Small towns play big role on immigration

[lsmith1338]

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... /1006/NEWS

Small towns play big role on immigration
Fear of persecution forces many to move
By SUMMER HARLOW, The News Journal

RIVERSIDE, N.J. -- In the triangle that makes up the heart of this small town on the banks of the Delaware River, stores sit vacant.

Signs posted in storefront after storefront advertise rooms or apartamentos for rent.

The old watch-case factory clock tower -- the clock was restored to working order during better times in 2001 -- looms above the wide, mostly deserted streets of the triangle, a few blocks in the center of town bounded by two streets and railroad tracks.

Business owners await the few remaining customers.

Just months after the town passed a controversial ordinance that fines employers and landlords up to $2,000 for employing or renting to undocumented immigrants, Riverside's "Golden Triangle" has lost its luster.

The triangle is on its way to becoming a ghost town, some business owners and residents fear.

Following the lead of Hazleton, Pa., Riverside in July became the first municipality in New Jersey -- and one of several across the country -- to pass such a law. Now this self-proclaimed blue-collar Philadelphia suburb about 45 miles north of Wilmington has been pushed to the forefront of the politically charged national debate over what to do about an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that immigration and border security are federal policies, but absent comprehensive federal immigration reform, states and towns are grappling with illegal immigration in previously unheard-of ways.

At least 78 state immigration-related bills have been approved in 33 states so far this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In Delaware, the town of Elsmere and the city of Harrington have considered joining the fight.

On Thursday, the Elsmere Town Council rejected a resolution that would have required all contractors doing business with the town to certify that all employees are here legally. The failed resolution follows the town's efforts to target parked cars with out-of-state license plates. Last month, police began issuing tickets, the bulk at the mostly Latino Fenwick Park Apartments. Critics say the law is racial profiling.

Harrington has tabled an ordinance that would have fined landlords who rented to undocumented immigrants.

In Riverside, the township's 15 police officers have yet to begin enforcing the law, said Chief Paul Tursi.

Still, residents say, immigrants have left for Pennsylvania and Delaware.

In the Golden Triangle, merchants sit behind counters, watching Portuguese language television.

Business is down 40 percent since the law was passed this summer, store owners estimate.

In this 1.5-square-mile town, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 immigrants have arrived in recent years -- most of them Brazilians. They were attracted by a core of Portuguese speakers and jobs in surrounding areas. And in a town with a population of less than 8,000, the increase in immigration has created a stir.

Trilingual signs are the norm. Portuguese words often get top billing over English or Spanish:

Almoço, almuerzo, dinner.

Closed, fechado, cerrado.

Jack's Liquors proclaims to sell cashasa, the sugar cane-based Brazilian distilled alcohol. A video store stocks all the latest hits -- in Portuguese.

Only problem, no one's shopping.

Even during lunch hour at the Chicken King Brazilian-style buffet, business is slow.

Not far from the Chicken King restaurant, Jose Victor talks on the phone, waiting for customers to walk into his supermarket.

"There's no people, no nothing," said Victor, owner of Victor's Super Market & Deli. "Without illegals, there's no business. This law isn't good for anyone, for legals or illegals."

Local versus federal enforcement

Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that favors immigration restrictions, said cities like Riverside are not attempting to enforce federal immigration laws.

"They're enforcing local ordinances, which is what local authorities do all the time," he said. "The reason we're seeing this at the local level is because that's where the impact is felt."

And it's finally reached a tipping point, which is why so many small communities are parroting Hazleton.

"The solution is for the federal government to do its job," Mehlman said. "You have local governments saying we can't wait for the federal government to do something because it's killing us."

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said that even with the approval of additional fencing along the border, the federal government still needs to better address the illegal immigration problem.

"This push for local ordinances is a sign that many Americans remain frustrated about the federal government's woeful enforcement of existing immigration laws and Congress' failure to pass real, comprehensive immigration reform," he said in a statement.

Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., has supported additional legislation to hold employers accountable, although it has not become law, said Kaitlin Hoffman, Castle's spokeswoman.

"Consequently, cities and states are trying to fill that void, which Congressman Castle believes should be filled at the federal level," she said.

In Harrington, a proposed ordinance would fine landlords $1,000 for knowingly renting to undocumented immigrants. Harrington would be the first Delaware municipality with such an ordinance.

