Some NC Republican voters sent a surprising message on immigration | Opinion
A simmering debate over immigration boiled over March 5 in North Carolina’s 10th District, the newly redrawn congressional district where Republican voters elected Pat Harrigan of Hickory to possibly replace U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry.
Though designed to be a safe Republican seat, the district now includes parts of blueish Winston-Salem and western Forsyth County, along with heavily red Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln and Yadkin counties. But the two frontrunners had notably diverging views on immigration.
State Rep. Grey Mills Jr. of Mooresville was seen by many as the guy to beat. He’d positioned himself as a Trump Republican with a “no-nonsense approach to immigration.” But voters gave the nod to Harrigan, who made headlines in 2022 by saying that he’d support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. “This horse has left the stable on this topic,” Harrigan said. “The vast majority of immigrants that have come to this country and here because they are trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.”
Harrigan isn’t a liberal by any stretch of the imagination. He’s a gun manufacturer supported by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. And Harrigan says he’s all-in for Trump in 2024. He was muted on immigration during the primary campaign, simply saying he’d support securing the border, enforcing immigration laws and deporting criminals.
What’s notable is that Harrigan didn’t disavow his previous statements. As a political outsider, a business leader and a vocal Christian, he appears to understand the enormous practical, economic and moral problems of rounding up and deporting immigrants who lack lawful status.
According to the American Immigration Council, there are about 325,000 undocumented immigrants in North Carolina, making up about 3% of our population. There are well over 170,000 children in our state who are U.S. citizens, living with at least one undocumented family member. Trying to deport all those people would rip families apart and cause enormous pain to the American children.
Our state also has tens of thousands of Dreamers brought here as children, who’ve grown up here, obtained DACA status, and played by the rules.
Collectively, North Carolina’s undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients pay over $321 million a year in state and local taxes, and hundreds of millions more to the IRS. Immigrant-owned businesses generate $1.1 billion in income each year and create jobs for American workers. And immigrant workers play a vital role in key industries such as farming and construction.
It shouldn’t be controversial, nor require political courage, to point out these facts and ask what would happen to our economy if we forced out these immigrant workers, business owners and parents. But in the GOP primary only Harrigan appeared to recognize (or be willing to admit) just how important immigrants are to our state.
There’s plenty wrong with our country’s immigration system, and plenty at stake as we try to secure our border, manage incoming refugees and migrants, and build a modern and robust system for integrating law-abiding immigrants into our communities. But that only makes it more important that we send representatives to Washington who care about the facts, and who are brave enough to work to find real solutions. Now, more than ever, we need elected officials — Republicans and Democrats — who are willing to break with political orthodoxy and forge commonsense solutions.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m a proud Democrat, and I’d love to see voters in NC-10 buck the odds and send Democratic challenger Ralph Scott Jr. to Washington in November. But in a district with a historic 16-point Republican lean, there’s a solid chance that Harrigan will now wind up in Congress.
I don’t know if Harrigan will stand by his previous convictions if he gets to Washington. But I do know that by winning his party’s primary, he’s already shown that voters are hungry for a more pragmatic approach. His win is a powerful reminder that when it comes to immigration, the change we need starts with N.C. voters stepping up — and demanding leaders who’ll find real solutions instead of spouting the same old partisan rhetoric.
Steve Rao is a Morrisville Town Council member. He’s on the board of the American Immigration Council.
