More on illegal immigration in Michigan

The Macomb County Republican Party speaks and the federal government jumps. Just days after a handfull of Republican voters announced that their pick for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is anti-immigrant Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the completion of Operation Motor City, a five-day roundup of illegal immigrants in Southeast Michigan.

According to the Free Press:

By Wednesday, 63 immigrants -- most of them from Eastern European countries and ranging in age from 10 to 60 -- were in the process of being deported in one
of the largest roundups yet in an ongoing effort to clear Michigan and Ohio
of an estimated 4,500 illegal immigrants. "This was just one
operation, and there will be more in the future," said Rob Baker,
director of detention and removal operations for Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Detroit.

Again I ask: am I missing something here? Are the whopping 4,500 illegal immigrants in Michigan and Ohio really causing serious problems here in the Midwest? Or are some of the locals getting caught up in the current national clammoring for a crack down?

One friend, an astute observer of the Michigan political scene, said he expects illegal immigration to be a much larger issue than most people realize in the November Michigan election. He attributes this to two things. First, he says, there are far more illegal immigrants than people realize, from Arabs in Dearborn to Mexican farm workers in the rural parts of the state. (Some reports indicate there may be as many as 4,500 in Michigan and Ohio alone!) And second, he says, immigrants (presumably those with jobs) might just bear the brunt of the electorate's frustration with Michigan's troubled economy.

His first point would seem to be disputed by the Free Press story about the raid itself. Quoteth I - "Twenty-five of the people targeted during the latest operation, which lasted from May 31 to Sunday, were from Albania, while eight were from Macedonia, officials said. The rest were from 13 other countries." The Macedonians are taking over!!! The Macedonians are taking over!!! Maybe not. My friend's second point may prove more accurate, but is it valid? How many people do you know who are unemployed now because they lost a job opportunity to an illegal alien? Maybe the problem is more serious than I realize. After all, I haven't been to Macomb County in a while. But maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of Macedonian bias in the air.