"maybe it's exactly what he said, that his wife was enchanted with the "small-town friendliness" but now it seems to have the same big-city racial problems that they moved away from."
I doubt it. I think it's one of two things. He's (1) illegal, so he has a reason to be worried. Or he's (egal, in which case I would speculate that he either has (2)sympathy for illegals or (3) he thinks that in some way he'll suffer because of this. If that's the case, I would wonder why. Thus, 1 or 2 seem more likely to me.
"that he either has (2)sympathy for illegals "
Interesting ... personally, I think ALL illegals should be deported as soon as caught, but that does not mean I don't feel symapthy for them.
Is feeling sympathy for illegals now a deportable offence on it's own ?