Thread: CARPENTERSVILLE: Immigration proposals divide IL village

Immigration proposals divide Illinois village
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... lage_N.htm
By Sophia Tareen, Associated Press
The Rev. Moises Apostle, of St. Monica Catholic Church, in Carpentersville, Ill., says a large portion of his parishioners speak Spanish. Tensions in Carpentersville have been building since the issue of illegal immigration came up at a meeting of the village's audit and finance committee last September.

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. — The promise of a better life drew Carlos Delgado to this small suburban Chicago community along the banks of the Fox River.
Here, housing was affordable, jobs available and thousands of other Mexican immigrants made him feel at home.

Ten years later, the 31-year-old construction worker no longer feels welcome — even though more than 40% of Carpentersville's 37,000 residents are Hispanic.

The Village Board passed a non-binding resolution in June declaring English the town's official language, and is considering an ordinance to ban employers from hiring or landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

"I'm thinking of moving," said Delgado, a legal U.S. resident applying for citizenship whose Chinese-American wife is a U.S. citizen. "I think it's stupid to deal with all this stuff."

The long-simmering tensions over immigration that erupted here, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, are similar to those playing out nationally as towns struggle to come to terms with rapidly shifting demographics.

More than 90 cities or counties around the country have proposed, passed or rejected laws prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ undocumented workers or training police to enforce immigration laws.

State governments have introduced more than 1,100 immigrant-related bills and resolutions in the first four months of this year alone, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That's more than twice the number as last year. And approval of anti-illegal immigration ordinances has generated criticism, demonstrations and lawsuits in Valley Park, Mo.; Riverside, N.J.; Escondido, Calif.; Hazleton, Pa., and the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch.

Hazleton's law would have penalized landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that hire them. A companion ordinance would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit. The American Civil Liberties Union sued in federal court to overturn the measures, which a judge struck down as unconstitutional.

Carpentersville officials were closely watching that court challenge to take cues on how to proceed with their own proposed ordinance. And now, even with the judge's decision in the Hazleton case, some Carpentersville officials said they aren't giving up.

The ordinance, which has lingered on meeting agendas for months, has been tabled until trustees vote to discuss it again.

Critics say such ordinances are racist, promote discrimination and violate federal laws. Restricting hiring practices, for example, is "clearly pre-empted by federal law," according to Tyler Moran with the National Immigration Law Center.

The Carpentersville ordinance has been before the Village Board since September for several reasons, including that local officials fear they might face a lawsuit if it passes. Some trustees have been working with attorneys from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, to redraft the ordinance and bolster it to withstand legal challenges.

"We're not backing down," said trustee Judy Sigwalt, a longtime resident who is a vocal proponent. "We're not going away."

She and trustee Paul Humpfer, who wrote the "Illegal Alien Immigration Relief Act Ordinance," are pouring over the Hazleton decision to "find a loophole."

"It's only going to be a matter of time before some lawyers or attorneys figure out a way to reword and make this ordinance stick and hold up under the law," Sigwalt said.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for FAIR, said local communities have the right to regulate local business practices and must take federal issues, like immigration reform, into their own hands.

"It's at the local level that the impact is felt," said Mehlman. "They've finally come to the conclusion that they can't sit around and wait for the federal government to get its act together."

Tensions in Carpentersville have been building since the issue of illegal immigration came up at a meeting of the village's audit and finance committee in September 2006 — taking many by surprise because the village's top priority until then had been rough roads that haven't been resurfaced in 20 years.

Humpfer claimed rental housing was overcrowded and ambulance bills were high because illegal immigrants were taking advantage of the health care system.

Those who support the measure also have complained about strained schools, increased crime and even public urination.

But others say the tensions stem from something else.

"There is a fear of people or of things being different," said Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesman. "There has been a kind of a collective amnesia about the way in which all of us ended up in this place called America."

Carpentersville grew during the late 1800s as European immigrants came to work in its factories. Later, it became a settling point for veterans returning from World War II and the Korean War because it offered housing incentives.

Over the past several decades, low-cost housing and work opportunities have made the village a center for a new wave of immigrants, especially from Mexico. In 1990, Carpentersville's population was nearly 17% Hispanic. Fifteen years later it had more than doubled to 41%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"To live in Carpentersville today, you don't need English," said Bonnie Nagel, who grew up here and teaches English as a second language at Dundee-Crown High School.

But no one, not even demographic experts, knows how many illegal immigrants could be in Carpentersville. Residents estimate anywhere from a few hundred up to 7,000.

What residents seem to agree on is that the issue has further divided a village that already has two distinct sides of town: On the east side of the Fox River are rows of small, older ranch-style homes and numerous Mexican businesses like nail salons and bakeries. On the west side is newer construction, with million-dollar homes in neat subdivisions.

When officials held the first public hearing on the proposed ordinances last fall, over 3,000 people attended, mostly to protest the measure.

Since then, groups that favor the ordinance have distributed leaflets door to door about problems caused by "illegals." Real estate agents fear that people don't want to buy in Carpentersville anymore. And some businesses claim they've lost revenue because of the negative publicity the controversy has generated.

"It's driven a wedge between our community," said Village President Bill Sarto, who opposes the ordinance.

Sigwalt said the issue for the village is clear.

"We have fought very hard and very long," said Sigwalt. "We have said repeatedly it is not about race. It is about what is legal and illegal. And it's all these other people playing the race card."

Jorge Perez, a manager at Denny's restaurant, said some of his friends moved because of the tension. "People are more afraid," he said.

Gustavo Soto, who immigrated from Mexico in 1973 when he was 18 and now owns the popular Mexican restaurant "El Molino," supported the English-only resolution because he had to learn English to get ahead and start his business. But he said making laws on renting and hiring practices is ridiculous.

"You can build walls, you can do different things," said Soto, who said the immigration influx can be traced to economic conditions in Mexico. "Unless you provide a different wage, you're always going to have migration."

Delgado, who isn't active in local government and doesn't belong to any of the organizing groups, attended two village meetings when the fury started.

If the measures pass, he said, "every street will have a house for sale."


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http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... lage_N.htm

Tensions in Carpentersville have been building since the issue of illegal immigration came up at a meeting of the village's audit and finance committee last September

..."village's audit and finance committee" should tell everyone something. Illegal immigration and the presence of illegal aliens is a huge drain on a community's resources...DUH!!!

The Village Board passed a non-binding resolution in June declaring English the town's official language, and is considering an ordinance to ban employers from hiring or landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

What I don't get is English IS the OFFICIAL language of Illinois. Why do we have to then go town to town?
Chicago did a smoking ban....people objected to bars etc. so they extended it till next summer for them.....in the meantime....the STATE made a ban and it trumps Chicagos ban so those bars etc. don't get till next summer to impliment it. If State trumps city....then why do cities have to vote?