Illegal Immigration

The four Congressmen and two U.S. Senators are clueless about illegal immigration in our state. Let me tell you what is going on in the big city of Pearl (pop. 22360). Illegal immigration is flooding our city. When I drive to work around 7:10AM, there are Hispanics walking or riding their bikes. Even just a year ago, that was a very rare scene. Now it is a common one. Five years ago, there were only about twenty-five Hispanics in the Pearl School District. Today there are about 175. And the number is growing. Since they are not taxpayers because they do not own property, we taxpayers have to shoulder the burden.

Let me tell you of an incident that happened last April 29th. I was going to work on a cloudy humid Saturday around 12:40PM. I passed a Hispanic carrying a backpack on his shoulders. He was walking slowly and seemed to have a problem steadying himself. I got to the office, parked my car and went to work. About twenty minutes later, a police car and an ambulance came to my office. The illegal immigrant passed out right to the north of my bookkeeper's office. The policeman told me he had walked from Madison to Pearl and passed out from the exhaustion. Inside the backpack were drugs! This was unheard of even a year ago.

When I drive up Old Brandon Road going to the airport, I see a lot of rental homes. Most of them are occupied by immigrants. They keep their yards clean and are law-abiding. But I doubt if they are legal immigrants. The reason the immigrants come to Pearl is because it is the cheapest urban area to live in Rankin County. I talked to a client and he told me there are no Hispanics in Brandon. He hasn't seen any in Crossgates or any of the other well-to-do areas. But they are in the apartments and rental homes in Pearl. And it seems the number is increasing.

When I was working at H & R Block in 1983, I saw my first Hispanic. He asked us in Spanish if anyone could speak the language. We said "no" and he went on his way. But that was a very rare occurrence. Now they are a very common sight throughout the downtown area. I have no objections to legal immigrants. My grandparents--maternal and paternal--were immigrants. But they were legal immigrants.

It is time Congress put a stop to the illegal immigration in this country. We may have as many as 49000 illegal immigrants in this state. The State Auditor's office issued a report which stated illegal immigration is costing the state $25,030,051. Our Congressional delegation better wake up and get off their ivory towers and see what is going on here--especially in the city of Pearl.