According to widely available figures, which I conveniently do not quote here, North Carolina has seen the highest influx of illegal immigrants in the last several years.

There are a number of reasons for the this (huge agricultural economy base, notoriously easy acquisition of N.C. Driver's Licenses, etc...), but regardless, like all states, we suffer the same ills that massive numbers of illegals brings.

Regardless of which side of the "comprehensive immigration bill" debate you may fall, North Carolinians received some moderately good news in just the past couple of days.

From the Triangle Business Journal:

North Carolina may be home to a new immigration court if the state is chosen from among of the three states being considered for the court.

Missouri and Nebraska are also in the running, says Charles Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice.

It is premature, he says, to speculate on areas within the state might be logical. The location of the court will be determined based on the number of cases seen in a jurisdiction, geography and funding, which is up to Congress, Miller says.

With two judges and their staffs, an immigration court costs about $1.1 million a year, a spokeswoman for the justice department told the Associated Press.

As it stands now, people in the Triad must travel to Atlanta to the immigration court there, says immigration lawyer David Long of Long, Chang & Associates in Jamestown.

The Atlanta court handles immigration law cases from the Carolinas, Alabama and Georgia. Last year about 3,400 cases from North Carolina were heard in the court.

Immigration judges deal with asylum requests, residency status reviews and removal proceedings including deportation.

Long says North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing immigration communities in the nation and one of the largest jurisdictions without its own court. Having a court in the state would make immigration proceedings an expedited process, he says, as his law firm has seen lots of clients travel to Atlanta, which is often an inconvenience for them.

"It's kind of strange that we have this large community without our own immigration court," Long says.

This court would be a welcome relief for our state if we could be assured that the court and its staff could be counted upon to do something concrete with those appearing before it and that cases would be handled in a timely fashion.