Passions bubble in Mesa immigration debate on Utah Compact

by Gary Nelson - Mar. 24, 2011 10:24 AM
The Arizona Republic

Passion from both sides of Arizona's immigration debate flowed through Mesa City Hall on Wednesday night.

For more than two hours, the Human Relations Advisory Board heard testimony for and against the Utah Compact, an immigration policy statement endorsed in November by numerous leaders in that state.

In all likelihood it was the largest crowd ever to attend one of the board's meetings. The lower council chamber, where the board sat, was full 15 minutes before the meeting; overflow spectators packed the larger upper chamber, where they saw the proceedings on closed-circuit TV, and a line of people waiting to go through security snaked out the door and down the street as the meeting began.

The crowd exhausted the supply of blue speaker cards, which members of the public fill out if they wish to speak or register an opinion on an issue.

A heavy police presence reflected the volatility of the issue; about a dozen officers in conspicuous body armor were on hand and funneled the crowd through a metal detector, which normally is used only for full meetings of the City Council.

The board made no decision Wednesday, referring the issue to its education subcommittee for further research and vowing to revisit the issue in April.

The event remained peaceful, though there was some murmuring when speakers made points with which opponents in the audience disagreed. Board Chairman James May did not prohibit applause and cheering when speakers finished.

Jason Mathis, vice president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and Utah state Sen. Ben McAdams launched the discussion by describing on speaker phone how the Utah Compact was born last summer amid concerns that the immigration debate had become too toxic.

Every time someone spoke for moderation, Mathis said, they were "smacked down" by vociferous foes of illegal immigration, so Utah business, political and religious leaders decided a written statement might quiet some of the more strident voices.

"There really is a core of goodness and decency in this state," Mathis said, "and I think that the compact spoke to those core values that people have."

Not everyone in Mesa was ready to agree, however. Of the nearly 30 speakers, almost half opposed the compact, and several speakers threatened the city with lawsuits and the loss of millions of dollars under provisions of last year's Senate Bill 1070 if the city endorsed the Utah Compact. In their view, adopting such a statement would turn Mesa into a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants.

Speakers against the compact complained that illegal immigrants are draining the state treasury, committing crimes, degrading Mesa's quality of life and even providing cover for terrorists crossing the southern border.

Arguments ranged from the theological, with speakers disagreeing on how Jesus would see the issue, to the economic, with sparring over whether immigrants help or hurt Arizona's bottom line.

"If you do pass this, you will be fulfilling what God told Micah: Do justice, love kindness and walk modestly with your God," said Paul Whitlock, senior pastor of Desert Heritage Church, which belongs to the United Church of Christ denomination.

"It's not about race, it's about following laws," said Joe Fletcher, representing the Mountain View Tea Party. "Why does one group get to choose which laws they want to follow and one group doesn't?"

Brenda Rascon, a Westwood High School and Arizona State University graduate who said she is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, said the compact is "a good alternative to the hostile climate created by laws like SB 1070," which became law last year under the aegis of state Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa.

"I'm a citizen of this country. I see a growing hostility towards people who look like me, supported by my state senator," she said.

At that a member of the audience was heard to say, "Cry me a river."

Rascon continued, "Is this the kind of society that we actually want? A divisive, ugly society filled with leaders who appeal to the most basal instincts of our character?"

The Utah Compact hit Mesa's radar screen in December when a group called East Valley Patriots for American Values asked the City Council to endorse the Utah approach. The council referred it to the human relations board, which was set up specifically to address human rights and diversity issues.

Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh, an advocate of the compact, said while speakers at the meeting were nearly evenly split, written comments submitted to the board ran about 2-1 in favor of principles contained in the document.

"I thought the crowd was generally well-behaved and respectful," Kavanaugh said. "I admire the board for how the meeting was handled."

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