Thread: AZ: Day labor site closes b/c of new law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cave Creek church closes day-labor center

Beth Duckett
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 5, 2008 12:00 AM
Hit by changes in town laws aimed at ousting undocumented immigrants and the advent this week of Arizona's new employer-sanctions law, a Cave Creek church has closed its day-labor center.

Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church started its center more than seven years ago to give its mostly undocumented laborers a safe place to hook up with employers and get social services.

"A lot of the guys just got scared," said volunteer Dan Dooley, a spokesman for the church at 6502 E. Cave Creek Road. "It ran a lot of them underground."




Operations at the day-labor center ended Tuesday, forcing the more than 40 migrant workers who gathered there to seek work elsewhere, including in other states and back in Latin America, center volunteers said.

Under the program, volunteers would unite the workers every morning with contractors and homeowners seeking cheap and quick labor. At its peak, an estimated 110 workers were registered at the center, Dooley said.

In September, the Cave Creek Town Council passed two laws, touting them as safety measures. One toughened the town's ban on loitering, and the other banned cars from stopping on town streets.

Days later, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies arrested nine people near the church.

And on Tuesday, an employer-sanctions law passed last year by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Janet Napolitano took effect. The new law targets businesses that knowingly hire illegal workers.

"It really has died a natural death as a result of the sheriff, town ordinance, employer-sanctions law and the general hate you sense," Dooley said. "We made the decision it was better to close the program (rather) than jeopardize (the workers)."

A band of bikers opposing the labor center said they were happy about the closure.

The American Freedom Riders began protesting the church center in late 2006, fueling a movement that prompted the town's crackdown, said the group's co-founder Danny Smith.

"We really raised awareness of the situation; the fact that it was illegal and the harm it did to law-abiding businesses," Smith said. "Things piled up and they decided they should quit breaking the law."

Smith said there are dozens of legal day-labor centers in the Valley, where organizers verify citizenship for employers in need of workers.

"Let's not argue (that) there is nobody out there to work," Smith said. "I'm not without compassion for people and their plight. But in this case, the option is there, and it is a viable option."

Ah Ha !!!

No more sounds of silence !!!

Our politicians are next

Outstanding

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

Our politicians are next

Thanks Guy

The pleasure is all mine

YEEE-HAAA! GREAT NEWS!