http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/8068924/detail.html

Lawmakers Target Illegal Immigration At Day Labor Centers

POSTED: 5:48 pm EST March 16, 2006
UPDATED: 7:56 pm EST March 16, 2006

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Immigrants from all over the region converged on Annapolis Thursday in an effort to defeat several proposed bills.

WBAL-TV 11 News reporter David Collins reported that one of the bills declares English as the state's official language and another targets day-labor centers.

Collins said legal aliens and naturalized citizens gathered in opposition to as many as five bills they consider anti-immigration.

"Just look at us and tell me if we look like criminals. Tell me if we look like terrorists, if the children that we have are to be feared. We are seeing an attack on foreign born in the United States that is unprecedented," said Montgomery County Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, D-District 18.

Delegate Pat McDonough, R-District 7, whose district encompasses portions of Baltimore and Harford counties, has sponsored legislation to establish English as the official language.

"Nothing can be written in other languages without also being written in English. It doesn't affect the private sector, it's a modest proposal. This is a bill and a law that has been passed in 33 other states," he said.

The bill mandates that all road signs, state and local government documents -- including wills, drivers license applications and legal notices -- be printed in English.

"I'm one of the immigrants in the House," said Baltimore County Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D-District 10. "We will work to make sure that this does not become law."

Three other bills target day-labor centers.

"The point is now that they are totally unregulated. This (bill) would require a license like any other business license," McDonough said. "It would have to be done every year and they would have to record the people that they service, whether they are legal or not. Illegal (aliens) would not be permitted to use the services."

Those in opposition feel the bill represents a solution in search of a problem, claiming diversity makes America stronger and urged liked-minded people to keep the faith.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice," said Montgomery County Delegate Herman Taylor Jr., D-District 14.

Similar measures addressing illegal immigrants have failed in the past two sessions.