[Frank_2001]

So, what is the economic basis for illegal immigrants there? What do they do for a living???

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It's agriculture. But most of the labor intensive work is in the autumn during tobacco harvest. It takes about 5 or so weeks to harvest tobacco because they only take off a layer of leaf per week, and leave the rest to keep maturing. The crews will move to a different farm each day of the week, returning the following week to where they started.

The rest of the year it's miscellaneous agriculture and construction. Raleigh is about 40 miles away and they commute to a lot of day labor and construction jobs there.

But there aren't an overwhelming number of hispanics. The main problem is local ferals involved in robbery, home invasions, drug dealing, burglary, shoplifting. They roam the county looking for crimes of opportunity.

Except for the much older blacks with graying hair, most seem allergic to work, agricultural work in particular. It has almost become like an American version of South Africa; I'm not kidding.

If it wasn't for the ferals, it would be close to paradise on earth, hunting, fishing, horse trails.