Thread: Elgin City Council sees new twist on immigration debate

Elgin City Council sees new twist in immigration debate

By Nathaniel Zimmer
staff writer

ELGIN — For several months, the immigration debate here has been notably one-sided, as Illinois Minuteman Project members have met and appeared at a number of city council meetings to demand that police do more to deport illegal immigrants.

But at Wednesday's council meeting, residents who believe police are doing all they can or should do about illegals took center stage for the first time, arguing that immigration is a federal matter and that local authorities have their hands full already.

The continuing outcry from foes of illegal immigration forced Police Chief Lisa Womack to outline her department's immigration-enforcement efforts at the council's July 26 meeting. Well more than 100 Hispanic residents showed up for that address, with scores crowded into the council's chambers and many more gathering outside.
But because the city prohibits residents from speaking about matters on the council's regular agenda during the portion of the meeting set aside for public comment, none of them got to voice their opinions.

That made this week's meeting the first opportunity for those opposed to tougher enforcement to speak their minds.

Many, but not all, of those who appeared Wednesday before the council were representatives of Hispanic organizations.

Most expressed what they described as support for Womack's presentation, during which the chief said police inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement whenever they have reason to believe someone they have arrested for a serious misdemeanor or felony may be in the country illegally. Police do not contact ICE about suspected illegals stopped for traffic violations, including drunken driving, because the agency has said it does not have the resources to handle such cases, Womack said.



'No further action' urged


George Irizarry, chairman of the Elgin Latino Political Action Team, said federal authorities have "sole jurisdiction in this issue" and that asking people for proof of citizenship because they look or sound foreign "would be disastrous."
"Chaos and mass hysteria would ensue," he said, before going on to quote the famous inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Oscar Ramirez of the Hispanic Heritage Coalition expressed support for the police department's existing enforcement efforts, as did Jo Ann Armenta, a retired Illinois State Police officer and president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"No further action should be taken," Ramirez said, adding that "we don't support the city of Elgin getting involved in federal issues."

Connie Zapata, with the West Suburban Coalition for Immigration Reform, said immigrants pay taxes, work hard and should not be targeted because of "the unwarranted fears of a few or the prejudices of anyone."

Shirley Sadjadi, an Elgin immigration attorney, worked for several years in the U.S. Justice Department as an adviser to immigration law judges, writing decisions in deportation and employer-sanction cases.

She said asking police to try to take the place of federal agents would be unwise, could lead to racial profiling and would "undermine our safety" by detracting from the department's traditional crime-fighting efforts.

Such arguments failed to move Doug Heaton, who in recent months persistently has asked the city to do more to deport illegals. He said the city should complain to the federal government if ICE refuses to investigate suspected illegals identified by police.

Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Ed Schock said he understands the concerns and frustrations of people on both sides of the issue and believes the country needs to make a much greater effort to secure its borders.

But while city hall is the closest place residents can go to voice their concerns about the country's immigration policy, Schock said it is their congressional representatives whom people should contact to express their views.

"The place to plead the case is where people can do something about it," he said.

08/11/06

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/c...NTS_S10811.htm

What is going on in our grand state of Illinois. This doesn't bode well for my Illinois town...

Even though I was born here and grew up here.....I wasn't fond of the idea of having to return here 30 years later. But what I see this place becomming is even worse than I ever imagined. What makes me sicker is decent people continue to make excuses for these new "immigrants", and contimue to support all the freebies and let's all sit around and sing kum-buy-ya, while everything is being destroyed around them.