"I pay 8 percent on my commercial loans," said Millie Cusick, 46, who owns two restaurants in the town of Vienna, population 300. "I can't get grants or some government program. Where's the backing for Americans? Let's take care of our own first."
In Caroline County - where Hispanic workers and their families are believed to make up nearly 10 percent of the county's population of 31,000 - print and television ads have shown immigrants clambering over fences at the Mexican border, said John W. "Jack" Cole, a longtime county commissioner.
He called the congressional campaign the dirtiest he has ever seen. "It's just extremely depressing, offensive even," said Cole, a Republican. "Of course, immigration is a major issue, but there are other issues. We are also concerned at this level of government about maintaining our farmland, conservation to keep Caroline rural."
Cole favors issuing driver's licenses or identification cards to immigrants, an idea that has been derided by conservatives. Cole sees it as a practical issue.
"It's one of those hot-button issues that people get incensed about," Cole said. "But at the local level, it's problematic to have people you can't identify. Some kind of ID card or a driver's license is just a way to permanently identify these folks."
State planning officials estimate that about 11,000 Hispanics live on the Eastern Shore. Many are here legally, including seasonal workers in the crab, hotel and landscaping industries, but officials say they don't know how many might be here illegally.
Even illegal immigrants tend to use fake Social Security numbers to get jobs and therefore pay taxes, said Timothy J. Dunn, a sociologist at Salisbury University.
Studies in Texas and other states have found that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in medical and education benefits, Dunn said.
"In fiscal terms, the research shows it's a wash. They pay more in through Social Security, withholding and other payroll deductions than they ever get back in services," he said.
Harford County Executive David R. Craig, a friend and supporter of Gilchrest, said immigration is an emotional issue.
"Immigration has become the new single issue for some," Craig said. "It's like people who only care about the gun control or abortion or school prayer. Immigration is the new national bogeyman."
