McCrory's stats a bit off

Figures he cites on Latino births, inmates not borne out

RALEIGH -- Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has made reducing illegal immigration a major theme in his bid for governor, proposing tighter oversight of state contractors and increased deportations of immigrants who commit crimes.

In two cases, McCrory has cited statistics that are not fully supported by available records.

At a recent speech in Pinehurst, he said that at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, "over 50 percent of the babies being born are Latino." McCrory says he got the number from a "top CMC official," whom he declined to name. A spokesman said the hospital doesn't track such numbers.

On several occasions, including a debate Thursday, McCrory has said that 20 percent of the inmates in the Mecklenburg jail are illegal immigrants. McCrory says former Sheriff Jim Pendergraph told him the number. But a sheriff's office spokeswoman said the office doesn't track those numbers.

Asked about the contradictions, McCrory said Friday that he might revise his figures.

"I will get the most up-to-date, accurate information as it's given to me," he told the Charlotte Observer. "It doesn't change the ultimate message that it's a very serious issue. This is part of the problem, that the estimates are often wrong."

Latino advocates said they were disappointed McCrory was using them at all.

"Our community -- and I'm talking about the larger community -- is much too smart for people to throw numbers out like that. I think it's irresponsible for people to throw numbers out like that," said Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte.

McCrory's handling of such details could become an issue as he tries to jump from his mayoral post, to which he was first elected in 1995, to the highest office in the state. Candidates receive more scrutiny statewide.

In his Pinehurst speech, McCrory used the statistics about births to lament the costs of immigration.

"There is no statewide plan," he said, "there is no local plan, there is no federal plan on how big of a burden that's going to be on our health system, on our criminal justice system, on our school systems and on our economy."

Scott White, spokesman for Carolinas Medical Center, said the Charlotte hospital does not know how many babies born there are Latino.

"We do not track these births by race or national origin or anything like that," White said.

McCrory has cited the statistic about the Mecklenburg jail at least three times recently, including during a GOP debate Thursday. "I got that information from Sheriff Pendergraph in many conversations and speeches that he's given on the record," McCrory said Friday.

Pendergraph, who left Dec. 1 to work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ran the jail as sheriff. He has been quoted saying that 15 percent of jail inmates are illegal immigrants.

Julia Rush, spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg jail, said the jail does not keep track of how many inmates are illegal immigrants. About 16 percent are Latino, though that number fluctuates, she said.

"The sheriff did talk about 15 percent who were Latino," Rush said. "The more it got told, I think, it got translated into '15 percent are illegal.' "

Tony Ansion, deputy director of El Pueblo in Raleigh, said false statistics too often are used to scare voters.

"Don't be afraid because people are saying things that are not entirely true," he said. "Find out for yourself."