Thread: OR: Residents Of St Helens Debate Immigrant Ordinance

Residents Of St Helens Debate Immigrant Ordinance

By Colin Fogarty

PORTLAND, OR 2007-07-18 Now that Congress has failed to overhaul US immigration law, local governments are under pressure to do something about the issue on their own. Wednesday in St. Helens, county commissioners heard testimony on a local ordinance to place signs declaring Columbia County to be "illegal-worker free." Colin Fogarty reports.

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In a small town like St. Helens, public testimony includes polite compliments to one's political adversaries. So went the testimony of Bill Eagle before the Columbia County Board of Commissioners, as he argued against an ordinance proposed by a fellow citizen, Wayne Mayo.

Bill Eagle: "I've known Wayne Mayo for a number of years. I know that Wayne is a decent, compassionate, considerate human being who harbors no hatred in his heart for anyone. On the other hand, I don't think Columbia County can afford to pass a law that would act as a wedge issue, like immigration."

Wayne Mayo is the local construction contractor who wrote a letter to the editor last week on illegal immigration. He outlined a proposed ordinance to have sheriff's deputies run Social Security checks on construction crews. He also wants fines for landlords who rent to undocumented workers and a complaint line for citizens to name immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally.

After the hearing, Mayo said wants the county put up signs that read "illegal-worker free county."

Wayne Mayo: "Those signs would say that Columbia County is a county ruled by the rule of law, that we simply want people to be here legally. We're not opposed to the color of their skin. We're not opposed to their ethnic background, to their country of origin. What we want is the proper paperwork in place."

But supporters of Mayo's proposed ordinance were outnumbered at the meeting. Members of the group "Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity" appeared en mass to testify against it.

Organizer Marcy Westerling says her own father was an illegal immigrant from Holland. She says passing Mayo's ordinance would brand small towns like hers as bigoted.

Marcy Westerling: "Four by eight placards that say who's to be excluded and have phone numbers so we can snitch on each other. Certainly that harkens back to the worst of our history as a nation, 'No Blacks allowed,' 'No Jews served.' Let's be better than that."

Westerling says the local cast of characters in the debate over this ordinance goes back years. They've fought over gay rights and other cultural issues.

She says pitched battles in small towns have a tenor of their own.

Marcy Westerling: "We will hash this out in the grocery store or as we bring our kids to Little League ball games. So that lack of anonymity makes it a lot scarier to take a stand. But it also allows us to practice democracy in a much more civil manner. We don't want a culture war. We want a critical dialogue."

But St. Helens and Columbia County aren't the only local governments debating immigrant rights. Similar ordinances are currently under debate in Prince Williams County, Virgina and Bakersfield, Indiana. A year ago, Hazelton, Pennsylvania passed an ordinance that allows the city to turn down a renter who is in the country illegally.

As for Columbia County, Oregon, board chair Rita Bernhart says the budget is already stretched pretty thin to have sheriff's deputies checking out work sites. She's not even sure the proposed ordinance is even legal.

Rita Bernhart: "This, basically, is a federal issue. I think we're pretty limited down at this to do some of the things that we're being asked to do. So I think we need to have some time to maybe mull it over and do some research and see what we can do and what we can't do."

Bernhart doesn't expect a vote any time soon. But anti-immigrant activists aren't stopping with the county. They want the city of St. Helens to consider the same issue.


© Copyright 2007, OPB


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Groups that holler "bigotry" when communities seek protection from onerous costs related to illegal immigration should get better informed. Americans are already doing incredible things to alleviate poverty---much of that coming from "conservatives." The "liberal" solution completely ignores this and wants to let illegals in for an array of benefits, displacing and burdening Americans in the process.

Industry can find solutions other than employing illegal labor. There are at least a few million homless people in America needing jobs, there are handicapped, there are prisoners who can and want to work, there are unemployed teenagers who could work in the summer. There are retireees who would work at McDonalds.

A neighboring county in Oregon, Clatsop, and its Washington neighbor, Lewis County, handed down 20 years sentences in a bust of illegal alien meth dealers. This one problem alone will result iin at least a few million dollars costs to strapped governments. The investigation alone took six months and involved both county Sheriff departments.

Sounds like a bunch of spineless people.

"Wedge" issue? Have you noticed that is the latest buzz words?

What wedge - the difference is there already. Some are legal Americans and have a right to be here and work - some are not. It is just that simple.

I sometimes wonder if we were invaded by armed troops, if there wouldn't be a bunch of politicians that would want to 'treat them humanely'?

Glad to see you got this one in PhredE. There is a poll on KATU's site, here's the link, everyone vote ASAP, so far it is at 80% yes on the question.

http://www.katu.com/news/8597962.html