Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN) is an advocacy organization with offices throughout out eastern North Carolina. It advocates for liberal expansionist immigration reform, legal status for illegal immigrants, and better health care and educational opportunities for the Latino population in the state. AMEXCAN is affiliated with the left-of-center advocacy coalition Democracy North Carolina.

Background

The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, which goes by the acronym AMEXCAN, is based out of Greenville, North Carolina and works closely with East Carolina University. ¹

AMEXCAN is affiliated with Democracy North Carolina (or Democracy NC), which lobbies against election integrity measures and for campaign speech restrictions. Democracy NC has ties to major left-wing funders, including George Soros, the pass-through funding entity NEO Philanthropy, and the North Carolina-involved liberal funder Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. ²³⁴

In 2018, the organization announced the opening of offices in university towns Elizabeth City and Raleigh, North Carolina, with the Elizabeth City location on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. AMEXCAN executive director Juvencio Rocha-Peralta said in the next three years plans to also establish a chapter in every county of eastern North Carolina. In the near term, Rocha-Peralta said the group would open offices in Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson, Craven, and Lenoir counties.

Rocha-Peralta said the office in Raleigh, the state capital, was established because “our work is moving toward doing some advocacy work.” ⁵

Rocha-Peralta was previously head of the Eastern North Carolina Latin American Coalition until 2017. ⁶

Immigration Advocacy

After Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016, AMEXCAN “called an emergency session,” according to a local news report. AMEXCAN developed a plan to educate the broader community about problems of Trump administration polices, especially on immigration, and to build alliances with the general public and business owners. ⁷

Rocha-Peralta opposes proposals to construct a wall on the United States-Mexico border. Rocha-Peralta said, “I don’t think this is fair for the United States citizens to go through this based on his radical platform for pushing immigrants out.” ⁸

Rocha-Peralta predicted that many illegal immigrants would in the United States would “self-deport” because of anti-immigration policies. “What he is giving is not just fear, but doubts about what will happen to families who have lived in the United States for more than three decades as undocumented,” the AMEXCAN chief said of President Donald Trump. He added, “They are tired of living in hiding, especially because of the social impact of living in darkness, in anonymity, especially when you have a large family.” ⁹

In 2016, AMEXCAN approached Scott Temple and Sally Jacobs, a husband-wife team, about doing a documentary on migrant farm workers in North Carolina. The documentary is titled, A Stranger’s Table. ¹⁰

Voter Advocacy

North Carolina saw a drop in registered Latino voters in the 2022 election cycle. According to activists, only 36% of eligible Latino voters were registered to vote, and of that total only 25% cast a ballot during the 2022 midterm election. ¹¹ Fiorela Villegas, director of advocacy and civic engagement a the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, stated that younger Latinos, “Were reluctant to vote or be politically engaged as they often did not feel their vote mattered and were not aware of policies.” ¹²

1. “Counselor Education Program Collaborates with AMEXCAN to Provide College Readiness Tips.” ECU College of Education. June 13, 2018. Accessed June 14, 2019. https://blog.ecu.edu/sites/coeblog/2018/06/diversity/counselor-education-program-collaborates-with-amexcan-to-provide-college-readiness-tips/.
2. AMEXCAN. Mapping The Left. Accessed June 7, 2019. https://www.mappingtheleft.com/group/amexcan-association-of-mexicans-in-nc/
3. Myrick, Susan. 2017. “Democracy NC Hires New Leader”. Civitas Institute. https://www.nccivitas.org/2017/democracy-nc-hires-new-leader/
4. Democracy North Carolina, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule B https://democracync.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2017-990-Report.pdf
5. Gulledge, Seth Thomas. “Pitt-Based Hispanic Advocacy Group Expands to EC.” The Daily Reflector. April 12, 2018. http://www.dailyadvance.com/News/2018/04/12/Local-advocacy-group-expands-statewide.html
6. Clark, Jess. “Amid Racist Harassment, Many In North Carolina Town Vow to Fight Back.” November 16, 2016. Accessed June 7, 2019.
7. Abramowitz, Michael. “Fear Takes Hold in Immigrant Community.” The Daily Reflector. February 27, 2017. Accessed June 7, 2019. http://www.reflector.com/News/2017/02/27/Fear-takes-hold-of-Mexican-immigrant-community.html
8. Capadanno, Kate. “President Trump Declares Border Crisis, Democrats Say He Has ‘Chosen Fear.’” WITN News 7, Greenville, N.C. January 8, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2019. https://www.witn.com/content/news/504069781.html
9. Paredes, Yhadira. “Migrants Have Self-Repatriated Due to Trump Policies.” El Democrata. May 13, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2019. https://eldemocrata.com/migrantes-se-han-autorepatriado-por-politicas-de-trump/
10. Grizzard, Kim. “Vehicle of Expression: Artist Hopes to Use Bus to Tell Story of Migrant Farmworkers.” The Daily Reflector. March 3, 2019. Accessed June 7, 2019. http://www.reflector.com/News/2019/03/03/Vehicle-of-expressions.html
11. Perez, Luciana, Uribe Guinassi, and Nicolas Baintrub. “Why Did North Carolina’s Latino Voter Turnout Fall Last Year?” Governing. The Charlotte Observer, January 7, 2023. https://www.governing.com/now/why-did-north-carolinas-latino-voter-turnout-fall-last-year.
12. Perez, Luciana, Uribe Guinassi, and Nicolas Baintrub. “Why Did North Carolina’s Latino Voter Turnout Fall Last Year?” Governing. The Charlotte Observer, January 7, 2023. https://www.governing.com/now/why-did-north-carolinas-latino-voter-turnout-fall-last-year.