Key Survey Results by Geographic
Area
MONTGOMERY, Alabama (The
Southern Poverty Law Center) April
23, 2009 ―
NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans is home to a new
immigrant community. The majority of
the city's Hispanic immigrants came
after Hurricane Katrina devastated
the city in 2005, lured by the
prospect of well-paying jobs
rebuilding the city.
This population has been badly hurt by
the economic downturn and the utter
failure of the federal government to
respond to labor exploitation in the
wake of Katrina. The greatest concern
Hispanics expressed to the Southern
Poverty Law Center was related to
employment. One local advocate called
New Orleans "the wild, wild West."
80 percent of Hispanics interviewed in
New Orleans reported they had not been
paid for some work they performed.
Almost half of those surveyed (47
percent) had been injured on the job,
and a large majority of those (70
percent) said they were not treated
appropriately (i.e., they received no
medical treatment, lost wages and/or
were fired) after the injury.
New Orleans was the location where
Hispanics were least likely to have
heard of the Department of Labor or know
how to contact it. Only 37 percent said
they had heard of the department, and
only 14 percent said they knew how to
contact it.
Most had also received no health and
safety training at all, and few (only 23
percent) had even heard of the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
GEORGIA
Hispanics across south Georgia described
an immigrant community with an extreme
distrust of police.
Several factors apparently fuel this
distrust. There were reports by
Hispanics of unfair treatment and deep
concerns about their inability to obtain
driver's licenses and license plates — a
significant concern given the lack of
public transportation in the largely
rural area. Immigrant advocates also
reported severe penalties for driving
without a license, including fines of up
to $1,500 and even jail time.
But it was a series of raids by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement in
September 2006 that left an indelible
mark on the community. Hispanic
immigrants with and without
documentation believe the fabric of
their community was torn apart as ICE
agents searched door to door in their
neighborhoods.
Interviews and surveys were conducted
with Hispanics across several counties
in south Georgia. These locations
included Moultrie, Macon, Augusta,
Grovetown, Lyons, Vidalia, Oak Park,
Statesboro, Swainsboro, Cobbtown and
Twin City.
Georgia was the location where Hispanics
expressed the least confidence in the
police. Only 27 percent of people
interviewed reported they had trust in
the police.
42 percent of the people who have had
interactions with the police believe
they were treated unfairly.
The vast majority (88 percent) believe
ICE targets Hispanics and treats them
differently from people of other races
or ethnicities, including other
immigrants.
ALABAMA
North Alabama provided an example of how
local laws erode trust in the police
among Hispanics.
Numerous municipalities in the region
have enacted ordinances allowing law
enforcement to impound vehicles when a
driver cannot provide documentation
proving their legal status. These
ordinances greatly affect the immigrant
community, especially those who are
undocumented, and may lead to racial
profiling.
Hispanic business owners interviewed by
SPLC researchers cited incidents where
they have been asked for help by someone
whose vehicle was taken by police. A
Huntsville businessman said he stopped
helping people recover their vehicles
because he worried about upsetting
authorities by recovering so many
vehicles.
Others described how these policies hurt
their businesses by forcing people to
stay home out of fear. Many respondents
confirmed this, reporting they felt
safer staying at home as much as
possible.
SPLC researchers conducted interviews
and surveys in the cities of Hoover,
Birmingham, Huntsville, Florence,
Russellville and Albertville.
Only 41 percent of those surveyed
indicated they have confidence in the
police.
Forty-one percent also said they
personally knew someone treated unjustly
by the police. Of these incidents, the
majority (55 percent) involved traffic
stops.
A majority of people surveyed (55
percent) reported there are routine
traffic stops or roadblocks where they
live.
A majority of people surveyed (53
percent) also reported the roadblocks
target Hispanics and do not affect
people of other ethnicities equally.
NASHVILLE
Nashville is a case study in the
shifting sentiment immigrant communities
have experienced in Southern cities.
In the past 15 to 20 years, the
immigrant population in Nashville has
been among the fast-growing in the
United States. Between 2000 and 2006,
Tennessee ranked 5th in the nation for
the largest percentage growth in the
foreign-born population (48.7 percent).
Nashville initially held itself out as a
city that welcomed immigrants. Tennessee
even became one of the first states to
offer driver's licenses to people
without Social Security numbers.
However, the climate toward immigrants
shifted with the backlash against
immigrants associated with the September
11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
By April 2007, the Davidson County
Sheriff's Office had signed a 287(g)
agreement with Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, allowing the department to
assist ICE in enforcing federal
immigration law. Specifically, it means
the department, which runs the jails,
checks the immigration status of
individuals arrested in Davidson County.
Despite this climate, Nashville voters
in January 2009 soundly defeated an
English-only measure would have required
all Metro Nashville government business
to be conducted in English. The defeat
prevented Nashville from becoming the
largest city in the country with such a
rule, offering the possibility the
sentiment toward immigrants may be
shifting again in Nashville.
Nonetheless, SPLC surveys and interviews
with Hispanics and advocates in
Nashville revealed the extreme fear
cultivated throughout the area long
before this vote:
67 percent of the respondents said they
personally knew someone who had been
treated unjustly by the police, the
highest rate of any of the communities
surveyed.
73 percent reported Nashville's 287(g)
agreement with ICE made them more
apprehensive about cooperating with the
police.
Complaints about working conditions in
Nashville were common. Thirty-seven
percent reported they had personally
been cheated out of wages.
More than 70 percent thought sexual
harassment was a serious problem in
employment — the highest rate reported
in the survey.
60 percent reported experiencing racism
in securing housing in Nashville.
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte is another example of the
shifting attitudes toward immigrants in
the South. The growth of Charlotte's
immigrant population paralleled the
city's transformation into a major
financial center. Immigrant advocates
were quick to note that these two events
are related.
When Charlotte was known as a welcoming
city for immigrants, it was at a time
when it needed immigrant hands to build
its skyline. More than one advocate
noted how Hispanic immigrants "built
this city" and that "undocumented hands"
were responsible for many of the homes,
skyscrapers and marble floors in the
city.
However, the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, changed public
sentiment as illegal immigration became
a security issue. The Mecklenburg County
Sheriff's Office also implemented a
287(g) program, an agreement that
allowed the department to assist
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This program has been credited with
fueling anti-immigrant sentiment. Talk
radio in the city has been cited as a
force in changing the perception of
Hispanic immigrants from a community
that helped build a better city to one
that threatens the city itself.
The SPLC survey and interviews found a
Hispanic population that reported
discrimination on the job and elsewhere.
It also revealed a population fearful of
law enforcement.
More than half (52 percent) of the
survey respondents said there is racism
when looking for a house in this area.
66 percent said their willingness to
speak to police has been affected by the
county sheriff's 287(g) agreement with
ICE.
28 percent said they have performed work
for which they were not paid.
73 percent of those surveyed said they
believe Hispanics receive different
treatment on the job.
Nearly half of those surveyed (48
percent) said women were treated
differently than men on the job.
