specifics, then they should post them so further Inquiry can be made.

Two More Questions: WHO WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO EL PUEBLO WHOSE MISSION IS TO CREATE UNFAIR COMPETITION IN THE NC JOBS, EDUCATION, HOUSING, BENEFITS, AND PUBLIC SERVICES MARKETS THROUGH ITS LOBBYING EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ARE HERE IN NC IN VIOLATION OF US IMMIGRATION, LABOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS LAW? AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE?