Today, Tim Moore launched an attack on our immigrant community in North Carolina. He made harmful statements about our immigrant community. Moore claimed in his letter that immigrants “have wreaked havoc on our public safety, strained our social safety net, and weakened the rule of law in our country”. We’re not going to let his remarks go unchecked!
Public Safety --> Several studies show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes, and there is no data to support Moore’s xenophobic claims of risk to public safety from immigrants.
Social Safety Net –> The immigrant community in North Carolina makes vast contributions to the state’s social welfare programs without ever being able to qualify themselves. Taxes are paid every year by immigrants who will never receive social security. Businesses are opened that create jobs and stimulate the economy of our state. In North Carolina, the labor force participation rate of foreign-born individuals averaged 68.6% in 2022 compared to 59.8% for those native-born (NC Department of Public Commerce, 2023).
The real strains are laws such as the ones passed last year (HB823 and SB406) diverting our tax dollars from public schools to private charter schools.
“Weakened the rule of law in our country” --> A collaboration between local police and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) would weaken the trust immigrant communities have in law enforcement, in turn, making them more vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, domestic violence, and more.
The only crisis at the border that exists is a humanitarian one, faced by people who are fleeing their home countries. Moore is calling on our Governor to use our tax dollars to fund security at a border that’s thousands of miles away when there are pressing issues here in our home state that require his time and our resources.
Join us in calling Governor Cooper to let him know we are not supporting Moore’s political stunt and that we support our Governor continuing to do what he’s always done- stand with immigrant communities in North Carolina.
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