From: "FLIMEN" <alert@flimen.org> Add to Address Book
Date: 2006/07/29 Sat PM 03:34:13 EDT
Subject: Palm Bay Actions


Floridians for Immigration Enforcement

www.FLIMEN.org

Palm Bay Actions


If you have not already done so please send a group e-mail message in support of the Palm Bay Unlawful Business Practices Ordinance 2006-81 to members of City Council and Mayor: citycouncil@palmbayflorida.org.


For those considering attending the August 3, 2006 Palm Bay hearing, FLIMEN will send another alert soon about car-pooling.


Please write a Letter-to-The-Editor (LTE) in opposition to the Orlando Sentinel editorial opposing the Palm Bay ordinance:


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opi ... -headlines

Beyond the rhetoric

Our position: Avon Park correctly recognized that illegal immigration is a federal issue.


Posted July 26, 2006


A reassuring voice of reason prevailed over the usual noisy rhetoric in the illegal immigration debate Monday night in Avon Park.

The City Council's decision to reject an ordinance targeting employers, landlords and merchants who do business with illegal immigrants puts the onus of solving the volatile immigration issue back where it belongs:

In the hands of the federal government.

It doesn't make sense for individual communities to try to establish their own enforcement policies.

The hard-line proposal in Avon Park could have penalized agricultural employers, physicians, grocers and others who do business with illegal immigrants. It would have been among the most restrictive measures in the country.

Let the federal government enforce those laws. Meanwhile, Congress should enact immigration reforms that would greatly help solve these problems by creating a guest-worker program. It would identify the immigrants to the federal government and give them a way to achieve legal status. This is not an issue that can be resolved piecemeal by local or state governments.

Hopefully, the type of sentiments echoed by the Avon Park City Council will reach the city of Palm Bay. That Brevard city will vote on its proposed immigration ordinance until next month.

Like Avon Park, commissioners there should move on to more significant local issues and realize that immigration reform is the business of Congress.


Possible counter arguments:


The Palm Bay ordinance is a business regulation ordinance regulating contractor's licenses. The ordinance focuses narrowly on the legality of the contractor licensee employees and does not deal with the arrest or deportation of illegal aliens. It is not modeled after the Hazelton ordinance, contrary to press reports. FLIMEN expects the ordinance to handily withstand legal challenge.


Cities and states inherently have the right, if not obligation, to enforce federal law. Although there are limitations, it is a myth that non-federal governmental entities are precluded from immigration law enforcement. Florida's law enforcement officers now have the right to arrest illegal aliens under an agreement with the federal government.


The whole problem is that the federal government won't enforce the immigration laws. It's long overdue that the laws be enforced by someone.


AMNESTY has the opposite effective of enforcement by enticing foreign nationals to illegally cross our border or overstay their visa. It's overdue to make the case that AMNESTY supporters do not want immigration enforcement in any case.


Illegal immigration is indeed a "significant local issue(s)" because of wage depression, school overcrowding, neighborhood degradation due to housing overcrowding, and on and on.


If the Orlando Sentinel is so bent on only the federal government dealing with immigration laws, then why hasn't the Orlando Sentinel and other AMNESTY supporters objected to the Jupiter, Florida Illegal Alien Hiring Hall which clearly contradicts and preempts federal immigration law? Why hasn't the Orlando Sentinel and other AMNESTY supporters objected to New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston's Sanctuary City laws which prevent the police from co-operating with federal agencies in immigration law enforcement, which clearly contradicts and preempts federal immigration law. Supporting federal law is the right thing for Palm Bay to do. Contradicting federal law by Jupiter, NYC, LA and Houston is the wrong thing to do, yet the hypocritical opponents to the Palm Bay ordinance remain silent on Sanctuary Cities and Illegal Alien Hiring Halls.


No doubt you can come with more and even better arguments.

The instructions are at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opi ... on-utility. Make your letter brief and ask that it be published in the print edition.


Here are some other articles discussing the ordinance where you can also write LTEs:


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... ws-florida
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... es-volusia
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... ines-state
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 21001/1086
http://www.topix.net/content/trb/062563 ... OPMJ0Q06CL
http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 002/News02
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 30319/1006


You can sign up for Google's breaking news alerts using the keywords "Palm Bay Immigration" via:

http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en&q=pa ... mmigration
For the legally inclined the Palm Bay ordinance is at: http://www.palmbayflorida.org/City%20Co ... -03-06.pdf ( 6.3 MB) as follows:

Agenda, pages 1-4
Unlawful Business Practices, 215-221
Code Enforcement Civil Infractions, pages 222-229

This ordinance is of major importance and of national interest so please do your best to help.

Ihttp://www.flimen.org/alerts.htm
FLIMEN
P.O. Box 4219
Hialeah, FL 33014

July 29, 2006