Dole, Foxx stress immigration at local event

Tom Joyce/The News Rep. Virginia Foxx, left, chats with Sen. Elizabeth Dole Wednesday during a fund-raiser for the two federal lawmakers at Cross Creek Country Club in Mount Airy.

Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 9:55 PM CDT
Tom Joyce

Staff Reporter

The top issue on the minds of North Carolina voters is not jobs, but illegal immigration, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., said during a campaign swing through Surry County Wednesday.

Immigration reform came to the forefront last year in Washington during an emotional debate that culminated with the defeat of a controversial U.S. Senate measure that Dole played a key role in derailing.

“People are still talking about immigration and the fact that we need to secure our borders and enforce our laws,” Dole said during an exclusive interview at Cross Creek Country Club in Mount Airy.

Both Dole and Rep. Virginia Foxx, a fellow Republican who represents Surry County in Congress, were the guests of honor at a fund-raiser for the two sponsored by local GOP leaders. Each is seeking re-election this year.

Foxx added of immigration, “It's been the biggest issue since 2007.”

Along with helping defeat a measure last year that Dole said “rushed to legalize millions of illegal aliens,” the first-term North Carolina senator recently joined a handful of moderate and conservative Republicans in introducing a host of anti-immigration bills in the Senate.

One proposed measure would initiate deportation proceedings against both legal and illegal immigrants if they are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. She also worked to establish a statewide partnership that uses federal resources to screen persons who are arrested for previous crimes or immigration violations.

Another proposal she backs would eliminate a practice that requires federal services to be provided in foreign languages if requested.

Health care

Also during her visit to Mount Airy Wednesday, Dole talked about the health-care crisis, mentioning the growing number of state residents without adequate insurance coverage.

She supports “association health plans” as one way to supply adequate health care for North Carolinians. Ideally, these associations would use their combined leverage to acquire affordable coverage.

In addition, the Salisbury native believes medical savings accounts should be expanded to allow more workers to maintain health coverage using tax-free dollars.

The economy

The economy was another issue addressed by Dole and Foxx Wednesday.

“North Carolina has had a pretty resilient economy,” said Foxx, although she acknowledged that “Mount Airy has been hit a little bit harder.” This city that was dependent on textile and furniture jobs for years has seen thousands of those jobs evaporate in recent years as plants have moved operations overseas to take advantage of cheap labor.

With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and similar legislation blamed for much of the problems, Dole pledged to work against any future agreements that could harm the state further. Such legislation must be weighed against the question of “How does it affect North Carolina?” she said.

The two federal lawmakers said that North Carolina is fortunate to have a strong community college system that is playing a major role in retraining displaced workers for new careers. “We're really blessed with this great network,” said Dole.

Eventually, this will help people in Surry County and elsewhere in the state who have suffered from job losses, even though the future might look dark at present, Foxx said. “We know there are opportunities,” she said.

Foxx invited anyone having trouble with federal programs related to retraining or other needs to contact her office for assistance.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1924.