"These people bring vital cultural traditions to our state that many employers, 

 community leaders and others have already recognized/ 5 

 — David Griffith 



A50VE: Las Carolinas in Snallotte caters to immigrants looki ng for long-distance "calling cards 

 so they may keep in touch with relatives in Mexico and other countries. 



Hispanic Mig-ation 



Large numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants began moving to 

 North Carolina in 1986 after the passage of the Immigration Reform & 

 Control Act, which gave immigrants legalized status if they lived and 

 worked in the United States for five years. 



"Farm workers from Mexico first went to Texas and California 

 when sugar beets and cotton were mechanized," Griffith explains. "Then 

 they began migrating to Florida. Once the immigrants were in Florida, 

 they began coming up the East Coast." 



From 1990 to 2000, the number of foreign-bom immigrants 

 increased by more than 200 percent in North Carolina, according to the 

 U.S. Census Bureau. 



"However, the actual numbers of foreign-bom immigrants are 

 higher because officials overlook many undocumented immigrants and 

 do not include those doing seasonal work such as seafood processing," 

 says Johnson, an ECU sociologist. 



In recent years, Hispanics also have migrated to rural parts of 

 southeastern North Carolina, particularly in Duplin, Sampson, Pender, 

 Bladen and Brunswick counties — where they have been integrated 

 into the poultry, pork and pickle industries. Others have found work in 

 landscaping and related industries. 



They also have settled in North Carolina's metropolitan areas, 



including Wilmington. 



Most move to North Carolina 

 to improve their standard of living. 



"I left Mexico when I was 19," 

 says Munoz, who has lived in the 

 United States for 20 years. "I had a 

 dream of buying a truck and selling 

 cattle. But it didn't work out." 



Instead, Munoz took a job on 

 a dredge and later went to work at 

 the Crow Creek Golf Club. 



Immigrants like Munoz's 

 wife, Carolina Ramirez, have used 

 their native language to help with 

 research projects, including the 

 immigrant study funded by Sea 

 Grant. 



While working on the project, 

 she had to return to Mexico at 

 least once a year to meet U.S. visa 

 requirements. 



"Sometimes, I feel like I am in 

 jail here because I have to go back 

 and forth to Mexico to keep my 

 visa," says Ramirez. "At the same 

 time, I feel a lot has been done here 

 for me and my husband." 

 One of the most difficult adjustments for Hispanic women is dealing 

 with the open culture. "Many women in Mexico are from families who do 

 not allow them to speak out openly about sex and other issues," she says. 



Ramirez lives in a large, comfortably furnished trailer with her 

 husband and stepdaughter. 



However, not all immigrants have adequate housing, she says. Some 

 Hispanics share a room with up to seven people in housing provided for 

 workers, Ramirez says. 



"Many Hispanic workers are afraid to speak up about living 

 conditions because they think they will get fired from the job." 



Others live on their own, yet crowd into housing in order to send 

 more money home to families. 



In coastal North Carolina, many immigrants work in the seafood 

 industry. In crab processing plants, Hispanic workers have H-2B visas that 

 allow them to work as seasonal employees. From March to November or 

 December, they spend their days picking, sorting and boxing crabs. 



"We have about 40 Mexican workers who work seasonally along 

 with 12 local ladies," says Don Cross, co-owner of Pamlico Packing 

 Company. "The Mexican women have been our saviour." 



Without the H-2B workers, he says his processing facility and 

 others would be out of business as far as production goes. "The Mexican 

 workers are the backbone of our workforce," he adds. Continued 



Coastwatch I Holiday 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 15 



