Thread: Arcadia mayor trying to force out illegal workers outrages H

http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles ... 00lead.txt

Published - Saturday, August 19, 2006

Arcadia mayor trying to force out illegal workers; Hispanic community outraged


By Brian Voerding / Winona Daily News

.
Arcadia Mayor John Kimmel has infuriated the Hispanic community with an inflammatory proposal to eliminate undocumented workers in this western Wisconsin town.

About 30 Hispanics packed the city hall on Aug. 10 for the council’s regular meeting and an impromptu public hearing that lasted over an hour ensued before the council decided more input was needed on the proposal, which was not on the agenda and has not been formally introduced to the council.

In recent years, predominantly Mexican immigrants have swelled the city’s population, drawn largely by jobs at nearby dairies.

Joyce Stellick of Winona, who serves as a translator and liaison between the Arcadia area Hispanic community and the city, said she has seen tensions in the past, but “nothing like this” in nine years working within the community.

Kimmel laid out a five-ordinance plan in an Aug. 10 column in the Arcadia News-Leader, that would, among other things: make English the official language in Arcadia, a city of 2,402 people, require an American flag to fly alongside any other national flag; alert federal agents to resident complaints of undocumented workers; and ensure signs are only printed in English. Kimmel considered monetary penalties for some but hasn’t finalized anything.

Kimmel said non-English speaking residents put a drain on government resources and that illegal immigration has increased crime and deteriorated neighborhoods.

“A lot more publicity … than I thought”

Kimmel’s words were black-and-white, and the ordinances seem cut-and-dried.

But the 31-year-old manager of the Detox Bar & Grill who was elected to his first term in April said Friday that he’s “not proposing landmark legislation,” and that people have misunderstood his column.

He said the ordinances

are just drafts, that he

knows federal authorities have sole jurisdiction over immigration laws, and that

he is only looking for a

way to address the

concerns of his constituents and start a dialogue on a heated national issue that hits home.

“I’m not trying to change or impact federal immigration law,” he said. “I’m worried about my own little corner of the world. When there’s an inability to melt, you’re going to face problems.”

His words, like the town’s struggle with the clash of old practices and new ways, are often conflicted, his criticisms frequently directed at undocumented workers.

He’ll say something like this: “We are all children and grandchildren of immigrants. We’ve come here and melted. We need to be tolerant and welcoming of first-generation immigrants.”

But in his column he wrote: “I do want to close the doors to those that would come here and drain our resources by

living and working here illegally, while benefiting from our tax-supported services.”

“(T)he whole concept of a melting pot is to … MELT.”

He’ll say: “When people come from different countries, the goal is to melt together, that takes some understanding and time, and give and take on both sides.”

But then: “It’s not in our city’s best interest to have different signs in different languages. As a community as a whole, it wouldn’t be a service … if you’re going to have a Wisconsin drivers’ license, it seems only right that you would have to follow the Wisconsin signs for traffic.”

Kimmel is firm on his American flag proposal.

“It’s okay to have pride in any country you come from,” he said. “Just be darn sure you’re going to fly an American flag next to it. That’s just a respect thing. You’re coming into a community where you have a bunch of men and women who fought for that flag.”

Kimmel said reaction to his column hasn’t changed his opinions, though he admitted his proposal, which has drawn regional interest and fire, has picked up more momentum than he intended. The American Civil Liberties Union is aware of it, and Kimmel’s phone rang constantly Friday.

“This thing has gotten a lot more publicity and talk than I thought it would,” he said.

Cautious next step

Members of the Hispanic community plan to meet Saturday to discuss Kimmel’s proposal, clear up any misunderstandings and choose representatives to work with council members.

“The Hispanic community is emotional,” Stellick said. “They don’t have a city council they can go talk to in their own language. It’s a language barrier, more than anything else. The community is hoping to have people from their community be representatives to the city to assist the city in this and any future decisions, because it affects everyone.”

Stellick said outside attendees will include representatives from several Hispanic activist organizations, including the League of United Latin American Workers and the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers’ Association, as well as Wisconsin state Rep. Pedro Colón, a Milwaukee Democrat.

