Thread: Restaurant tests Myrick on immigration

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/n ... 244401.htm

Restaurant tests Myrick on immigration
Illegal workers at
stepson's restaurant?
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ
fordonez@charlotteobserver.com
Rep. Sue Myrick




U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick sailed into a seventh term in Congress last month on a campaign that emphasized one issue: fighting illegal immigration.

To celebrate, the Charlotte Republican went to Blue Restaurant & Bar, said her stepson, who owns the uptown restaurant known for its Mediterranean cuisine.

Her visits often stir talk in the kitchen among the roughly 20 Hispanic employees, said one worker. He said he believes Myrick's aggressive stance against illegal immigrants like him is what propelled her back into Congress.

"She's famous," he said. "We all know who she is. They say she won because of the Latinos."

The prospect of illegal immigrants working at her stepson's restaurants has Myrick's critics questioning whether she is as vigilant against illegal immigration privately as she is publicly. Myrick, 65, has proposed legislation to increase fines against companies that knowingly employ illegal immigrants and has hosted classes teaching employers how to verify workers' status.

Myrick has no financial stake in Blue and would not comment for this story.

Her supporters say if the restaurant hires illegal immigrants, it would confirm what Myrick has long said -- the federal government has failed to fix a problem that has grown out of control.

"They've fallen asleep at the switch," said Ron Woodard, director of N.C. Listen, a Cary-based immigration reform group.

Myrick's stepson, Alex Myrick, said he complies with federal laws when hiring staff and is unaware of any illegal immigrants working for him.

He said he has spoken with his stepmother about immigration, but that she has not questioned the legal status of his workers.

Focused on immigration

Rep. Myrick, more than any other Carolinas politician, distinguishes herself because of her attention to illegal immigration.She recently joined Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Julie Myers and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph to explain how a new county and federal partnership she helped start has put nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants on a path to deportation.

She gained widespread attention last year when she filed the Scott Gardner Act, named after a Mount Holly teacher killed by a drunken driver who was an illegal immigrant.

She supports a House proposal that would make illegal immigrants felons and mandates employer verification programs.

"I was once a small business owner, so I know how hard it is to scrape by and make a living," she said last year, announcing her "10K Run for the Border Act," which called for increased fines against companies who hire illegal immigrants from $250 to $10,000. "But, I never broke the law to make a profit."

Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition, said it appears that Myrick is applying different rules for her family than the public.

"It shows that even the ones who are critical of this issue cannot stay within the limits of what they're talking about," she said.

Maudia Melendez, a local Latino advocate, serves on Mayor Pat McCrory's immigration task force with members of Myrick's staff. She said that given Myrick's politics, she should question her stepson's hiring practices.

"It's a mixed message that you're sending," she said. "If you have a family member and you see people who look Spanish you're going to ask those questions. You say, `This can create a problem. I just want to know if everyone here is documented.' It shows that you need these people."

But William Gheen, president of Raleigh-based Americans for Legal Immigration, said Myrick can't control her stepson's business. He said Latino groups are punishing Myrick for her immigration positions in order to send a message to other politicians who also have personal connections to illegal immigrants.

"She is being made an example of because she is not playing ball with the illegal immigrant groups," Gheen said.

Other politicians have faced questions about their connections to businesses and undocumented workers.

In October, the Observer reported that Republican congressional candidate Ralph Norman, a developer, doesn't require his contractors to verify their workers' legal status.

Norman, an S.C. House member who is also an outspoken critic of illegal immigration, said then he shouldn't be held responsible for the undocumented employees of another company.

Last month, the Observer spoke with a worker at Stacy's Garden Center in York, S.C., who said she was in the country illegally. The nursery is owned by the brother-in-law of U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., who voted to build a 700-mile fence along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Spratt said in a statement, "I have no business interest or investment in Stacy's, and never have had, and know very little about the status of its workforce."

Stacy said he follows all federal hiring laws and knows of no undocumented workers.

