Chamber president adds voice to immigration debate

By James Shea
Times-News Staff Writer

Bob Williford
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More related articles ยป Henderson County Chamber of Commerce President Bob Williford wanted a voice in the county's immigration reform debate.

So he submitted a letter to the Blue Ribbon Committee on Illegal Immigration, which spelled out the Chamber's position on illegal immigration, and spoke briefly to the committee.

Williford said he sought comprehensive immigration reform but did not want any new laws that hurt business. In the letter, Williford, along with Chamber Board Chairman Carl Shaw, said the immigration issue should be dealt with at the federal level and businesses should not be subjected to "onerous fines and additional levels of regulation on businesses as a method of control."

The committee comprises a diverse group of interests in the community. It has been meeting since April, trying to craft a set of recommendations for the county commissioners on ways to address immigration issues here.

Committee Chairman Robert Heltman said he understands the Chamber's position. He said there is a shortage of unskilled labor in Henderson County, and he thinks illegal immigrants play a vital role in the economy.

"My position has changed as I have learned (about the immigration debate)," Heltman said. "When I came into this room, I was 100 percent against illegal immigration."

Committee member Mike Scruggs said the Chamber and other business organizations do not look at the overall cost to taxpayers caused by illegal immigration. He said illegal immigrants need resources from the community such as health care and education, but the immigrants do not pay their fair share of taxes.

"Our immigration laws have not been enforced. That is unintentionally unenforced," Scruggs said.

Committee member Daniel McConnell, a farmer, said he needs migrant labor to run his business. He cannot find people locally who will do the hard labor on a farm.

"I farm," McConnell said. "I've got to have employees. If I don't have them, I'm done."

The committee spent most of the meeting Monday on a series of recommendations from each committee member. They decided that the members will not agree on all areas of the debate and are putting points into the recommendation that reflect the divergent viewpoints.

"We are not going to agree," committee member Larry Ford said.

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