Thread: NY: Assemblyman, Putnam sheriff to discuss illegal immigrati

Assemblyman, Putnam sheriff to discuss illegal immigration

By MICHAEL RISINIT
THE JOURNAL NEWS
If you go
Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Carmel, will be joined by Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith tomorrow for a forum on illegal immigration. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Garden Street Elementary School in Brewster.

BREWSTER - Garden Street Elementary School, for better or worse, has sometimes found itself at the center of the illegal immigration debate in Brewster.

Eight Guatemalan men were arrested there early last year while playing soccer. They were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, and they admitted being in the U.S. illegally, authorities said. That prompted rumors - which were immediately discredited - of 30 day laborers living in the school's basement.

In addition, temporary shelters thought to be homes for day laborers have been found behind the school.

Tomorrow, Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Carmel, takes the debate over the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants and, specifically, how to address the issue in the Lower Hudson Valley, inside the school. The gathering will be the third forum Ball has organized on the topic. This one will examine the local law enforcement angle with the help of Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith.

"It's an issue that has unfortunately divided our country and has certainly divided our community," Smith said. "If people come to this discussion with an open mind, I think there is some information that will make sense to those on all sides of the issue."

Ball, a freshman legislator, campaigned on curbing illegal immigration. Since taking office in January, Ball held a community discussion at the Brewster Library on illegal immigration and another at the county's Emergency Services Bureau. The latter, Ball said, included a workshop on possible steps toward alleviating what some see as the problems associated with illegal immigrants -the cost of social services, overcrowded housing and the loss of tax dollars due to contractors hiring undocumented workers.

"There's a contingent of folks out there who just want to see the illegal aliens rounded up and carted out tomorrow," Ball said. "That's not viable. We need to work in the context available to us."

In Putnam, Brewster tends to be the community at the center of the immigration debate. Hundreds of mostly Guatemalan men gather in the village during the warmer months and wait for contractors to pick them up. Last summer, Ball videotaped the practice in an effort to stop it.

Brewster Mayor John Degnan said he would attend tomorrow night's forum. As a trustee and now mayor, Degnan said, he has been dealing with day-laborer issues for at least 10 years.

"I think we have a pretty good handle on how to improve the quality of life of the community at large," said Degnan, adding that there is room for improvement. "At minimum, (tomorrow is) a learning experience."

Smith said he would explain what local law enforcement can and cannot do when it comes to illegal immigrants. One of the hurdles, Smith said, is the federal government's response.

"The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is enforcing the law. When people break the law and are arrested and they're undocumented, they're already being reported to (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)," Smith said. "It seems that it's only the most serious crimes being committed that ICE is being able to deal with at this time."

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs. ... 00353/1242

There's a contingent of folks out there who just want to see the illegal aliens rounded up and carted out tomorrow," Ball said. "That's not viable.

Why not? Make it viable! END OF PROBLEM.

It sounds like a viable productive plan to me!!!