Thread: Cherokee proposes ban on rental housing

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Packed forum debates illegals
Cherokee proposes ban on rental housing

By CHRISTOPHER QUINN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 11/22/06

For nearly an hour, the national debate over illegal immigration unfolded inside a crowded meeting room at the Cherokee County Courthouse.

People on both sides of the issue spoke with passion about their families, their jobs and their communities.

• Photos from the meeting


In the end, Cherokee County commissioners moved on to other business without commenting on a controversial proposal to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. The crackdown would be the first of its kind in the state.

Commissioners could vote on the ordinance at their Dec. 5 meeting. First, Commissioner Karen Mahurin, who introduced the idea, wanted the county attorney to make sure that it would be legal.

Tuesday night, though, was a chance for residents to speak.

More than 130 people showed up at the meeting. Outside, an overflow crowd of more than 100 waited.

Supporters applauded the commissioners and said something needed to be done to crack down on illegal immigrants.

"If you're an illegal, you're not supposed to be here," said James Bonner of Woodstock.

Opponents argued that illegal immigrants contributed to the economy, and questioned the proposal's legality.

"This proposal will turn neighbor versus neighbor," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "Instead, you should pass a resolution calling for comprehensive immigration reform."

If the ordinance is passed, the county marshal could ask property owners to gather documents from their tenants, which the county would then check against federal records.

Landlords who rent to illegal immigrants could be barred from collecting rent, and fined. The county could also suspend an apartment complex's business license.

The ordinance would cover unincorporated areas of the county. It would not apply to Cherokee's cities — such as Canton and Woodstock — which have the largest share of rental units in the county.

Emotional debate

Tuesday night was an emotional one inside the county courthouse, where the commissioners regularly meet.

Manny Fernandez, pastor of the Rock Church in Woodstock, read four passages from Scripture and told the crowd that everyone should be welcomed and treated as residents.

"God never made a distinction between legal and illegal," he told commissioners.

Mary Kirkendoll of Cobb County drove to Canton to urge the commissioners to pass the measure.

Illegal immigrants moved in next to her and were recently arrested and charged with running a meth lab in the house, she said.

She waved a large manila envelope toward some Latino men who had urged the commissioners to oppose the ordinance.

She asked the men if they would like to see pictures of what her neighborhood now looked like. Then, she turned back to the commissioners.

"I commend you for making a stand," she said to applause.

In comments made in the days leading up to the hearing, each of the five county commissioners expressed frustration with the federal government's failure to control illegal immigration.

Opinion polls reflect that sentiment: Most Americans, the surveys show, want immigration reform, yet the president and Congress are still grappling with the issue.

Cherokee County is one of the fastest-growing counties in metro Atlanta, and it's following some local governments in other states that have tried to tackle illegal immigration.

Cities in Texas, Pennsylvania and California have enacted laws that punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. Those laws haven't been enforced because of legal challenges.

Earlier this year the Georgia Legislature approved a wide-ranging crackdown on illegal immigrants, which Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law. It bars adults who are in the country illegally from having access to some taxpayer-funded services.

Their children are exempt, however, and adults still have access to some medical services.

In Cherokee, opponents argued the commissioners' proposal was unfair and discriminatory. The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials circulated e-mails urging people to attend the hearing.

"I think this is just a political ploy to make people believe that Cherokee County is doing something that the federal government has failed to do — enact meaningful immigration reform," one opponent, Giovanni Diaz, said before the forum began.

Staff writers Christian Boone and Mark Bixler contributed to this article.

"This proposal will turn neighbor versus neighbor," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "Instead, you should pass a resolution calling for comprehensive immigration reform."

I'm sick to death of all these "sympathy pleas". If this moron was listening, the "neighbors" are sick and tired of what's happening to their, once nice, neighborhood.