Thread: Local fight over immigration spurs huge response

Local fight over immigration spurs huge response

By John Keilman and George Houde
Chicago Tribune
Published October 4, 2006, 8:47 PM CDT


After a weekend of posting fliers, making church announcements and issuing press releases, opponents of a proposed crackdown on illegal immigrants in Carpentersville figured that a few hundred people would attend a protest Tuesday.

They were as surprised as anyone to get a crowd so thick that it extended from the front door of Carpentersville's Village Hall to the street 50 yards away, an overwhelmingly Latino mass of humanity estimated at 3,000.

"I was expecting half," said Juan Silva of the Mexican Civic and Cultural Organization of Elgin. "[But] the message we sent out was that if you don't show up today, you're going to be sorry tomorrow. And the reaction was good."

The huge turnout was a sign that a coast-to-coast movement to localize the fight over immigration reform has landed in Chicago's suburbs, promising to provoke debates every bit as fiery as those raging in Pennsylvania, Missouri and California.

Forty-one towns nationwide have passed or are considering ordinances similar to the one proposed in Carpentersville, which would penalize landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and employers who hire them.

The measure in the northwest suburb is the first of its kind in Illinois, but some activists don't expect it to be the last.

"It's only been within the last 10 to 20 years that the population has changed [in many suburbs]," said Kristin Kumpf, suburban organizer for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "You have predominantly white communities trying to figure it out, and there's a lot of fear. People are not as used to ethnic diversity."

Advocates for the ordinances say they're trying to stem a problem that has spun out of control for the federal government, which bears primary responsibility for border enforcement.

"I think everyone can agree [federal agencies] haven't done a very good job, so we're assessing our role in how we can assist them," said Carpentersville Trustee Paul Humpfer.

He co-wrote the ordinance and said he is hearing nothing but praise from Carpentersville residents. He said the village of 37,000—almost half of them Hispanic—is suffering because illegal immigrants aren't paying ambulance bills and are overcrowding many apartments and houses.

"There are people living in garages, multiple families living in a single home," he said. "I'm hoping that will ease [if the ordinance is approved], considering these people may be illegal aliens."

But some business owners are nervous about what else might happen. Edward Mure, who runs Gardenia Liquors and Wine in the Meadowdale Shopping Center, said 90 percent of his customers are Hispanic.

"If they pass that, every business would have to close down here," he said. "I'm not kidding. This would be a ghost town. Our most popular beers are Mexican."

Sunny Pai, an immigrant from India who manages the Cinema 12 theater, supported the measure when he thought it was aimed at street criminals, but changed his mind upon learning that it would target all undocumented immigrants.

"That's tough," said Pai, who has become a citizen. "I don't know what to say. This has never happened in America."

Residents Joe and Diane Kwasny had mixed feelings.

"We're not trying to ban anybody from Carpentersville, but people shouldn't be here illegally," Joe Kwasny said.

"As long as they pay taxes, keep up their homes and speak English, we don't care where they are from," Diane Kwasny said.

Penalizing landlords and employers is just part of a developing strategy on how to attack illegal immigration at the local level.

Illinois Minuteman Civil Defense has been trying to persuade leaders in Elgin and McHenry County to send police officers to federal training that would help them identify and detain people who are in the country unlawfully.

And at a Des Plaines City Council meeting this week, a group called Citizens for Legal Immigration advocated using school records to uncover undocumented residents who might be living in overcrowded homes.

"If school district records show five children ... at the same home address, and that happens to be a one-bedroom apartment, there's obviously a problem here," said Paul Klein, a Des Plaines resident and a member of the group.

The crowd that assembled in Carpentersville followed other larger-than-expected demonstrations this year in Chicago, Elgin and Aurora that rallied opposition to stricter immigration laws.

Ricardo Meza, Midwest regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said that after decades of inaction, many Hispanics are now throwing themselves into the political process to stave off what they view as threatening legislation.

"There's a realization that if they don't do something, if they don't take to the streets, something will happen and it will be bad," he said.

Carpentersville officials decided to postpone discussion of the ordinance until they could find a site large enough to accommodate thousands of people. Village Manager Craig Anderson said that might mean holding the meeting out of town.

"I'm not even sure the high school could accommodate a group of 1,000 people or so," he said.

It's not clear when the meeting will be announced. Some opponents hope the delay will doom the measure before it's ever formally debated.

"My hope is that there's no date," said Silva, the Elgin activist. "I hope they analyze it and decide it's not a good ordinance and just throw it in the garbage."

Freelance reporter Mark Shuman contributed to this report.

jkeilman@tribune.com

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

But some business owners are nervous about what else might happen. Edward Mure, who runs Gardenia Liquors and Wine in the Meadowdale Shopping Center, said 90 percent of his customers are Hispanic.

"If they pass that, every business would have to close down here," he said. "I'm not kidding. This would be a ghost town. Our most popular beers are Mexican."

Got money for beer...so you're making a profit and life from selling beer to illegal Mexicans. Ok.

"If school district records show five children ... at the same home address, and that happens to be a one-bedroom apartment, there's obviously a problem here," said Paul Klein, a Des Plaines resident and a member of the group.

And their families with 5 kids are living on one bedroom apartments and flooding your schools which everyone else pays for. Ok.

ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS? You want to make your living off Illegal Third Worldom running your counties, state and nation into bankruptcy so you can have a liquor store and sell beer to Illegal Mexicans who aren't earning enough to sustain their families?

Get these people out out out of our country. We have enough of our own that spend the paycheck on beer and the little woman marches down to the food stamp office so she can buy food for the family. THIS we do not need to import so Mr. Mure or whatever is name is can run a profitable liquor store. He can pack up and go to California, pick fruit and do something useful if his beer sales drop. WE DON'T CARE.

Instead of holding the hearing out of town all they need to do is require a government issued photo ID showing residence in town. Most of the 3000 were from out of town brought in to try to intimidate the Carpenterville council.

Originally Posted by Richard

Instead of holding the hearing out of town all they need to do is require a government issued photo ID showing residence in town. Most of the 3000 were from out of town brought in to try to intimidate the Carpenterville council.

I'm sure that's true. That's what they tried to do in a couple of others.

Wow, I read this with great interest. It was like you could just insert the city name Waukegan and you'd be reading about us.

That was a red flag too -90% of his liquor customers were Hispanic?

The idea about showing an ID to get into the meeting is perfect.

And finally, I hope to God this doesn't scare (any more then they already are) my city from discussing an ordinance.

Fascinating...

Adding this comment below. It was on our local call in/email comment page in our newspaper. SOOO, people will be exposed to Carpentersville. Now of course I need them to swampl Waukegan's city hall with, "Let's do this toooooo."

Carpentersville's solution

Hooray for Carpentersville. They are tired of being told they cannot do anything about the illegal aliens. They are putting up a vote to their town leaders to make it harder for these illegal people to come in and claim our country. First, they are making English the town's language. This means no more signs in their town that are not in English. They are going to fine anyone who rents to illegals. They have to have proof that they are legal. They are also fining anyone that hires illegals. The United States has sat back and let these illegal people dictate to us that we cannot do anything about their coming here. Well, if we all follow as a town or village the example of Carpentersville, maybe we can take some steps to take back our country. Also, I want to know why Waukegan and Park City don't ticket these people that fly their flags above the U.S. flag?


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article

That wouldn't surprise me as the town should know more less how many illegals there really are.