Varied Southern reactions to immigration

Stateline.org recently concluded a 3-part series on illegal immigration in the United States with a piece on the various actions being taken by states to deal with their own specific problems. Immigration is always a hotbed issue, and the reactions have been expectedly varied:

...[T]here is limited political rancor over illegal immigrants in Bush’s home state of Texas, where Republicans control both the Statehouse and the governor's mansion. Texas has longstanding family and economic relationships with Mexican immigrants. Even with an estimated 1.4 million illegal residents, the second-highest number after California, the Lone Star State is "not exactly a hotbed of anti-immigrant sentiment," said Rivlin, of the National Immigration Forum.

[...]

But in North Carolina, where Democrats control the governor’s mansion and the Legislature, a few lawmakers received threatening e-mails after they introduced legislation to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. North Carolina has seen explosive growth in its foreign-born population in the past 15 years. It now has an estimated 300,000 illegal residents, more than all but seven other states.

As immigrant populations (especially Hispanic) continue to rise in the South, progressives in the region may want to consider new ways to integrate illegal immigrants into the community where they can become full citizens intent and eager to reap the rewards that America offers.