Thread: Hispanics flock here for one reason: jobs

By Veronica Gonzalez
Staff Writer
veronica.gonzalez@starnewsonline.com



When Jesus Ricardo Solano lived in Raleigh, he couldn’t find steady construction work because production slowed in winter.

That changed when he moved to Wilmington two years ago.

“I haven’t rested,” said the 25-year-old painter. “I haven’t stopped.”

Driven by jobs, the climate and the immigrant-friendly environment, Hispanics like Solano are moving to Wilmington in larger numbers.

Nationally, the Hispanic population is growing. It’s 14.5 percent now. And Wilmington is reflecting that trend.

From 2000 to 2005, the city’s Hispanic population grew 92 percent, from 1,991 to 3,823 residents, according to newly released census data. Now, Hispanics make up 4.2 percent of the city’s population. Statewide, they make up 6.3 percent of the population, according to the census, but the growth hasn’t been as dramatic as in the Port City.

From 2000 to 2005, the state’s Hispanic population grew by 40.7 percent.

The census estimates there are 533,087 Hispanics in North Carolina. But a UNC-Chapel Hill study estimates that about 45 percent of the state’s 600,913 Hispanics are undocumented.

Meanwhile, the white population in Wilmington grew by 28.4 percent while the black population decreased by 11.6 percent.

The 2005 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau looks at people living in households and doesn’t take into account people living in universities, long-term care facilities or prisons.

So why is Wilmington becoming a destination for Hispanics?

“As the area grows, there’s a demand for low-wage services, and the Hispanic immigrants are fulfilling those low-wage services,” said John Kasarda, director of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. He was one of two researchers who worked on an eight-month analysis of the economic impact of the state’s Hispanic population.

In 2005, the top jobs for Hispanics were construction, with 42 percent of them working in that industry; wholesale and retail trade; and manufacturing and agriculture, according to the UNC-Chapel Hill study.

Instead of flocking to states such as New York, Florida and California, where many immigrants traditionally have settled in the past, many of the new arrivals are coming to states like North Carolina. Those immigrants have several traits in common.

They’re from Mexico. Between 80 percent and 85 percent of the new arrivals are undocumented. And they come here because they have friends or family here, said Jeffrey Passel, senior research associate at the Pew Hispanic Center.

The jobs they’re filling “don’t require credentials, they don’t require education, they don’t require much in the way of training, and those are the kinds of jobs the … Latin American undocumented immigrants can fill,” Passel said.

And many Mexicans are coming here because “in Mexico, they don’t have enough job opportunities,” said Guido Arochi, community affairs coordinator for the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh. “People are familiar with North Carolina’s coast. There’s a lot of work and a lot of job opportunities.”

Those job opportunities appear to apply to everyone from foreign-born workers to native-born workers.

For example, the Pew Hispanic Center found that rapid increases in the foreign-born population in North Carolina did not negatively impact the jobs of native-born workers.

Reliable workers

David Spetrino Jr., owner of Wilmington-based Plantation Building Corp., which builds custom homes and has constructed several multi-family projects on the Northside of downtown, said his business relies on the labor that Hispanics perform.
“Anyone who says, ‘Send them back over the border’ or whatever derogatory comment – they are affected every day more than they realize,” he said.

Spetrino said Hispanic workers are reliable, hardworking and predictable. “I need the predictability to make decisions and do my job,” he said.

His company doesn’t have Hispanic employees, per se, but his subcontractor crews – painters, roofers, framers – are primarily Hispanic.

The reliance on Hispanic workers is evident at Brunswick and North Fourth streets where the company is building the five-story Modern Baking Co. urban loft project. On Thursday, painters primed the building’s steel beams while plumbers installed the PVC pipes that will make toilets flush in this complex, where unit sale prices range from $200,000 to $400,000.

Solano, who regularly works 12-hour days, including Saturdays and occasionally Sundays, stood atop a ladder adding primer to the dark-gray steel beam. At the bottom, another worker held the ladder steady.

“In past times, there wasn’t work,” said Solano, who rents an apartment in Wilmington and works his $11-an-hour job to pay off the house he and his wife own in Raleigh. “Now, I have to take advantage.”

‘Latino-friendly’ area

Lucy Vasquez, executive director of Amigos Internacional, a Hispanic outreach center in Wilmington, said Hispanics are also moving to the Port City because it’s more “Latino-friendly” than other parts of the state.

“For the most part, New Hanover County has people that come from all different areas that are used to diversity and miss it and want more of it,” she said. “That’s what makes Wilmington friendly to an immigrant.”

Irene Silva Edwards, executive director of Voces Latinas, a resource center for Hispanic women, said Wilmington residents welcome the Hispanic community “because they have dollars to spend, and they definitely fulfill the requirements for all of the construction that’s going on.”

Kasarda said unless immigration policy changes and many Hispanics are forced to return home, he expects the percentage of Hispanics in Wilmington to reflect the state population in 10 to 20 years.And as long as there are jobs, Hispanics will be there to fill them.

“I don’t care what color they are,” Spetrino said. “I don’t care who they are, where they come from. The issue – what’s important to me – is that I’m getting good, quality work.”

Veronica Gonzalez: 343-2008

veronica.gonzalez@starnewsonline.com

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs ... urce=email

OK ICE David Spetrino Jr., owner of Wilmington-based Plantation Building Corp., needs your special attention.

Who built these homes before the illegals? AMERICANS Greed is what is driving this insanity

“I don’t care what color they are,” Spetrino said. “I don’t care who they are, where they come from. The issue – what’s important to me – is that I’m getting good, quality work.”

America only means a paycheck to you. You don't care about anything but money!

Hispanics flock here for one reason: jobs

You know what? At this point I don't care anymore why they are here. They need to go home!

Spetrino said Hispanic workers are reliable, hardworking and predictable. “I need the predictability to make decisions and do my job,” he said.

Add: 'reliable, hardworking, predictable, ... and [assumed] cheap'.
He doesn't mention cost or wage rate, but let's face it, that is also undoubtedly a factor as well.
Translation: "I need slaves"

His company doesn’t have Hispanic employees, per se, but his subcontractor crews – painters, roofers, framers – are primarily Hispanic.

Translation: "I don't hire illegals, but the subcontractors... well, er, ah, well....?"

Charlesoak, I agree - sounds like an 'opportunity' for ICE to me.