Surge in Hispanic population is a hot topic

Hispanics have become the group to talk about lately. So on Tuesday, about 120 Triangle business and community leaders gathered at a Cary hotel to discuss Latinos.

Mostly, they listened to presentations about the economics of the state's Hispanic boom and differing views on immigration policy. Small details also were discussed. One woman asked whether she could use the terms Hispanic and Latino interchangeably.

The answer: Sure, unless you're talking to a woman. She might ask that you call her a Latina.

The numbers: North Carolina's Hispanic population, estimated -- 600,000

Number of illegal immigrants, estimated -- 316,000

Cost per Hispanic resident in the state budget, estimated -- $102

Building on Latinos: It is no secret that Hispanic labor has helped build the Triangle during the most recent housing boom.

But Nick Tennyson, the former Durham mayor who now works for the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties, said Latinos have done far more. "Every time I talk to one of my builders, he or she says, 'I simply wouldn't be able to be in business without Hispanic labor.' "

A crime like any other? Ron Woodard, head of NC Listen, said allowing illegal immigrants to get away with immigration violations because they contribute to the country's bottom line makes no sense.

"I could rob a bank and buy my wife a fur and a new car and argue that I was growing the economy," said Woodard, whose group advocates stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

UNC-Greensboro professor Nolo Martinez responded that many rely on cheap immigrant labor to make food, watch kids, build homes and cut grass.

"Law-abiding citizens of this nation, sadly enough, are part of this subculture of crime," said Martinez, who is assistant director for research and Latino outreach at the school's Center for New North Carolinians.

Immigration sensitivities: Martinez and others voiced worries that calls to crack down on illegal immigration may impugn all Hispanics.

Woodard was clearly sensitive to such worries and repeatedly told the crowd that he thinks Hispanics are great people. He mentioned that he has a Hispanic sitter for his son and had a Hispanic best man at his wedding.

Martinez cracked that such claims sounded like the proverbial "my best friends are black" defense against charges of racism. Woodard called that "a cheap shot." Martinez apologized.