LA Times: One man helps mount Mississippi's anti-illegal-immigrant movement

[pampango]

Rodney Hunt, an oral surgeon who says he wants to retain conservative power in the state, came out of obscurity to become the citizen leader of the cause. Now the success of state politicians seems to hang on his group's support.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mississipi-immigration-20111008,0,77103.story?page=1&utm_medium=feed&track=rss&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20latimes%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fnation%20%28L.A.%20Times%20-%20National%20News%29&utm_content=Google%20Feedfetcher&utm_source=feedburner

Latinos have moved to the South in growing numbers over the last decade, and their presence has been accompanied by growing anger and resentment aimed at illegal immigrants. If Hunt gets his way, Mississippi will become the latest Southern state to pass a law aimed at driving illegal immigrants out — establishing the Deep South as the U.S. region with the most-stringent restrictions on illegal immigrants.

In Mississippi, there's a struggle that goes beyond immigration. Latinos, regardless of legal status, are part of a grand contest to define the state's future. Blacks, who vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, make up 37% of Mississippi's population, the highest percentage of any state. Latinos, if they vote Democratic, could one day tip the balance of power in a state where whites — that is, white Republicans — have the upper hand.

Hunt and his fellow activists had called their meeting on this muggy August evening to discuss how conservatives might finally wrest control of the state House of Representatives from liberal Democrats. To lure a crowd, the website advertising the meeting noted that the House had "single-handedly blocked Arizona-style immigration legislation."

Mississippi liberals suspect the anxiety is fueled by old-school bigotry. ... Bill Chandler, a longtime labor activist and executive director of the (Mississippi Immigrants Rights) Alliance, the state's main pro-immigrant group) alliance, said some whites feared what might happen if Latinos align themselves with blacks. "These kinds of things are scaring … most of the white folks here," he said. "That's why it's such an obsession in these Deep South states."

I wondered why Mississippi had not joined Alabama and Georgia, among other southern states, in passing "Arizona-style" immigration legislation. Apparently republicans did try to do just that but the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives blocked it.


Rodney Hunt, co-founder of the Mississippi Federation for Immigrant Reform and Enforcement,
believes illegal immigrants are taking jobs, flouting the law and burdening government coffers.

[BlueMTexpat]

1. Interesting, I thought that causing job loss, flouting the law and

burdening government coffers were caused more by WS bankers and unethical brokers than by illegal immigrants. Silly me! :evilgrin:

We should be paying much more attention to our home-grown lawbreakers, allowing meaningful amnesty for illegals who are already here and who have been good citizens - apart from their obviously illegal entry, and working hard to increase worker protections and benefits both here (which could in and of itself begin to resolve employer hiring of illegals) and in neighboring countries so as to discourage the economic incentive to come here in the first place.

But that would require effort rather than mere scapegoating, which is all that Rethugs seem to know about.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. We have liberal Democrats in our

House? Who knew? Actually, a Democrat in Mississippi is equal to a Republican in most states. A Miss. Republican is just a rabid teabagger.