Thread: Archdiocese helps families flee Valley Park over immigration

http://www.stltoday.com

Archdiocese helps families flee Valley Park over immigration law
By Stephen Deere
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/17/2006

VALLEY PARK

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has helped relocate more than 20 families who have fled the city out of fear they may be deported or evicted from their homes under a new law aimed at illegal immigrants.

Many of those families were staying at the Cheryl Lane Apartments, in the northeast section of the city, and left in such a panic that they didn't take furniture with them, said James Zhang, the complex's owner.

Last week, Zhang had his apartment manager go door-to-door, telling people that if they weren't in the country legally, they needed to move out. Under the city's new ordinance, landlords face fines of $500 per violation for knowingly renting to illegal immigrants.Advertisement
Zhang noted that the fine was more than his apartments' monthly rent of $450.

Of his 48 units, 20 are now empty, Zhang said.

The archdiocese's Hispanic Ministry has helped some of the families move and find new places, and has even provided rent money, said Hector Molina, the ministry's director. Most families have mixed citizenship status, Molina said, meaning some members are in the country legally while others are not. He would not say where the families have relocated.

"This came out of the blue," Molina said of Valley Park's law, passed July 17. "For local governments to jump the gun, to do something like this, is dangerous. It's reckless."

The Catholic Church is against illegal immigration, but Valley Park's law is inhumane, Molina said. The archdiocese, he said, had to step in.

The city's new law claims that illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates and overcrowded classrooms, destroys neighborhoods and diminishes the quality of life. In addition to fines for landlords, it imposes penalties on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

The city passed the ordinance not because Valley Park has experienced widespread problems with illegal immigration, but as a "preventive measure," Mayor Jeffery Whitteaker has said.

Valley Park is one of a handful of cities across the country that have passed similar laws. On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund sued the city of Hazleton, Pa., over its ordinance. The suit, filed in federal court, claims the city lacks the authority to regulate immigration and that the law violates immigrants' civil rights.

Of the cities that have passed the ordinances, Valley Park is among the first to begin enforcing it, said Anthony Rothert, legal director for the ACLU of Eastern Missouri.

Since the law was enacted, Whitteaker said, he has received hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from across the nation, nearly all of them expressing support for the law.

As for the families who have fled, Whitteaker said he was glad to hear illegal immigrants were leaving the city.

But landlords say they do not have the expertise to verify documents establishing legal residency and that they risk being sued for discrimination if they ask too many questions.

Hey, you don't have to ask questions.......do like he did...."if you are here illegally, you need to move out." No questions asked....they did.....easy!

Cheers to Valley Park, MO and to Cheryl Lane Apartment's Manager, James Zang for taking the initiative and doing the right thing.

The Archdiocese better get a bigger bank account because they are about to receive more "needy people" and the best place to relocate them is back to the country they illegally came from.

Also, those "needy people" squaters had 30 days to take care of themselves, instead, they thought they were still in the shadows.

Dixie

Originally Posted by Dixie

Cheers to Valley Park, MO and to Cheryl Lane Apartment's Manager, James Zang for taking the initiative and doing the right thing.

The Archdiocese better get a bigger bank account because they are about to receive more "needy people" and the best place to relocate them is back to the country they illegally came from.

Also, those "needy people" squaters had 30 days to take care of themselves, instead, they thought they were still in the shadows.

Dixie

I don't think that the archdiocese is doing the same for legal U.S. citizens who have their rent raised to a price they can't afford to pay or citizens who have lost their jobs because of illegal aliens.

The immigration problem is in the actions of mixed families. A desire to help out your family members is a commendable thing.
How you choose to help them out is the real question. I believe that legal immigrants and the Americans citizens of immigrant descent should be putting money into food self sufficiency and the acquisition of productive assets rather than consumption and relocation.

You make a really good point Richard. Also, a lot of people say, go back and fix your own country. Truely, that is where the assistance should be focused. Relocation within the US is a waste of money.

Hey, if those little outcast get a big chunk of change from a lawsuit, don't they have to pay tithes on it?
I always question motivation.

Dixie

Originally Posted by Richard

The immigration problem is in the actions of mixed families. A desire to help out your family members is a commendable thing.
How you choose to help them out is the real question. I believe that legal immigrants and the Americans citizens of immigrant descent should be putting money into food self sufficiency and the acquisition of productive assets rather than consumption and relocation.

I think by "mixed status" they mean illegals who have had anchor babies (not legal immigrants who have illegal relatives or Americans with relatives who are illegals).

The archdiocese's Hispanic Ministry has helped some of the families move and find new places, and has even provided rent money, said Hector Molina, the ministry's director. Most families have mixed citizenship status, Molina said, meaning some members are in the country legally while others are not. He would not say where the families have relocated.

That my friends is a violation of our laws, but of course it is difficult to prove.

Give them bus fare back to the border oneway, free beer and stop at a Taco Truck on the way. let them take the chickens and the kids.

http://www.belleville.com/mld/bellevill ... 295874.htm

Posted on Thu, Aug. 17, 2006


Immigration law forces families to flee St. Louis suburb


Associated Press

VALLEY PARK, Mo. - A new law in the St. Louis suburb Valley Park has forced more than 20 families to leave the town, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis is helping them relocate.

An ordinance passed July 17 fines landlords $500 per violation for knowingly renting to illegal immigrants. Many of the families that have left were staying at Cheryl Lane Apartments. Some left so quickly they didn't take their furniture, apartment owner James Zhang told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Zhang and his apartment manager went door-to-door last week, telling residents that if they weren't in the country legally, they needed to move out. Of his 48 units, 20 are now empty, said Zhang, noting that the fine is more than the $450 he charges for monthly rent.

The archdiocese's Hispanic Ministry has helped families move and find new places and has even provided rent money, said Hector Molina, the ministry's director. Most families have mixed citizenship status, he said, meaning some members are in the country legally while others are not.

"For local governments to jump the gun, to do something like this, is dangerous," Molina said. "It's reckless."

The Catholic Church opposes illegal immigration, Molina said, but he called Valley Park's law inhumane.

"We are talking about what the Gospel compels us to do," he said.

The new law claims that illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates and overcrowded classrooms, destroys neighborhoods and diminishes the quality of life. In addition to fines for landlords, the ordinance imposes penalties on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

The city has not seen widespread problems with illegal immigration, but passed the law as a "preventive measure," Mayor Jeffery Whitteaker has said.

Valley Park is one of a handful of cities across the country that have passed similar laws.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund sued the city of Hazleton, Pa., on Tuesday over its ordinance, claiming city lacks the authority to regulate immigration and that the law violates immigrants' civil rights.

Of the cities that have passed the ordinances, Valley Park is among the first to begin enforcing it, said Anthony Rothert, legal director for the ACLU of Eastern Missouri.

Whitteaker said he has received hundreds of calls and e-mails from across the nation, nearly all of them expressing support.

"It really gives you a warm feeling to know the whole country is behind you," he said.

Whitteaker said he was glad to hear illegal immigrants were leaving the city. But landlords say they do not have the expertise to verify documents establishing legal residency and that they risk being sued for discrimination if they ask too many questions.

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican whose district includes Valley Park, said he understands why cities feel frustrated by the federal government's inaction on immigration. He has criticized President Bush's proposal for a guest worker program.

Akin has not reviewed the Valley Park ordinance but said, "It seems to me that they have the jurisdiction to do that. I can see some logic to why they did it."

---

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com.