n increasing numbers, Hispanic immigrants are putting down roots in the Roanoke Valley. They're pouring concrete, opening hair salons and filling classrooms. Some employers, meanwhile, are attributing their success to this new labor pool. In this occasional series, The Roanoke Times explores the local impact of the national debate about immigration.
During a busy Friday night dinner waiter Jesus Malaga serves an armload of food to their Anglo customers. Malaga came to America four years ago from Mexico and, like many Mexican immigrants in Roanoke, first landed a job at El Rodeo.
Necessary growing pains
Mayor Nelson Harris needed to look no further than his own church congregation to see that the 2004 census data no longer represented Roanoke’s full demographic picture. Two years ago, his own Virginia Heights Baptist joined a growing number of long-established churches to offer separate services in Spanish.
Gallery 
Bravo Onesimo, a construction worker from Morellos, Mexico, signs an identification card from the Mexican Consulate, who came to Roanoke to help local immigrants obtain legal Mexican passports and other forms of identification. These pieces of ID allow immigrants to do things like open bank accounts and prevent fraud.A multicultural affairs committee that Harris helped launch has hastened the training of Spanish-speaking 911 operators, police officers and firefighters; free Spanish classes for city employees; a multicultural leadership academy; and a kiosk in the municipal building that offers information in several languages. Virginia Western Community College teaches police officers, nurses and construction foremen how to give basic workplace commands in Spanish.
“It’s hard to believe it, but in just two years the Latino Festival has become the second-largest festival in our city in terms of attendance, and that’s been birthed with fairly tepid publicity,” Harris said.
For his part, Harris views the Hispanic growth favorably, particularly the economic impact of Hispanic-run businesses along Williamson Road — although he knows not all constituents agree. A diverse population helps the city attract new employers, with selling points that include a slew of ethnic restaurants and a growing number of bilingual workers, he said.
With the exception of federally mandated school services, “The idea that we’ve got this flood of illegal immigrants that are absorbing all of these taxpayer-funded municipal services like sponges is just not accurate. By and large, they’re working hard, paying taxes and trying to be acculturated.”
But Harris understands the inevitable growing pains that accompany change. “In order to be vibrant, midsized communities like Roanoke are going to have to find positive and proactive ways to first grasp and then respond to this change,” he said.
“I doubt the average Joe has any idea just how diverse the city has become.”
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