TODD POINT -- Phil Spedden is a regular on the "liars bench" next to a roaring wood stove where locals have gathered daily for nearly 60 years in John Lewis' Grocery. They gossip, swap stories, sip coffee and wrangle over politics as somebody throws another log on the fire.
This year, the talk is often about the unusually lively race in Maryland's 1st Congressional District, where two state legislators are trying to oust Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest in the Republican primary. Spedden, a retired farmer, said various views can be heard about that among the wood-stove gang here in Dorchester County.
But Spedden, 67, said there's one topic folks tend to agree on: illegal immigration. Voters who will cast ballots in the primary Tuesday see a growing number of foreign workers in their communities around the Eastern Shore and think of them as illegal.
Around here, "illegal" means criminal, and foreign workers and their families who come here without proper papers should not receive education, health care and other benefits, Spedden and many others say.
"Everybody knows we need immigrant people to do a lot of jobs that our own people won't take," said Spedden, who added that he admires the work ethic of many foreign workers.
"But we all know they've got to be legal," he said. "As soon as they come over the border, it's against our laws. We all know it's wrong to give these handouts and giveaways to ones that get here."
On the Eastern Shore, a region that depends on a large Latin American labor force - especially in the poultry, seafood and agricultural industries - immigration has become a key issue. In the far-flung district that includes the Shore and suburban slivers of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties, every mailbox seems to be bulging with political fliers on the subject.
One - featuring photos of two 1st District candidates and Gov. Martin O'Malley wearing sombreros - suggests that all three favor government support of illegal immigrants and says, "Say NO to the Three Amigos."
The three leading candidates in the GOP primary - Gilchrest and state Sens. E.J. Pipkin and Andy Harris - say immigration is much on the minds of voters, and interviews around the district indicate that they're right.
Voters expressed passionate concerns about illegal immigration in Maryland and across the nation, many saying they are angry that people who don't have the right to be in the country might be getting help from government programs.
