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5/13/2005
By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE, News Editor
The Washington Daily Times
Topics: In-State Tuition, Town Meetings, NC, laws, campaigns, Americans for Legal Immigration, Republicans

ALIPAC Note: The illegal aliens were brought to the meeting by the local Episcopal church. Gheen asked "are there any legal immigrants in the room?" No response from the illegals.

Bill Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, was speaking Thursday night to around 40 guests and members of the Beaufort County Republican Men's Club when more visitors showed up.

Read the latest headlines about illegal immigration.

As Gheen talked in the meeting room of a Washington restaurant, about 13 people walked through the door, some of them apparently Hispanics.

Gheen, the keynote speaker, kept commenting on illegal immigration, the topic of the night. None of the Hispanics spoke and a couple declined to be interviewed after exiting the building.

During the question-and-answer portion of the town meeting on illegal immigration, Noel Pinner "Chris" Cayton, a former Beaufort County commissioner, posed a query to Gheen.

"Most of the people in here -- most of the Latinos in here are illegal," Cayton said, gesturing toward some of the Hispanics in the audience. "Well, why don't we just bring the sheriff in and arrest them if it's against the law?"

Gheen said local law enforcement officials in this state do not arrest illegal aliens, "except for (in) Charlotte." The Supreme Court has ruled that a past directive affecting the enforcement of immigration laws on a local level doesn't have to be "the law of the land," he said.

"Probably most illegal aliens probably don't commit many other crimes other than crossing (borders)," Gheen continued. "But for those that do that are not supposed to be here in the first place, what do you say to families that suffer a loss with somebody that wasn't supposed to be here in the first place, or especially somebody that's already been picked up by the police several times?"

At one point, Lloyd Tippett, a member of the Men's Club, rose to say that his family homeplace had been vandalized by a gang of Hispanics. Tippett produced pictures of the damage. His wife, Mildred, provided one of the pictures to the Daily News.

Lloyd Tippett said law enforcement officials had told him Hispanic gang members had committed the vandalism.

"I don't care whether they're legal or illegal, that's against the law to do that," he said. "And I am just about as mad as you could ever get. And if I had seen the characters who did this, then I'd let them met (sic) two of my close friends, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson."

Also during the question-and-answer portion of the evening, the Rev. William Winston, rector of Zion Episcopal Church in Beaufort County, appeared to challenge Gheen.

Winston, who said he moved here from Texas, provided an example. He said a restaurateur understands he can hire an efficient Hispanic crew for less than he can hire an American crew.

Winston added that the American system of commerce is based on paying the least one can to achieve the maximum result.

Gheen countered by stating that among the things that have made America strong are its laws and business practices. Yet, Gheen also noted gaps between corporate aims and citizens' goals.

"It's our time again," he said. "There's an imbalance between corporations and the will of the public."

Winston added, "We have seen the enemy and he is us."

After Gheen's remarks, the Men's Club unanimously passed two resolutions, one urging the state House and Senate to avoid ratifying a bill setting in-state college and university tuition rates for the children of illegals and another calling on the General Assembly to make it more difficult for illegals to obtain driver's licenses.

Both Gheen and Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, who is president of the club, said the problem of illegal immigration must be addressed at the state, local and national levels.

Both also said their organizations favor legal immigration.

No one present for the Men's Club meeting directly engaged in debate.

Gheen's speech ended without incident.

The Hispanic people who were there left quietly. Gheen nodded to a couple of them as they made their way out.

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