Thread: CO: Flier criticizes mayor's immigration views, calls for...

Flier criticizes mayor's immigration views, calls for election ouster



Andrew Villegas, (Bio) avillegas@greeleytribune.com
October 11, 2007

Greeley Mayor Tom Selders' views on immigration are coming under fire again after a flier urging his ousting in the November election accuses Selders of calling for "instant U.S. citizenship for illegal aliens."

The flier, distributed by the Colorado Alliance for a Secure America, a Denver-based anti-illegal immigration group, states that Selders was advocating amnesty for illegal aliens when he went to Washington in May to urge immigration reform.

Selders said the flier is full of inaccurate information, including a line that says city council is trying to cut the police budget by $1.5 million.

"In reality, we're adding $500,000 to the police budget," said Selders, who added that the proposed budget adds three police officers. "It bothers me a lot."

Selders said he is not for amnesty for illegal immigrants, like the flier states.

"They're just taking cheap shots," Selders said. "I did not oppose an ICE office. The city's cooperating fully with the federal government and helping them look for office space."

The flier, which asks voters to vote Selders out of office, makes no mention of endorsing Selders' opponent, Ed Clark.

Clark said he didn't know about the flier and that he hadn't seen it, but he did say that he didn't think Selders' trip to Washington was a good idea.

"It gave the impression that Greeley is not a city of laws," Clark said. "We can't situationally enforce laws. We have a problem, and we need to address it."

Selders told a room full of residents at a Greeley town meeting in late May that he never said he was opposed to upholding the law.

"The mayor hasn't acted as a leader," Clark said. "You can't be indecisive."

Clark said that illegal immigrants commit a lot of crime in Greeley and that the victims are often other illegal immigrants themselves.

A Colorado Alliance for a Secure America representative, Chrisann Reese, didn't return phone calls seeking comment Thursday.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2007 ... 0/-1/rss02

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