A Conversation with WNCR on Immigration, Community, and Prosperity North Carolina

Last night on WNCR Rocky Mount TV Network, Prosperity North Carolina (PNC) joined community voices to talk about something too many families know but too few leaders address: the reality of living undocumented in North Carolina.

Across the state, an estimated 375,000 undocumented immigrants call North Carolina home. According to the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, these same families contribute over $262 million in state and local taxes every year. Yet they remain locked out of decision-making, locked out of protections, and often locked into fear. As one co-chair of PNC put it on air:

“Our communities believe in ‘no taxation without representation.’ Families who pay in should not have to live without the basic security of being able to work, learn, and contribute openly.”

That is the heart behind Project Open Door.

Why Now? Why This Approach?

The data in 2022 painted a stark picture:

• Nationwide, 10.5 million people lived in the U.S. without legal status.

• In North Carolina alone, many undocumented residents lived in rural counties, where legal aid is scarce and immigration costs are crushing.

• Legal pathways are expensive — a green card petition can cost up to $3,500, an asylum application up to $7,000, and deportation defense often more than $10,000.

For families earning minimum wage or piecing together multiple jobs in agriculture, construction, or service work, these costs are devastating. Without support, the barriers remain insurmountable — leading to fractured families, economic instability, and whole communities living in fear.

As the PNC Co-Chair's explained on WNCR:

“We aren’t just talking about numbers. We’re talking about neighbors. A hundred undocumented families in Rocky Mount aren’t an abstract debate — they are the backbone of our economy, and they deserve to live without fear.”

What Project Open Door Does

Project Open Door exists to tear down the financial walls keeping families from safety and security. Through partnerships with law firms committed to immigrant justice, PNC provides full coverage of immigration legal costs for undocumented North Carolinians pursuing:

• Green card petitions

• Citizenship and naturalization

• Adjustment of status

• Asylum applications

• Deportation defense

This isn’t just charity, it’s strategy. By ensuring families can access lawful pathways, communities become stronger, safer, and more economically stable.

What 100 Families Could Mean

Imagine 100 undocumented families in eastern North Carolina gaining legal status through Project Open Door:

• That’s hundreds of children who can attend school without fear their parents won’t be home at night.

• That’s millions of dollars in future earnings funneled into local businesses, housing, and education.

• That’s 100 more families who can vote, serve, and participate fully in civic life over time.

The ripple effect would be transformative, not just for those families but for every community they touch.

Looking Forward

At the WNCR roundtable, both PNC co-chairs stressed the same point: this is only the beginning. Project Open Door isn’t a pilot. It’s a promise, that Prosperity North Carolina will stand with rural, immigrant, and working class families until opportunity is not just a slogan but a lived reality.

“Our mission is simple: doors should be open, not locked shut. Project Open Door is about turning keys into futures.”

About Prosperity North Carolina

Prosperity North Carolina, Inc. is a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring opportunity and voting rights are accessible to all, especially those in rural communities. Through programs like Operation Give & Save, Project ReStart, and now Project Open Door, PNC works to make sure families across the state can thrive with dignity, security, and hope.