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Number of local hispanic immigrants growing

By Dylan McCament, News Staff Writer
06:38 AM, Friday, May 05, 2006


MOUNT VERNON — Mayor Richard Mavis spoke about the growing number of hispanic immigrants living and working in the area of Mount Vernon and Knox County.

“Just shop at our stores or walk on our streets, you’ll see an increase,” he said.

Mavis said he was not surprised to learn the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant on West High Street closed Monday to participate in the nationwide day of demonstrations for immigrant rights on Monday.

“When all the information came out that there was going to be protests, I didn’t have any concerns — even though we have employers using hispanics, I knew that it wouldn’t shut down the business community or government,” he said.

He said at least one local employer who hires hispanic immigrant workers told him they are hard-working, dependable and present a quality work force.

Mavis spoke about a situation that arose about two years ago, in which the police stopped a hispanic motorist with a broken tail light. The individual had more than two forms of identification with different names, and was in the country illegally. Ultimately, the person was released. When that information became public, Mavis said he received several phone calls from local residents who wanted to know why the person was released. After lengthy efforts, he said he got in touch with a federal immigration officer responsible for this region.

“The explanation to me was that if we apprehend one person driving without a tail light who has multiple forms of identification, [the immigration officer] was not able to send anyone down to respond,” Mavis said.

The mayor said he was told immigration officers do not get involved unless there is a large number of illegal immigrants discovered to be living in an area, or an illegal immigrant has committed a serious crime.

City Law Director Bill Smith said the municipal court does encounter hispanic immigrants, some of whom are in the country illegally. These individuals are sometimes arrested for driving without a license. He said that, basically, they go to court and are treated just like anyone else. There is a woman in the court system who speaks fluent Spanish and interprets; generally, the individuals plead guilty. Sometimes the court makes obtaining a valid license a condition of probation, which obviously presents a problem if the person is an illegal immigrant. Generally, federal immigration authorities do not get involved when a handful of undocumented immigrants are detained for such minor offenses, he said.

Greg Palmore is the regional spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Ohio and Michigan. ICE is one of three immigration agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, the others being U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Customs and Border Protection. He said ICE enforces immigration law as well as 600 other laws.

“ICE is out there every day, enforcing the law for public safety, whether it be immigration law, tracking down child predators, or national security violations or money laundering,” Palmore said. “We’re doing all we can.”

With regard to situations involving an illegal immigrant, such as the individual found to have two forms of identification with different identities, Palmore said ICE has to prioritize its resources on a day-to-day basis. Faced with two calls simulatenously — one involving national security and another with an immigrant with a busted tail light — he said it’s plain to see which one must take priority. He said he is not allowed to release the number of ICE agents who monitor Ohio and Michigan, but there are about 5,000 of them nationwide. Palmore said local police departments can always contact ICE.

He said that, typically, ICE allows local authorities to fulfill their due process with regard to both legal permanent residents and illegal immigrants.

“I think there is a good existing relationship between ICE and local authorities throughout Ohio,” Palmore said. “They know we are there to supplement their needs.”

He said if an immigrant, legal or illegal, goes through the legal system on the local level, and local authorities contact ICE, that individual may be brought into the custody of ICE. Depending on the situation, such individuals may have to go before an immigration judge who will determine their fate at that point. Palmore said if they have been previously deported, they can be deported again on the authority of the judge’s previous ruling.

With regard to immigrant workers, he said, “it is my hope that, if they are seeking employment, that they have the appropriate documents that allow them to work legally.” Palmore said It’s often the case that immigrants working as general laborers do have the proper work documents, and there are many types of visas.

He said ICE will scrutinize employers if they are found to be employing illegal immigrants; punitive measures against them vary.

On April 19, ICE arrested seven managers of IFCO Systems North America Inc., the largest pallet services company in the United States, as well as 1,187 of the firm’s illegal immigrant employees in 26 states. Just over half of these employees during 2005 were found to have invalid or mismatched Social Security numbers. Arrests were made across 26 states, including Ohio.

“Employers and workers alike should be on notice that the status quo has changed,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chernoff at the time. “These enforcement actions demonstrate that this department has no patience for employers who tolerate or perpetuate a shadow economy. We intend to find employers who knowingly or recklessly hire unauthorized workers and we will use every authority within our power to shut down businesses that exploit an illegal workforce to turn a profit.”