You may also like Crosstown Traffic | WakeWatch | Bull's Eye | Eastern Wake Buzz
News
Web Search powered by YAHOO!
OrangeChat
How are we doing? If you have a question, complaint or suggestion about coverage of Orange and Chatham counties in The News & Observer and The Chapel Hill News, post your comments in this blog or e-mail us. Comments here may be reprinted in The News & Observer or Chapel Hill News.
Discussion on Bizzell continues today at UNC
Submitted by samihakhanna on 09/17/2008 - 08:46
Last week's stories on Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell and his opinions on immigration caused a stir.
Tonight at 5 p.m, the conversation will continue in Room 4085 at the UNC School of Law in "Understanding the Tension in Johnston County." (Here's the full story.)
The Hispanic Latino Law Student Association is hosting an open discussion with academics, community leaders, and politicians to address:
- How immigration has changed the demographics in N.C.
- The response to changing immigration demographics
- The underlying issues behind the tension in Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell's comments and anti-immigration rhetoric
- Where North Carolina is headed in respect to these issues
The event also will feature the participation of the Center for Civil Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, the N.C. Justice Center and others.
Want to post a comment?
In order to join the conversation, you must be a member of newsobserver.com. To register or to log in using your existing account, click here.Advertisements
Comments
Comments on Mexicans
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:26 — Anonymous (not verified)<< "All they do is work and make love.">>
If all they do is work and make love -- which is the crime he is concerned about? By the way, I may want to marry one.
In the mountains of NC
Thu, 09/18/2008 - 04:38 — elvisboy77I just read about illegal immigrants breaking the laws as far as Galax and Ginseng harvesting. As I recall, they were sent home for that. It really is a shame to have such things happen.
I am still amazed the N and O published his comments.
pardon me for another quick
Wed, 09/17/2008 - 12:05 — Anonymous (not verified)pardon me for another quick comment----we specifically forbid people from coming here if all they want is a good job. What this means is that a foreigner who wants to come here and work as a social worker, business manager, doctor, accountant, financial officer, lawyer, teacher,marketing manager, or governmental official just can't do it. Do you see a pattern here?
From where a US truck driver or carpenter sits, it sure looks like we want to protect certain people's jobs, but don't care about protecting other people's jobs.
While I in no way share the
Wed, 09/17/2008 - 11:57 — Anonymous (not verified)While I in no way share the sentiments of Bizzell, it would be a mistake for "us" to dismiss his comments as simply evidence of a racist personality or something. Travel an hour outside RTP, or an hour by plane to many areas of the country and you are going to see deep concerns about illegal immigration in this country. It is not the same as racism and if you dismiss it as such, you dismiss the real concerns of average citizens who are worried about the pressures on their schools, their government budgets and their emergency rooms that happen when people who are not supposed to be here ARE here.
A lot of people do not know this, but our immigration laws specifically forbid giving someone legal status in this country if the only reason they are coming here is for better economic prosperity. That's right--a person CANNOT legally immigrate to this country if all they are seeking is a better paying job. Ironic, isn't it???
Yet we seem to have no problem with illegal immigrants coming here for just that reason. I wonder if so many of these supporters would be as supportive if it were THEIR job that was at risk. If an illegal person could work as a university professor, or get elected to public office, or get a job at Google, how would that change some people's opinions?
So, what's the answer? changing the law so that it's easier for people to work here legally would be a start. I think part of the reason we haven't seen that already is because of a dirty secret--the university professors, the IT professionals, and the legislators only want CERTAIN kinds of workers to come here---the ones who will babysit their kids, mow their lawns, flip their hamburgers, and pick their food. A blanket "worker's visa" threatens too many people. They want to protect their own skilled jobs, but don't care about people who need to work at unskilled jobs.
It's a mistake to say that everyone who is concerned about illegal immigration is a racist or an ignorant person. there are real issues, real concerns, and real challenges to letting this many illegal people into our country and allowing them to access all the services that citizens pay for, but they don't. It's an economic issue, and you can't talk about the economic benefits of these people being here without also discussing the economic costs. It has to be a net positive for the average citizen and for our country, and I don't see that anyone has made that case. People like Bizzell may be uneducated, but they aren't dumb. If you show the value, they can connect the dots.