Thread: County targets illegals County targets illegals By PERR

http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1307692

May. 17, 2005
County targets illegals

By PERRY SWANSON - THE GAZETTE

El Paso County commissioners are considering working only with companies willing to agree not to hire illegal immigrants.

Contracts would state that companies working for the county must comply with federal law, which prohibits hiring people who can’t prove they have permission to work in the United States, the commissioners said Monday.

“It’s bad enough that we tolerate them, I don’t think we should subsidize them,� Commissioner Douglas Bruce said.

The commissioners have no plan to enforce the requirement, but Commissioner Wayne Williams said it still might have an effect.

“The most likely way you find out is through a whistleblower of some sort, an individual who is familiar with the company reports it,� Williams said.

Rules require the county to ensure compliance with federal law when federal money is involved, but there’s no similar requirement when a contract involves only local money.

The proposal came during a discussion about the suspect in the shooting death of a Denver police officer. The accused killer, Raul Garcia-Gomez, reportedly was an illegal immigrant. Denver authorities believe Garcia-Gomez might have fled to Mexico, according to published reports.

El Paso County spends millions of tax dollars every year on contracts for everything from computers to building construction.

One of the largest county contractors, GE Johnson Construction Company, has workers building a courthouse expansion, parking garage and utility plant downtown. GE Johnson President Jim Johnson said his company checks to ensure employees have proper documents.

“Periodically, people are found not to have those and are terminated,� Johnson said. “Construction is obviously one place where the susceptibility of that is potentially higher. But if the county were to insert that into a contract, that would not affect the way we do business.�

An activist for illegal immigrants said the county’s policy might still have consequences. Amber Tafoya, an attorney for the Southern Colorado Center for Immigrant Resources, said the policy is unnecessary because companies already must comply with federal law. Even a symbolic message about illegal immigration could lead to problems, she said.

“It would unfairly discriminate against minorities, who would be challenged on their status more than whites, and cause people who are poor and in need of this work to go through a lot of extra steps to get work,� she said.

For Commissioner Jim Bensberg, there’s a more important issue: Local law enforcement lacks the authority to deport illegal immigrants. The suspect in the Denver shooting reportedly received three traffic tickets, but officers did not report him to immigration authorities.

Bensberg said he doesn’t oppose adding requirements to county contracts, but he wants to work with federal officials to speed the process of deporting criminals.

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The commissioners have no plan to enforce the requirement, but Commissioner Wayne Williams said it still might have an effect.

Anyone think this is a OUTANDISH statement?

Arent these articles great?