November 12, 2008


Immigration forum draws diverse crowd

By Joel Burgess

Immigrants should enter the United States legally, follow the laws and assimilate.

Laws should be changed to make it easier for immigrants to enter the U.S.

Recent immigration crackdowns have gone hand-in-hand with increased hostility toward foreigners and racism.

Those were a few of the attitudes residents expressed Tuesday in an Asheville church on an issue taking on increased prominence in politics, industry and education.

Nearly 150 people attended the forum on immigration put on by the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council in the Parish of St. Eugene Catholic Church. Forum organizers wanted to foster community dialogue on immigration.

People attending came from a wide range of backgrounds, including Juan Holladay, a musician who lives in Buncombe County. He grew up a member of the Yaqui tribe whose land is now split by the U.S.-Mexican border.

“I've seen the escalation of the militarization of the border in my backyard and I've lived among a lot of people who aren't racist, aren't white supremacists but are affected by huge influxes of people coming across the border,â€