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The reasons are very simple: Farming. Migrant workers and plenty of agriculture to keep them employed. Also, construction employs many of them, and up until the recession hit a year ago, new construction was going up on every corner in this area.
Mostly construction from what i know. Charlotte has been employing a lot of construction workers within the past 12 years.
It is a relatively new phenomenon here. I went skiing in the western NC mountains where I never saw a "mexican" before. I went for the first time in about 4 years and a lot of the workers there were "mexican". It really surprised me...b/c I was used to the mountains being so white-washed.
In NC people are too polite to even honk if you sleep through a green light. Perhaps it's because here, people politely allow the illegals to overrun their town and just learn Spanish and hire translators so they can properly be hospitable. Perhaps it's because NC pays one of the highest rates of unemployment so they can make a draw while illegally working under the table for someone else. Here's a phrase we should all learn..."No habla espanol". As for the "hardworkers" ha! 1st generation, yes. 2nd generation, go check out the gang activity in NM, AZ, TX, CA, FL, etc. Criminals who work and criminals who don't aren't REALLY that different. They just steal from you and your children in different ways.
Very scary thoughts... I just wonder how far it will go? In my two decades in Miami, I watched the city change dramatically to where many towns are now 85% Latino, many of these illegal. Anglos in south FL had done just as you mentioned for years, allowing the towns to be overrun, then when they (Anglos) start being treated like unwelcomed intruders in their OWN hometowns, they move North... until the same thing eventually happens again, and they just keep moving further North. There are parts of Miami where signs are not even bi-lingual anymore, they are flat out written only in Spanish.
Then why does this topic seem to be heading directly into that direction?
Ummm... is it that any time a particular race, culture or ethnic group is singled out for whatever reason (good or bad), folks get bent out of shape??? I guess we are all supposed to walk on eggshells when it comes to questions like my original one, lest we *gasp* appear to be politically incorrect. I think that there are some very real concerns in this country regarding illegal influx, and we should be able to discuss them without someone crying "RACISM!" when that was not the intent. Perhaps mature, honest open dialogue would help with a resolution BEFORE the issue becomes completely out of control.
Then why does this topic seem to be heading directly into that direction?
Because whenever concerned citizens try to talk about their country being flooded by illegal aliens someone like you comes along and calls them a racist. Wise up superk, you want to see real racists, come on down here to my little corner in southern california and guess what, it aint the white folks.
Do some research on "sanctuary" states. North Carolina is one of them, which is a good thing or an unfortunate thing, depending on your point of view. There is a large portion of the population of immigrants from Mexico who not here in the country legally. They will avoid the states with tougher immigration laws, and go to those that offer them work, driver's licenses and social services, regardless of their status. North Carolina is a magnet due to those factors.
I am sure I will get blasted and probably get a warning, but the real reason that so many Mexicans are here are Drivers Licenses. Yes, Drivers Licenses.
Until the last 4 or 5 years, you could get a Drivers License in NC with very very very little documentation. Folks could walk into an car insurance retailer and get a DL 123 (I think it was called) (a form that said the holder had adequate liability insurance). The holder could then go to the Drivers License office and get a license. I think the insurance agent, who is clearly motivated to sell a policy, was kind of the first line of defense. We see how that worked out.
Fortunes were made in NC selling "special auto" to immigrants with little or no paperwork. Special auto is insurance that is obtained by high risk individuals, for instance, individuals with no documented driving history.
This tale of woe is not racists, just a fact.
Once you had a license, you were good to go.
That has been tightened up by a combination of Patriot Act and some NC legislation, but for many years, Early 2000's for sure, Drivers Licenses were very easy to obtain here.
I am just wondering what it is that brings the Mexican population here in droves, to small towns in NC??? How are they affording the cost of living?? We don't even have good public transportation here, what is the draw?
Many showed up during the housing bubble, when demand for construction workers skyrocketed in about 2004-2006.
Also, NC, SC, and GA are right-to-work states with little in the way of regulation. Large corporations tend to set up shop there, and hire foreigners who will work in these types of industries like pig or chicken farms, meat processing, manufacturing, landscaping, and commercial or residential construction.
I think the whole thing is very interesting. You have a ton of them here in Wilmington, but few people on the "white" or "good school district" side of town are even aware that they live in this area. The side of town they live on , near the port, has all sorts of Spanish-language establishments. Otherwise, they keep a very low profile, live frugally, and tend to stick together in large groups. You don't see them in bars downtown, or out spending money anywhere, but they show up in full force at the beach or in public parks.
Last edited by le roi; 11-23-2009 at 06:50 AM..
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