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Citizens of Jupiter FL protest illegal alien labor.
Posted on Monday, January 31 @ 10:09:50 EST
Topic: Illegal Immigration News in the US
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 Foes of day laborer center in Jupiter protest
By Pamela Perez
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Topics: Americans, campaigns, immigrants, reform
JUPITER â€" Neighbors claiming their streets have become an employment zone for undocumented workers protested Saturday afternoon, wearing red shirts and holding up signs with slogans such as: "Illegal Labor is Racketeering."
A group called Jupiter Neighbors Against Illegal Labor led the three-hour protest with about 50 members during the high-traffic hours at the intersection of Indiantown Road and Military Trail. The demonstration took place just outside the town's annual Jupiter Jubilee festival.
For months, the group has attempted to call attention to the issue of undocumented workers with speakers at town council meetings and before local political organizations. The group claims unchecked illegal immigration is responsible for the town's growing day laborer population.
"We have no clue who these people are," said Britt Burton, an organizer. The Coast Guard veteran believes the presence of undocumented workers is a homeland security issue. "This country is not indestructible. People need to realize that 9/11 really happened. My motivation is to protect what my ancestors built."
The protest is also the latest attempt to stifle plans for a proposed neighborhood resource center that would become the main job referral source for day laborers. The resource center has been proposed by the not-for-profit organization Corn Maya Inc., which now gives job referrals from its office on Dixie Highway.
Corn Maya board member Tim Steigenga made a plea for local support during a January meeting of the Jupiter Democratic Club.
"The center is the only constructive solution," said Steigenga, a Florida Atlantic University professor.
But members of Jupiter Neighbors Against Illegal Labor repeatedly have urged the town not to approve it because it would become a magnet for illegal immigrants. The town council has not made a decision.
The issue of day laborers is simmering in another area of Palm Beach County as well. In Lake Worth, complaints about day laborers on Lake Avenue have prompted a campaign by police to issue citations to undocumented workers and employers who contract with them on the street. Mayor Rodney Romano is attempting to find a designated place where day laborers can congregate and has contemplated building dormitory housing.
Problem widespread
A resource center like the one proposed in Jupiter is a good solution, Romano said.
"We can all agree that their presence is a burden," Romano said. "This isn't just a Lake Worth problem. It's a problem everywhere they live. Our United States Congress has abandoned municipalities on this issue.
"I think the (day laborers) should be here because it's in America's best interest for them to be here. It is not in our best interest to send them packing. If we enforce our current immigration laws and round up our illegal immigrants, and deport them, our economy would fall flat, according to (Federal Reserve Chairman) Alan Greenspan. We need a guest worker statute that would allow for people to be here legally. They're just trying to earn a living."
Throughout the country, towns and cities have begun to make accommodations for the day laborer population, with mixed results.
In Duluth, Ga., for example, the Spanish-language ministry of Calvary Christian Church has established the Hispanic Community Support Center. The center gives job referrals to about 80 people daily during peak season. It has become a successful hiring center that has cleared local streets of most "hornaleros," or day laborers, on most mornings, said Executive Director Mara Espinosa Garca.
"There's a great demand for them here," Garca said in Spanish. "People will waste a lot of money on protesting a center without resolving the problem. We need to begin a dialogue about it. The laborers here have gotten involved in the center and addressed community issues because they feel like the center is a second home."
Town officials also have issued a city ID card that keeps out-of-town day laborers from gathering on Duluth's streets.
"It became a very bad problem for everybody," said Mayor Shirley Lasseter. "People would jump into cars while at fast-food restaurants. It came to the point of being obtrusive to our residents."
The city resolved the issue with the ID cards, issued through the police department.
Day laborers with ID cards will not be ticketed, Lasseter said.
In Glendale, Calif., a hiring center established by Catholic Charities appeared to resolve the complaints about day laborers congregating on the streets until a city-approved anti-solicitation ordinance, enforced by police, was struck down in federal court.
"In the center, there's a little bit of control," said Sgt. Mark Hansen of the Glendale community policing unit. "It's been manpower intensive since the ordinance was struck down. This five-block area is deluged with day laborers. We literally have to stay out there, otherwise they'll come back."
There are about 130 such hiring centers in the country, said attorney Rebecca Smith of the National Law Project. Smith said the centers tend to ease community concerns.
Jupiter Neighbors Against Illegal Labor has sought support from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, based in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to fight the Jupiter center.
"They quite frankly have very limited recourse," said Mike Hethmon, a staff attorney for the federation. "When you scratch the surface, it's a very very complex issue. That's why it's a problem the council is grappling. They have to deal with a problem that has federal and national makings. We don't know of a single case where institutionalizing these labor markets has some sort of positive effect. You end up with a magnet for illegal aliens."
Jupiter's issue has spurred "a very healthy public debate," he said.
The debate will continue as Jupiter's proposed hiring center gains the interest of other local activists.
Members of the Jupiter Democratic Club are the latest to become involved after a January presentation about the proposed hiring center. The party's local chapter plans to form a committee of experts to study the issue and make a recommendation to the town council.
I've read enough. I'm ready to join the fight against illegal immigration.
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