Business, Agriculture, and Law Enforcement Leaders Discuss the Benefits of Immigration Reform with North Carolina DACA Recipient

North Carolina’s COVID-19 Response, State Economy, & Communities Need Congress to Act to Reform America’s Broken Immigration System

RALEIGH, NC — Yesterday, real estate and agriculture entrepreneurs came together with the Chief of Police of the Town of Chapel Hill and a North Carolina Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient in a virtual roundtable discussing the benefits immigration reform would have in the Tarheel state.  

Each panelist, representing some of North Carolina’s most important industries and essential workers, shared their unique perspectives on the impact immigrants make across the state. An immigration system that does not allow businesses, especially in essential industries such as law enforcement and agriculture, the workforce they need to survive is no longer sustainable for North Carolina. 

 Tommy Luckadoo

North Carolina’s 865,000 immigrant residents make up more than 8% of the total population but 11.2% of the state’s essential workforce. Not only do immigrants, on average, serve as economic multipliers for the entire country, they’re also working more than 23 million jobs across the country — and 150,000 in North Carolina — deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

One North Carolina’s immigrants, a DACA recipient and legal assistant from Durham, joined the conversation to explain the role of immigrants in our national recovery effort and the plight of Dreamers who were raised in the United States and contribute to our country while Washington fails to codify their place as permanent residents. 

The panel was moderated by Tommy Luckadoo, the vice president of Adams Commercial Real Estate. While their industries and backgrounds are diverse, the message all speakers had to share was united: immigrants are a crucial part of our state and meaningful immigration reform could help everyone in North Carolina by unleashing the state’s growing economy. 

Allan Baucom

Immigrants already add $21 billion annually to North Carolina’s GDP and nearly $2.5 billion to the state’s balance sheet. They’ve also started more than 62,000 businesses, adding $1.6 billion to the state economy and creating countless jobs.  

As families across the United States depend on the country’s agriculture industry and supply chain to keep food on the table, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that half of all farm hands in the country are undocumented. In North Carolina, the agriculture industry is responsible for 17% of all jobs in the state and more than $91 billion added to the economy. Allan Baucom, a farmer and president of the A.L. Baucom Company, Inc., explained how immigrants support farmers across the state and the impact reform would have to stabilize North Carolina’s largest economic drivers. 

Americans are united in their belief that Congress must reform our immigration system to allow Dreamers, farmworkers, and other immigrants to stay. Representing the diverse industries and communities in North Carolina, this virtual roundtable served as an example of the wide array of Americans who value the contributions of immigrants and recognize the steps Congress could take to create a fair, humane immigration system that works for all Americans. 

A full recording of the conversation is available. Please contact Mark Fleming (markbfleming@gmail.com) for more information. 

Quotes from panelists who participated in the roundtable are below: 

“I work every day to keep North Carolina growing and building. I’m in the business of revitalizing communities and delivering the economic stimulus we need to create jobs and opportunities. Without immigration reform that would grow our workforce and create jobs, North Carolina can’t keep growing. I was glad to moderate this important discussion to encourage our leaders, especially Senator Burr and Senator Tillis, to lead on finally fixing our broken immigration system. - Tommy Luckadoo, Vice President, Adams Commercial Real Estate 

“As a Dreamer and an immigration advocate, I work each day to support hardworking North Carolinians, like me, who want to contribute to American society. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program opened many doors of opportunity for me thus far, but my place in the U.S. will be under threat until Congress makes it permanent. My story is just one of almost 24,000 Dreamers in North Carolina. If the Senate does not act to pass legislation like the Dream Act, my future, and Dreamers’ $1 billion impact in North Carolina, will remain in jeopardy.” - Maritzelena (Ritzy) Chirinos, Immigration Legal Assistant and DACA Recipient 

“As the speakers on the panel explained, immigrants are vital to the success of our state. My friends and counterparts in the agriculture industry know this better than anyone. Our farms, ranches, and dairies would not be able to operate and put food on tables across the state without immigrant farmworkers. We need immigration reform to keep and recruit the staff it takes to keep Americans fed.” - Allan Baucom, President, A.L. Baucom Company, Inc.

“The safety of North Carolinians is on my mind all day, every day. It is my duty, and the duty of all officers, to enforce the laws of our state and serve those in need. And, it’s everybody’s responsibility to support legislation that is fair and humane to those who want to be part of our country.  That’s why I’ll continue to advocate for a reformed immigration system that keeps hardworking and otherwise law-abiding immigrants in the place they call home.” - Chris Blue, Chief of Police, Town of Chapel Hill, NC