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County Commission considers proposal to cut off illegal immigrants

06:53 AM EST on Wednesday, December 7, 2005
By 6NEWS Staff


Many people came to the meeting with a sign that read "shame" that they held up throughout the proceedings every time someone spoke in favor of the proposal.

A controversial proposal to cut services to illegal immigrants turned into a passionate debate at Tuesday's Commissioner's meeting.

Dozens showed up for that debate at the government center most spoke out against it. The measure failed amidst overwhelming opposition from people of all races and backgrounds. Many people came to the meeting with a sign that read "shame" that they held up throughout the proceedings every time someone spoke in favor of the proposal.

The plan would have denied service to illegal immigrants and refused government contracts to businesses that employ them.

Illegal immigration has been an issue that has been in the headlines lately after police said an illegal immigrant was driving drunk the wrong way down the interstate, killing a UNCC student.

The argument here is that it's drinking and driving that kills, not legal status. The proposal, many claim, was a knee-jerk reaction to the wreck, a form of racism on all immigrants.

"Your resolution is an attack on all immigrants. It is a question of intensity. A good number of immigrants or children or grandchildren hear these attacks on illegal immigrants and it is an attack on us, all of us," one person spoke out against the measure.

Only one person signed up to speak out for the proposal.

"Illegal immigrants are living in Mecklenburg County and getting free county services. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Ignoring the illegal immigrant problem won't make it go away," she said.

Others spoke out saying that the proposal would further divide the community.

"The whole community benefits when we are treating each other as members of the human family, not as them and us," one neighbor spoke out during the meeting.

Others spoke out against the measure noting that most people can't tell the difference between illegal and legal immigrants and others saying that the council wasn't talking about illegal immigrants but all immigrants and we needed them.

One other group expressed anger over the county's proposal to bar undocumented immigrants from county services -- the proposal's authors.

"If you are here illegally, then you are not entitled to anything," said Bill James, County Commissioner.

"There is nothing wrong with making Mecklenburg County part of the solution to our illegal immigration problem," said Commissioner Dan Bishop.

"I hope we vote tonight to make sure Mecklenburg County obeys the law," said Commissioner Jim Puckett.

Other commissioners disagreed, calling the proposal offensive.

The 6NEWS investigators have uncovered that although the proposal also calls for support of federal immigration laws, our local regional immigration enforcement office was never included in this conversation.

That being said, after two hours of debate, the vote for the motion failed.

The board did recognize illegal immigration is a problem and, they said the city and county must study its effects, but said ultimately it is a federal responsibility.