To celebrate, the Charlotte Republican went to Blue Restaurant & Bar, said her stepson, who owns the uptown restaurant known for its Mediterranean cuisine.

Her visits often stir talk in the kitchen among the roughly 20 Hispanic employees, said one worker. He said he believes Myrick's aggressive stance against illegal immigrants like him is what propelled her back into Congress.

"She's famous," he said. "We all know who she is. They say she won because of the Latinos."

The prospect of illegal immigrants working at her stepson's restaurants has Myrick's critics questioning whether she is as vigilant against illegal immigration privately as she is publicly. Myrick, 65, has proposed legislation to increase fines against companies that knowingly employ illegal immigrants and has hosted classes teaching employers how to verify workers' status.

Myrick has no financial stake in Blue and would not comment for this story.

Her supporters say if the restaurant hires illegal immigrants, it would confirm what Myrick has long said -- the federal government has failed to fix a problem that has grown out of control.

"They've fallen asleep at the switch," said Ron Woodard, director of N.C. Listen, a Cary-based immigration reform group.

Myrick's stepson, Alex Myrick, said he complies with federal laws when hiring staff and is unaware of any illegal immigrants working for him.

He said he has spoken with his stepmother about immigration, but that she has not questioned the legal status of his workers.

Focused on immigration

Rep. Myrick, more than any other Carolinas politician, distinguishes herself because of her attention to illegal immigration.She recently joined Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Julie Myers and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph to explain how a new county and federal partnership she helped start has put nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants on a path to deportation.

She gained widespread attention last year when she filed the Scott Gardner Act, named after a Mount Holly teacher killed by a drunken driver who was an illegal immigrant.

She supports a House proposal that would make illegal immigrants felons and mandates employer verification programs.

"I was once a small business owner, so I know how hard it is to scrape by and make a living," she said last year, announcing her "10K Run for the Border Act," which called for increased fines against companies who hire illegal immigrants from $250 to $10,000. "But, I never broke the law to make a profit."

Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition, said it appears that Myrick is applying different rules for her family than the public.

"It shows that even the ones who are critical of this issue cannot stay within the limits of what they're talking about," she said.

Maudia Melendez, a local Latino advocate, serves on Mayor Pat McCrory's immigration task force with members of Myrick's staff. She said that given Myrick's politics, she should question her stepson's hiring practices.

"It's a mixed message that you're sending," she said. "If you have a family member and you see people who look Spanish you're going to ask those questions. You say, `This can create a problem. I just want to know if everyone here is documented.' It shows that you need these people."

But William Gheen, president of Raleigh-based Americans for Legal Immigration, said Myrick can't control her stepson's business. He said Latino groups are punishing Myrick for her immigration positions in order to send a message to other politicians who also have personal connections to illegal immigrants.

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