Under The Sun
A new wave of immigrants is transforming communities nowhere near the border
A bitter war of words has broken out here over the increase, which has been fueled by the lure of agriculture, poultry-processing and unskilled-labor jobs, and a surfeit of work created by a construction boom. Tensions flared after 9/11, with increased fears about terrorists crossing the southern border. Last year, Fern Shubert, an unsuccessful GOP candidate for governor, argued that illegal immigration undermined security. Those seeking controls on new immigrants have been branded racists, while others working to help Latinos assimilate have been sharply criticized. "We're in the middle of a huge national debate here in North Carolina, and we need federal help," says Andrea Bazan Manson, executive director of El Pueblo Inc., a not-for-profit advocacy group. "The Latino community is here, and now we have to figure out what to do about it."
On their own. It's unclear when, or if, states will get any guidance from Washington. President Bush's proposal to issue temporary guest-worker permits to illegal immigrants living in this country has gotten a cool reception. Bipartisan legislation written by Sens. Edward Kennedy and John McCain would provide temporary work permits and the opportunity to earn legal status over time while strengthening border control and cracking down on employers who hire workers illegally. The measure has drawn interest from all sides, but its future is uncertain.
So, for the moment, states like North Carolina are on their own. "Immigration isn't bad," says Ron Woodard of NC Listen, an organization that advocates drastic reductions in immigration and tighter border control. "The current way we're doing it is bad." The Tar Heel state, better known for college basketball and its high-tech Research Triangle Park, now ranks eighth in the nation in undocumented foreign-born residents, with more than 300,000. A handful of its small rural communities, including Siler City, where white supremacist David Duke held an anti-immigration rally in 2000, have seen their schools become predominantly Latino in less than a decade. Cities like Raleigh and Charlotte are seeing the beginnings of a similar phenomenon.
Services catering to the new immigrant population, meanwhile, have sprung up across the state. A Hispanic credit union now has 32,000 members and five branches. In Carrboro, El Centro Latino operates an after-school program for youngsters who speak to each other in English but to their teacher in Spanish. An Anglo couple has made a good business running the El Mercado Central market on West Main Street. Even longtime local businesses like Johnny Howard's bait and tackle shop are adapting. Howard, who had rented out the rear of his small building to a Latino selling groceries and produce, eventually swapped his larger space with the grocer, whose business was thriving. "I've been doing this 33 years and renting to him helps me," says Howard, a lifelong resident. "Life changes, just like when Wal-Mart came in. You just got to deal with it."
But pitched battles continue on many fronts, safety nets are strained, and the cracks of a divided society are everywhere. At Piedmont Health Services' busy Carrboro Community Health Center, 75 percent of the 30,000 patients treated every year are Spanish-speaking, up from 45 percent two years ago. Doctors are seeing many more young families requiring prenatal care, more cases of diabetes, and a sharp increase in uninsured patients, says Brian Toomey, the clinic's executive director. "We need help," he says. Outreach workers at Durham's El Centro Hispano say there has been a significant uptick in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, among Latinos. Organized prostitution rings that cater to the legions of young male immigrants are opening brothels and bringing in waves of new workers every two weeks, fueling the health risk, says the center's Oscar Garcia.
advertisement
