Thread: Federal rules on migrants sought

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Federal rules on migrants sought

12:00 AM CST on Friday, January 19, 2007
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News

Carrollton Mayor Becky Miller said Thursday that she is organizing a coalition of area elected officials to pressure representatives in Washington to develop and adopt immigration changes.

Ms. Miller, vice president and soon-to-be president of the Metroplex Mayors Association, started the campaign Thursday at the request of a group of area residents, business people and civil rights activists.

"This is to try to get us all together and bring federal-level people in and discuss this and tell them we think this is a big issue and we really want them to go forward," she said. "It's always better in numbers; I really think you get attention more."

Businessman and political activist Carlos Quintanilla led the effort to enlist Ms. Miller's aid.

He said federal lawmakers need to take the lead so other cities don't enact laws restricting illegal immigrants, as Farmers Branch has done with an ordinance banning apartments from renting to them.

"It is a federal issue and should be legislated by Congress, and cities should not be legislating immigration law," Mr. Quintanilla said.

Ms. Miller agreed.

"The cities are being pressured by some of the citizens, and we need to get this back to the federal government, who needs to be taking care of this issue," she said.

Ms. Miller started inviting other mayors Thursday to join the coalition, and she said she hopes area elected officials will meet with the region's Washington delegation this month to discuss immigration problems.

Mr. Quintanilla said a federal effort is needed to head off trouble.

"What's happened is this issue in Farmers Branch has become ugly and nasty and racial and hateful, and if there is no intervention by elected officials, it's going to escalate," Mr. Quintanilla said. "They have to take the initiative to push forward immigration reform. If they don't ... cities they represent will be drastically affected."

E-mail ssandoval@dallasnews.com

These people are sick. Can they really believe that they should ignore the citizens?

"The cities are being pressured by some of the citizens, and we need to get this back to the federal government, who needs to be taking care of this issue," she said.

"What's happened is this issue in Farmers Branch has become ugly and nasty and racial and hateful, and if there is no intervention by elected officials, it's going to escalate," Mr. Quintanilla said. "They have to take the initiative to push forward immigration reform. If they don't ... cities they represent will be drastically affected."

Oh ya, get it back to the federal government they did such a great job in 1986!!!!next time it will be 30 million , way to go!!!!