Thread: Elected officials hold press conference to outline goals of

Elected officials hold press conference to outline goals of new immigration coalition

Three elected officials from the East End representing the federal, state and local governments aim to tackle an issue that has so far vexed both local and national leaders. The issue of illegal immigration has become a hot potato that few politicians attempt to address, but U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Southampton Town Councilwoman Anna Throne-Holst have decided to give it a go.

The three held a press conference Saturday afternoon at the Westhampton Beach Village Hall announcing the formation of a new coalition aimed at addressing the issue, as well as plans to hold a forum in Hampton Bays this Friday, March 13, to discuss how immigration, both legal and illegal, impacts eastern Long Island.

The forum will be held at the Southampton Town Senior Center on Ponquogue Avenue at 6 p.m. and is open to the community. Robert Chaloner, president and CEO of Southampton Hospital, Joseph Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, and Joanne Loewenthal, superintendent of the Hampton Bays School District, are among the community leaders scheduled to speak at the forum to address how illegal immigration affects various industries across the East End.

Prompted by local clergy, and solidified by the racially-charged murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in Patchogue late last year, the lawmakers forged their alliance to foster a fresh dialogue within the community and to, as Mr. Thiele said, cool emotions and soften the rhetoric. “We shouldn’t wait for an incident to force this conversation to begin,â€

It isn't a complicated issue, they are in our country illegally, they don't deserve amnesty and need to get out of our country.

[quote]Mr. Bishop said he supported President Bush’s immigration reform efforts as well as the McCain-Kennedy bill, or the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, which outlined a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants through the payment of fines and the setting of English language standards, while at the same time cracking down on employers who hire illegal workers and strengthening the country’s borders. [b]“I don’t support amnesty,â€