Thread: Escondido CA plans crackdown on illegal workers E-VERIFY

ESCONDIDO: Council votes to require E-Verify eligibility checks


By DAVID GARRICK
North County Times

Posted: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:52 pm | (3) Comments

Escondido's efforts to fight illegal immigration, which critics blame for sharply dividing the city along racial lines, took a new path Wednesday when the City Council voted 4-1 to require all businesses with city contracts to use the federal E-Verify system to determine worker eligibility.

The resolution approved by the council also urges the rest of Escondido's roughly 9,300 businesses to use E-Verify, but does not require them to take advantage of the free program.

The council majority said more aggressively enforcing worker eligibility rules was an appropriate strategy for cities frustrated that the federal government doesn't do enough to fight illegal immigration.

But Councilwoman Olga Diaz and several public speakers harshly criticized the council's effort as divisive, shortsighted and counterproductive for Escondido, where new U.S. census figures show that Latinos outnumber whites 49 percent to 40 percent.

Wednesday's vote made Escondido the first city in San Diego County to require any business to use the E-verify system, but nine other states and several other California cities have the requirement in varying degrees. They include Temecula, Murrieta and Mission Viejo.

E-Verify compares data from a wide range of U.S. records with information a new employee provides on the "I-9" employment eligibility form. The program, which is available on the Internet, is jointly operated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.

Mayor Sam Abed said the council, which unsuccessfully tried in 2006 to prohibit landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, had found the right approach with E-verify.

"We've been criticized for overreaching, but now we're doing what we can do," he said.

The council majority also touted the program as a free and simple way to enforce existing laws, and as something that would help illegal immigrants avoid being exploited by unscrupulous employers.

Diaz agreed that the council's action was not overreaching, calling it "meaningless" at one point. But she said it was a big mistake to tackle illegal immigration again in any form.

"Putting this on the agenda seems like a blatant display of puffing your chests," said Diaz, contending that Escondido should be striving to shed its image as a city hostile to Latinos.

She said Arizona's aggressive efforts against illegal immigration had cost the state millions in tourism revenue, and that Escondido was also hurting itself.

Victor Torres, an immigrant rights advocate and spokesman for North County-based El Grupo, agreed with Diaz.

"This measure is shortsighted, and it's viewed as another anti-Latino piece of legislation by the city of Escondido," he said. "The real costs are to further divide this already divided city."

Mark Dillon, chairman of the San Diego Anti-Defamation League, also criticized the proposal. He said federal officials have exaggerated the effectiveness of E-verify and that immigration reform should be handled more coherently.

"We encourage comprehensive immigration reform, not a piecemeal approach," Dillon said. "And the implementation of E-verify has been rockier than represented."

One critic said the city's approach would encourage illegal immigrants to explore the "cash" economy instead of legitimate work, and another likened the council's action to requiring a vehicle navigation system to report speeding drivers to police.

But Mayor Abed said the critics were wrong about what it would take to bring the divided city together.

"The community will only unite under the rule of law," he said, contending that E-verify was an example of such an approach.

Councilman Ed Gallo agreed.

"It's not a solution, but it's a start," he said.

Two speakers spoke in favor of E-verify. One said his car was rear-ended several years ago by an undocumented driver on El Norte Parkway, and another said he has successfully used E-verify at his Escondido business.

www.nctimes.com

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