As the Hispanic population in Rowan County continues to grow, so do the legal questions
hovering around the new residents. The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service classifies
immigrants in three ways:
nIllegal aliens: Immigrants who
are not registered with the government. They may apply for Department of Social Services
benefits, but their lack of papers may hurt their eligibility. Illegals’ children are
eligible to attend public school, regardless of citizenship status, under federal law.
nResident aliens: These immigrants
are registered with the federal government and have ‘‘green cards,’’
which entitle them to live in the United States permanently. They cannot vote or hold
public office and are barred from working certain federal jobs unless they become American
citizens. They have all the other rights that Americans hold, and they must follow all
American laws. They are also required to pay state and federal taxes. If they commit
certain crimes, they are automatically deported.
nNon-resident aliens: These
immigrants are people here on a temporary basis, such as foreign exchange students and
tourists. They hold visas from the federal government that are time-restricted but can, in
some situations, be renewed. Non-resident aliens can apply for resident-alien status if
they wish to remain in American after their visas expire.
The Census Bureau estimates that
by 2025, Hispanics will make up 2.5 percent of our state’s population, up from 1.4
percent now.
According to the Census Bureau, if
you took all the Hispanics in the state and put them in one place, you’d have a city
the size of Durham or Winston-Salem. And every two years the state adds enough Hispanic
people to make up a city the size of Salisbury or Kannapolis.
If all the Hispanic people in
Rowan County moved to one location, they’d comprise a city the size of Rockwell or
Granite Quarry. They make up less than 2 percent of our population.
Nevertheless, Hispanic growth is
evident. In 1997, Rowan County ranked 876th in the nation in number of Hispanics, out of
2,094 counties nationwide. Rowan ranked 25th in North Carolina in numbers of Hispanics,
out of 100 counties.
One out of every 10 N.C. Hispanics
live in Mecklenburg County. Fewer than one in 1,000 live in Rowan County. |
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