Harrington has tabled its ordinance for further legal review, said Mayor Robert Price. A public hearing on the ordinance scheduled for Monday has been canceled.

Price said he is concerned about how such an ordinance could be enforced.

The ACLU of Delaware and Voices without Borders sent letters to Harrington, urging the city to reject the ordinance.

Before Hazleton and Riverside even entered newspaper readers' consciousness, Republican Councilman John Jaremchuk was trying to fight illegal immigration in Elsmere.

In April 2005, he proposed a law that would have fined landlords and employers $1,000 per undocumented immigrant.

Although that ordinance was defeated, Jaremchuk, who takes every opportunity to campaign against illegal immigration, hasn't given up.

He pushed an ordinance, enforcement of which began last month, that allows police to ticket cars with out-of-state tags whose owners have lived in Delaware for more than 60 days. The law is aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration -- undocumented immigrants are known for driving cars with Pennsylvania tags.

Jaremchuk also proposed a resolution that would have required all contractors doing business with the town to sign an affidavit swearing all employees are in the United States legally. That measure failed Thursday.

Mehlman said that almost every day, he hears of another community pursuing some sort of local ordinance targeting illegal immigration.

"I think Hazleton showed it could be done, and all these other communities across the country say, 'We have the same problem; why can't we do this here?' " he said.

Victor, the supermarket owner, said he believed the law was unconstitutional, and beyond that, inhuman.

"You can't throw people outside," he said. "People aren't trash."

A history of immigrants

Riverside wasn't always so empty. In the 1840s and '50s, the town -- then known as Progress -- thrived as a resort community with an exotic hotel owned by a German immigrant. Steamboats from Philadelphia brought weekenders thirsty for good times at one of Progress' many beer gardens, said Bob Kenney, lifelong resident and president of the Riverside Historical Society.

At the time, the town was made up almost entirely of German immigrants.

Then came the Polish, Irish and Italians to work in the town's watch-case factory or the stocking mill, Kenney said.

But then the wrist watch was invented, and men stopped wearing stockings beneath their knickers.

The stocking mill lasted through the 1930s, and the watch-case factory hung on until 1956, Kenney said.

The 1980s brought a new wave of immigration to Riverside, with as many as 25 Portuguese families coming to work in a cheesecake factory, he said.

A few years ago Riverside's Brazilian population exploded, perhaps because of the established Portuguese-speaking community, Kenney said.

The ordinance came as the town was starting to make a comeback because of all the money immigrants were spending, said David Ercolani, owner of Foster's Hardware.

"I think the town will suffer for the next few years," he said.

Victor, 53, emigrated from Lisbon, Portugal, 12 years ago. There were only a few businesses in the triangle before the immigrants started opening their shops, he said.

"It was bad then," he said. "And now it's going to be a ghost town."

While many immigrants have opened businesses, Kenney said, some residents question their legitimacy.

"They're not bringing business into town," he said. "They were catering to each other. It added nothing to the economic flow of town."

But it's not just the immigrant businesses that are suffering, said Ercolani, 64.

"Business is lousy," he said. So, it turns out, he picked the perfect time to retire. He's closing shop at the end of this month.

"I feel sorry for the other businesses established in town because they've lost so many customers," he said.

Ordinances bring lawsuits

Riverside is facing potential lawsuits because of its ordinance.

The township received a letter, on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Riverside Coalition of Business Owners and Landlords, and others, demanding the ordinance be revoked.

Riverside hasn't fined any employers or landlords yet because officials want to make sure they get all their "ducks in a row" first, said Tursi, who has been police chief for two years.

He has been meeting with the town attorney to devise an operating plan to ensure uniform enforcement, he said.

"The first time this is enforced, it could be a test case, so we want to make sure to do it right," Tursi said.

Hazleton, Pa., which approved a law similar to Riverside's, has delayed enforcement because of a pending lawsuit filed by the ACLU.

In the Riverside and Hazleton cases, the ACLU alleges the ordinances violate business and property owners' rights because it is "nearly impossible for them to ensure compliance."

In addition, according to the letter sent to Riverside officials, the ordinance "infringes on the exclusive federal power over immigration. ... Though the Township may disagree with federal policies or the manner in which the federal government is performing its job with respect to immigration, neither Riverside nor the thousands of other cities and municipalities across this country can take on that task."