Frequent political customer

Restaurants often hire illegal immigrants. Estimates show about 17 percent of the 7.2 million illegal immigrants in the labor force work in the hospitality industry, which includes restaurants. About 20 percent work in construction and 14 percent in manufacturing.

The undocumented worker at Blue spoke to the Observer on condition of anonymity and said other workers there are undocumented. Two workers at another Charlotte restaurant owned by Alex Myrick, Table Restaurant & Bar in Ballantyne, said they, too, are in the country illegally.

Most of the Hispanic employees are from Mexico, the workers said. Many speak little English.

In 2004, Rep. Myrick spent $1,785 in campaign funds at Blue to celebrate her election victory with her staff, according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics.

She spent $337 in campaign funds at the restaurant for an August event featuring talk show host Michael Reagan, son of the former president. And she spent $422 in October at Table Restaurant, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Blue's initial investors have contributed more than $10,000 in campaign donations to Myrick, according to Political Moneyline, a nonpartisan organization that tracks campaign money.

Alex Myrick said he knew little of the voluntary employment verification programs Rep. Myrick encourages other employers to use. He did not attend the June seminar in Charlotte she hosted on a program which lets employers tap into Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security databases.

All of his potential employees, he said, must show proper documents that prove they can legally work in the country.

But he said he can't discriminate against applicants who present authentic-looking documents because they look Latino or have a Hispanic last name.

"I'm not going to question you because you have a different skin color," he said

Maudia Melendez, a local Latino advocate, serves on Mayor Pat McCrory's immigration task force with members of Myrick's staff. She said that given Myrick's politics, she should question her stepson's hiring practices.

"It's a mixed message that you're sending," she said. "If you have a family member and you see people who look Spanish you're going to ask those questions.

The message Melendez is sending is not mixed at all. She is clearly profiling and suggesting that Myrick assume persons that look Latino are illegal aliens. Who needs enemies with Melendez as their advocate?

The undocumented worker at Blue spoke to the Observer on condition of anonymity and said other workers there are undocumented. Two workers at another Charlotte restaurant owned by Alex Myrick, Table Restaurant & Bar in Ballantyne, said they, too, are in the country illegally.

Most of the Hispanic employees are from Mexico, the workers said. Many speak little English.

Okay, now Rep. Myrick knows for a fact some of her stepsons employees are illegal - heck they've admitted it publicly to a regional newspaper! The ball is in Rep. Myrick's court now, let's see if she is ready to stand by her so-called convictions! I've always thought highly of her, but now my confidence in her will be shattered if she ignores the fact that her stepson is hiring illegal immigrants. Now that she knows, I'll wait and see if she does the right thing. Furthermore, her stepsons hiring of illegal immigrants shows how concerned he is in regards to his step-mothers political career.

Please join me in emailing this article to Rep. Sue Myrick. We need to know if she is going to do the right thing, which would be to notify ICE and ask for an employment verification check on her stepsons employees. While she is at it, she also needs to have the Restaurant & Bar in Ballantyne checked out. Acting on this new information would remove the ammunition the pro-illegal immigrant Latino's are attempting to use against her. Besides that, how dare these illegals flount their illegal status! Isn't that the same as daring us to do something about it!

http://myrick.house.gov/contact_Myrick.shtml

I just mailed Sue Myrick about this with copies of comments. I worked on her campaign so hopefully that will carry some weight.

I've always thought highly of her, but now my confidence in her will be shattered if she ignores the fact that her stepson is hiring illegal immigrants.

You and me both.

I just mailed Sue Myrick about this with copies of comments. I worked on her campaign so hopefully that will carry some weight.

Look forward to the response you receive.

BTT

Want to give those from North Carolina another crack at Rep. Myrick before this thread sinks into oblivion.

Hey, you don't have to be from NC to encourage Rep. Myrick to stand by her position as the self-appointed N.C. Czar of anti-illegal immigration.

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