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Posted on Tue, Sep. 19, 2006

Immigrant issue gets Mecklenburg push
2 GOP commissioners seeking action on measures that would hit those here illegally
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ
fordonez@charlotteobserver.com

In a move sure to enliven the fall campaign season, Mecklenburg County commissioners tonight will revive a hot-button debate on proposals to crack down on illegal immigrants and companies that hire them.

At least two of the board's three Republican members said Monday they will ask the commission to take up two proposals tabled last fall. One would deny some county services to illegal immigrants; the other would deny county contracts to employers found to hire undocumented workers.

With seven weeks until Election Day, the move signals that Republicans aim to spotlight an issue that inspires passions on all sides. Republicans hope to take back the county board from Democrats, who hold a 6-3 majority.

Republican Commissioner Bill James, who put the issue on tonight's commission agenda, said voters need to know where elected officials stand.

"The public expects government, I don't care if it's federal, state, or local, to crack down and punish illegal immigrants, not to coddle them," James said.

Democrats on the commission have resisted the proposals. Chairman Parks Helms, a Democrat, said the county must be careful not to exceed its authority on a federal issue.

"We need to be measured in our response and be careful that we understand the consequences of any policy decision that we make," he said. "At a local level we can simply make life harder and more difficult for the immigrants, but in many instances it will also make it more difficult for citizens of this county."

The proposals were part of a resolution defeated in December by the board's six Democrats. They wanted to allow time for the Mayor's Immigration Study Commission, organized that month, to review the issue.

James says that task force has had plenty of time now, and he wants it to report to commissioners tonight on how they propose to stem Mecklenburg's influx of illegal immigrants.

Mecklenburg County has one of the nation's fastest growing Hispanic populations, driven largely by illegal immigration. At least 120,000 people of Hispanic origin live in Mecklenburg, and by some estimates, as many as 60 percent of them are here illegally.

Task force chairman Alan Gordon said the group's deadline is not until December, and he expects its work to be finished by then. He will present more than 25 preliminary recommendations to county commissioners tonight.

The recommendations include supporting expansion of legal visas and increasing jail space for immigrant detainees.

"This is an interim report," he said. "We're about nine months into the one year that we were given to gather. And we're all volunteers. We're all doing it with no pay and no researchers."

James and fellow Republican Jim Puckett say December is too late. Puckett said if the issue is not resolved now it may continue to linger if a new crop of elected commissioners decide to table it again.

Helms, too, noted the political implications of bringing up the issue now. "Commissioner James is very careful to bring up controversial issues before the election," he said. "People do need to know where we stand."

When commissioners announced last year they were considering denying nonemergency county services to illegal immigrants, Latino advocates showed up at the commission's meeting room to speak. Some held signs reading "Shame."

James also said Monday he would ask fellow commissioners to consider limiting wire transfers of money from the county. Each week, immigrant workers from Mexico and other countries wire thousands of dollars home to family members.

James said his proposal is aimed at improving living conditions for immigrants and their communities. Because they send so much of their income home, he said, many live with multiple roommates in poor conditions.

Some opponents of the immigration proposals argue they would encourage discrimination against Latinos.

Immigration Ideas From Mayor's Panel

The Mayor's Immigration Study Commission has begun discussing possible policy recommendations. Among the topics:

Work force: Urge federal government to identify a path to earned citizenship to ensure an ample work force.

Language: English should be "primary language" in Mecklenburg; safety manuals should be printed in multiple languages.

Housing: Support ongoing studies by local governments on crowding in single-family homes.

Public contracts: Public contracts such as the NASCAR Hall of Fame should require contractors to validate immigration status of project employees down to the subcontractors.

Crime victims: Police should determine immigration status of crime suspects, but status of victims need not be identified.

Immigration court: Support request for a federal immigration court in Charlotte.

Prosecution: Support full prosecution of illegal immigrants who commit state and federal crimes -- and if they're convicted, don't deport them until they serve their time.

Driving while impaired: Consider first-time DWIs as a deportable offense.