First off, I think the heds on the accounts of yesterday’s event are very telling.

From Mark Pellin and Pundit House: GOP Contenders Tackle Illegal Immigration and this from the UPoR and Franco Ordoñez: Pendergraph wants laws tougher on immigration.

As you might surmise from that shading, the very last thing the local status quo wants is a Mecklenburg County commission election this November with the issue of illegal immigration at the forefront. A personality-driven obsession that won’t “solve” any of the “pressing needs” of the community — yeah, they’ll do that marginalization trick in a heartbeat. 2..3..4..:

UNC Charlotte Professor Ted Arrington expects the well-known former sheriff to win a seat on the county commission, but he cautioned that Pendergraph should be careful not to push the immigration issue too far.

Arrington said immigration is relevant to voters across the country, but he doesn’t think it’s the most pressing issue among local voters.

Quick Ted, name another issue where the local GOP can and will draw a sharp distinction between themselves and local Democrats. Take your time, but show your work.

In the meantime, a quick answer to this rhetorical dud:

Hector Vaca, a community organizer with Action NC Charlotte, accused the candidates of politicizing the issue by using the term “illegal immigrants.”

“It’s just a conservative buzzword,” Vaca said. “If somebody doesn’t pay their taxes, or steals a loaf of bread, do you call them illegal Americans?”

No, Hector we call them convicts or felons. Like Rick Hendrick, convicted felon. Jim Black, convicted felon. Andrew Reyes, convicted felon. And so on.

And finally, the edit the UPoR rushed out Friday before the afternoon presser by the GOP candidates proved both the potential local political potency of the issue and the disconnect of the Uptown crowd:

Immigration reform is badly needed. We need more secure borders, yes, and we also need a path to legal citizenship for people who want to come to the United States, and are willing to work hard and contribute to this nation. The government shouldn’t be in the business of deporting mothers of young children who get stopped for traffic infractions, or hounding immigrants here legally just because police think they might not be.

This is nothing less than a call for open borders. Forget the state, local, federal cage-match — immigration laws should not be enforced, period. Some folks might disagree with that.

A lot of folks might disagree with that.