Cook County Board Committee Passes Sanctuary Ordinance

[CCUSA]

I'll help you with emails!

Don't give up hope!

[mapwife]

Cut off federal reimbursements to Cook Co. for subsidies for illegal aliens and watch hospitals close and the county go belly up. If they have to find a way to foot the bill themselves, perhaps they'll reconsider.

That what I was thinking. They should, but probably never will punish them. Talk about an area of the country that has been transformed in such a short time. A friend of mine grew up in Chicago, the son of Mexican immigrants who came during the Bracero program. There were so few Mexicans that the anglicised their last name "Ponce" and to this day pronounce it phonetically and not as most Hispanics would pronounce it. (Ponce')

[Brian503a]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/cust ... i-news-hed

Immigration resolution passes early test

By Josh Noel
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 2, 2006, 7:15 PM CDT


Despite a dissenting vote from Tony Peraica, the Republican candidate for Cook County Board president, a resolution passed a subcommittee Monday that could make the county a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.

Modeled on legislation adopted by several large cities, including Chicago, the resolution will go before the full board after passing 3-2. It would forbid county agencies from asking about immigration status when providing services.

The co-sponsor of the resolution, Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago), said the measure offers symbolic support for undocumented immigrants as well as protection from real abuses.

During a brief hearing of the Law Enforcement and Corrections Committee, Maldonado cited two examples of such abuse. One was an allegation made last month that a Stroger Hospital police officer roughed up Agustin Sotomayor, 77, during an arrest and asked whether the man was in the United States legally.

The other, he said, came from the owner of Los Dos Compadres restaurant in unincorporated Franklin Park, who reported that a Cook County sheriff's police officer checked identification of would-be patrons late last month and turned away anyone without proof of being in the United States legally.

"We are sending a moral message through our government to the undocumented that we are in support of their struggle to achieve social justice," Maldonado said. "As we await comprehensive immigration reform, we stand with them."

Cook County sheriff's office spokesperson Sally Daly said the agency was unaware of the allegation against its officer until Monday. Neither Maldonado nor any citizen made a complaint, she said.

"Certainly it is concerning, but why Commissioner Maldonado would wait this long to mention it is unclear to us," Daly said. "If it's true, we take it seriously, and we will conduct an investigation."

Joining Maldonado in support of the resolution were Commissioners Joseph Mario Moreno (D-Chicago), a co-sponsor, and Mike Quigley (D-Chicago).

In a long preface to his dissent, Peraica criticized the resolution as a "feel-good piece of legislation" that violated the Constitution because county government cannot make immigration law.

"The proper channel for this is the United States Congress and the United States Senate," he said. "We would be setting a dangerous precedent if we embarked down that road."

Peraica had previously said that Sotomayor's arrest was a reflection of the poor training of county employees, but he said on Monday that the officer's behavior, if true, can't be legislated away.

"What happened to Mr. Sotomayor is absolutely wrong and was done as the result of an ill-trained employee acting in an ignorant manner," he said. "No resolution can change that."

He called for more training for county law-enforcement officials to make clear the limits of their power regarding immigration.

Commissioner Jerry Butler (D-Chicago) joined the dissent, saying that anyone seeking services at a county health facility should be required to answer basic questions about where they live or have lived.

Maldonado said the issue will go before the full board sometime after Wednesday's scheduled meeting.

jbnoel@tribune.com