Siler City and the Children of Perú

Once every two years I take a group of travelers to Perú. We spend about a week and a half traveling to wonderful sites from the period of the Inca Empire and the Spanish invasion. We also get a good glimpse of the way of life of people in a wide variety of settings from the bustling life of the capital to remote Andean villages.

Over the past few years I have begun to see the effects of immigration to the U.S.A. even in these trips to Peru. In the summer of 2006 I was stopped in Cuzco (capital of the ancient Inca Empire) by a young girl who asked what state I was from. This is a common ploy used by children of the area to earn a few cents by telling you the capital of your state. I said I was from North Carolina. She responded, "Your capital is Siler City." She then quickly corrected herself, "No. I mean Raleigh!"

Her unwitting mistake was quite telling. Fifteen years ago Siler City was a rural town that few people outside the immediate county had heard of. Now it's well known even among the children of Cuzco in Peru. Siler City is one of the fastest growing Latino cities in North Carolina now. The poultry industry there has imported an enormous number of workers. Siler City has become a symbol of hope for a better life.

I was proud that my state is viewed as a welcoming place. I also realized that the phenomenon of migration to the U.S.A. is powerful—I dare say unstoppable.

If we do not reform the immigration process to make opportunity fair, we will surely continue to face a growing wave of undocumented immigration. Attempts to stop the flow across our borders will be like the naive counties in Alabama that try to stop their residents from consuming alcohol by passing laws banning its sale. Their residents simply go get the alcohol from the neighboring counties, and many of them DRIVE inebriated back home. The laws create more problems than they solve.

No quantity of harsh laws or strong fences will stop the flow of immigration. Sane policy will not attempt to stop it, but to regulate it in ways that are just and equitable.