The city council has planned a town hall meeting on the issue but hasn’t set a date.

It’s unclear whether municipal immigration ordinances are constitutional. If passed, Arcadia’s ordinances could be subject to challenge. A city in Pennsylvania passed a similar set of ordinances in July and was sued Tuesday by a host of organizations including the ACLU (see sidebar).

Arcadia City Attorney Terry Madden was unavailable for comment Friday.

Stellick wouldn’t speculate on what will come next, but said she was optimistic that the council can work out its differences with the Hispanic community. “There’s a very good, positive attitude on both sides,” she said.

Kimmel agreed.

“My letter and work with the paper and community will hopefully bring about good positive changes,” he said. “We’ll say, ‘Hey, these are some of our issues,’ and the Hispanic community can say, ‘Hey, this is what we face,’ and they can offer suggestions on what happens, too. This is a battle that we have to face together, because it affects our entire community.”

JOHN KIMMEL’S PROPOSALS

Set English as the official language in Arcadia

Require that if a national flag is displayed, the American flag must be displayed alongside it

Require that city signs are printed only in English

Revise city’s building code to enforce a certain number of dwellers per unit

Allow city to forward resident complaints about undocumented workers to immigration authorities

QUOTES FROM HIS COLUMN

“Language barriers, increased activities requiring police intervention, customs unfamiliar to us all, and living arrangements that are far below what we desire and require are a few of the problems I often hear. It seems like we have adjusted ourselves and our lives to just putting up with it, possibly

listening to the complaints of our neighbors and friends, but certainly waiting and praying that our leaders will, one day, do something about it. That day has come.”

“To have two or more languages spoken here puts everyone at a disadvantage. Emergency services are required to make split-second life-saving decisions, where a language barrier definitely impedes that process. Governmental agencies cannot afford the cost or time of translating our official notices in two or more languages.”

“I would like all of you to know that I am working aggressively on several measures that will tackle this problem, and eventually wipe it out.”

“… I would like this to inform you of what is coming. If you employ illegal immigrants or rent to or house illegal immigrants, there will be consequences. They are not welcome here!”

Similar laws passed in Pennsylvania town being challenged

Arcadia Mayor John Kimmel’s proposed anti-immigration ordinances are remarkably similar to those recently passed in Hazleton, Pa., a city of 31,000 with a relatively large Hispanic population.

The Hazleton City Council approved a series of laws in July titled, “The City of Hazleton Illegal Immigration Relief Act Ordinance,” which included a $1,000 fine for landlords who rent to undocumented workers and revokes business licenses of companies who employ them. It also established English as the city’s official language and directly blamed undocumented workers for high crime rates and failing schools.

The city was sued Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition, and several other organizations; the lawsuit argues that the ordinances are discriminatory and unconstitutional, as well as illegal, because the federal government has exclusive power over immigration law.

The city is standing by its law. — Staff and wire reports

Reporter Brian Voerding can be reached at (507) 453-3514 or at bvoerding@winonadailynews.com.
.

ordinances are discriminatory and unconstitutional,

So many of these ordinances are and have been on the books for years. Why now is it suddenly discriminatory and unconstitutional? Heck they are taking one guy to court here for growing sunflowers. People are being fined because their grass is too long. There's communities where you can't live there if your not a certain age. They can tell you no pets, non-smokers only.....but you can't enforce multi-families in a single family unit? They can say "must speak Spanish" but we can't say "must speak English"? They can tell us no pets but they can have chickens? Neighbors can complain if a teenager has their music too loud , but not if there's multiple boom boxes blasting latino music from 3 different houses at 3 am. My husband can get arrested for taking a leak by a dumpster but they can use their front yard and yours as their public restroom. I really wonder if any of these people actually have lived in one of these towns or neighborhoods or if they're in their protected crystal palace uneffected by this stuff.

Illegals is illegal plain and simple! They should'nt even be given the chance to melt because they broke the law coming here in the first place! The businesses should be fined and ICE should be their doing their job!!

Go back to your countries and come in legally!!