Leaving Riverside

A sign in the Riverside township's tax office reads, "No hablamos español. Lo sentimos."

They don't speak Portuguese, either.

Ercolani, the retiring hardware store owner, said he realizes that there is a language barrier between the immigrants and Riverside locals.

"But we've always managed to work it out," he said.

Beyond language, though, cultural differences also can create a wall, Kenney said.

"They have different living habits than we have," he said. "They think nothing of 14 or 15 of them piling into a two-bedroom home."

Some residents referred to the "white van syndrome," which they say the ordinance has helped to relieve. Streets no longer are clogged with the Pennsylvania-tagged vans that transported immigrants to and from work, residents say.

Earlier this week James Marasa, 68, was stringing orange pumpkin and purple skull lights around his front porch. From his jeans pocket he pulled his wallet, where he keeps a newspaper clipping of a column.

"This is what I believe," he said, reading from a paragraph. "The concern is not just about housing, but about illegal entry into the country, illegal driver's licenses, illegal vehicle registration, illegal car insurance and illegal housing."

Marasa said he always has gotten along fine with his Brazilian and Mexican neighbors. Recently, though, at least 16 of his neighbors have left, he said, because of the ordinance.

"There were five of them crammed in over there," he said, pointing to the house across the street. "They're gone now."

Everaldo Soza, who works at the Chicken King restaurant, said the law makes him sad, not just because it has forced his friends into hiding, but because it affects all immigrants. Soza immigrated to Riverside from southeast Brazil four years ago.

"They're leaving for two reasons," said Soza, 34, who is going through the legalization process. "For being illegal, and for being persecuted."

[Dixie]

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... 6610130336

Elsmere's immigrant measure rejected
Proposed law targeted contractors that employ undocumented workers
By SUMMER HARLOW, The News Journal

Elsmere Councilman John Jaremchuck speaks about the resolution Thursday that would have required companies with town contracts to sign affidavits that their employees are in the country legally. (Buy photo)

The News Journal/GINGER WALL
The town of Elsmere won't be making a foray into enforcing federal immigration laws.

On Thursday night, a resolution that would have required all contractors doing business with the town to sign an affidavit swearing all of their employees are in the United States legally failed 3-3, with Councilman Charles McKewen absent.

"I think this belongs in the purview of the federal government," said Councilman John Pasquale, who voted against the resolution.

Councilman Thomas Novak, who also voted against the resolution, said he didn't see the point, as federal law already prohibits companies from hiring undocumented immigrants.

The resolution was proposed by Councilman John Jaremchuk, who previously introduced legislation that would have fined employers or landlords who hire or rent to undocumented immigrants. That ordinance also failed.

"I don't think we should be paying taxpayers' dollars to businesses that are in violation of federal law," Jaremchuk said.

Novak questioned whether the resolution would be a deterrent to companies wanting to do business in Elsmere.

But Jaremchuk said businesses would refuse to sign the affidavit only if they were employing undocumented immigrants.

"That's not someone we'd want to deal with in the first place," he said.

Councilwoman Joann Personti, who voted in favor of the resolution, challenged Mayor Richard Herold's "no" vote. She argued that last month he voted in favor of a similar resolution requiring the town's street contractor to sign such an affidavit.

As it stands, Paoli Services is the town's only contractor required to certify that all of its employees are here legally.

No one from Paoli Services could be reached for comment Thursday.

Herold said he was entitled to change his mind.

Elsmere isn't the first municipality to step into the national immigration debate.

As of Aug. 11, nearly 550 measures regarding immigrants have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

For example, this summer Colorado approved a law prohibiting state agencies from hiring contractors who knowingly employ undocumented immigrants. Contractors also must "examine" and "retain proof" of employees' legal work status.

"The federal government should be handling this, but it's not," Jaremchuk said. "There's a movement of states and municipalities across the country -- picking up the ball and running with it."

Contact Summer Harlow at 324-2794 or sharlow@delawareonline.com.

[Tom2]

For Riverside, IMO, it's a small price to pay for law, order and the American melting pot. In time, legal immigrants or citizens will fill the void. Those on the run are going in the wrong direction. Mexico is south.