MA: Immigrants 'feel betrayed' by Patrick
http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x81685919
Immigrants 'feel betrayed' by Patrick
By Liz Mineo/Daily News staff
Saturday, March 03, 2007 - Updated: 11:29 PM EST
Until a week ago, Gov. Deval Patrick was the darling of the local immigrant community.
During his campaign, he supported both driver's licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. And after becoming governor, he rescinded an agreement that allowed state police troopers to arrest illegal immigrants.
All of those actions made immigrants and their advocates believe Patrick was on their side.
But after he signed an executive order last week banning the use of illegal immigrants on state contracts, many immigrants and their advocates reacted as if they had been stabbed in the back.
"We feel betrayed," said Fausto da Rocha, executive director of the Brazilian Immigrant Center in Allston. "We were so hopeful when he rescinded Romney's agreement with the state police to arrest illegal immigrants. Gov. Patrick gave us hope, but with this decision, he's instilling fear in people. People are so upset."
In Milford, home to a large immigrant population, the feeling is the same, said Brazilian Pastor Renilton Ribeiro.
"He has lost our trust," he said. "When he campaigned, he said he was going to help immigrants. Now people feel he has used them and that he's not keeping his word."
Patrick's order requires contractors working on state projects to verify the immigration status of their workers. Effective immediately, it mandates that contractors certify they will not knowingly use undocumented workers and will not accept altered or falsified documents from their employees.
Immigrant supporters worry the measure will make it more difficult for undocumented workers to find employment. Though they acknowledge federal law already prohibits employment of illegal immigrants, they said the state should leave the job of enforcing the law to the federal government.
But for Gov. Patrick, that's his job.
"The governor understands the plight of undocumented workers and he supported a balanced immigration reform," said Patrick's spokesman Jose Martinez. "But we have to enforce the law."
The order goes after employers and does not target workers, said Martinez. The measure would also give the state the authority to respond when a state contractor is found to be employing illegal immigrants, "if the case arises."
"There is nothing (currently) that gives the state the authority to do something if a contractor is found to be knowingly hiring illegal workers. " he said. "This gives the state a tool to respond."
Violation of the order can result in fines, withholding of payments or termination of the contracts.
Federal law provides for penalties and fines against employers who hire illegal immigrants, but it's a common practice among big industries, small companies and individuals across the country because of lax enforcement.
Even a program to verify electronically an employee's work eligibility is not very popular among employers. A report by the Government Accountability Office noted that only about 2,300 of the 5.6 million employer firms in the nation use what is called the Basic Pilot Program. After registering with a phone call (1-888-464-4218) or online, employers can have access to databases of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
This past week, Patrick's order was the main topic of discussion on a popular Brazilian radio show aired through WSRO 650 AM. The audience, mostly made up of Brazilian day laborers who get hired by contractors, were concerned about how it was going to affect their job situation.
Latino activist Laura Medrano, vice president of the Northeast chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said Patrick's decision may lead to discrimination.
"If you look Latino, you're more prone to be asked to produce documentation," said Medrano of Framingham. "It singles out a group of people. It sends the wrong message."
