I am going to make a plea for help once the dust settles. I am going to ask for help in Waukegan, IL. We are one of the first IL cities to talk about applying for this. A dozen citizens showed up to support this vote in the council last week. However, an estimated 6,500 people showed up last night to protest 287g. So far the mayor is firm but who knows...He signed an agreement which already waters down the effects.

Emma Lozano was there last night. Isn't she the one protecting Elvira in the church in Chicago. We need help so this doesn't go sour. I will confer with William, Dixie, et al to see if there is something we can come up with.

'We are not going into your homes'

(http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article)

June 28, 2007

By RYAN PAGELOW rpagelow@scn1.com

Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde is not backing down on the city's desire to seek certification to perform some immigration functions in coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"I, at this time, am not going to ask the City Council to drop the resolution," Hyde told a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered Wednesday at Holy Family Parish.

However, he did sign an agreement with the Rev. Gary Graf, pastor of Holy Family, promising that if city police are granted deportation powers they would only use them to prosecute major felonies and would not be used to deport those guilty of minor traffic violations such as driving without a license. I will post this agreement as well.

Graf invited the mayor to speak at the church. The agreement was meant to clarify how the city would use authorization from ICE and to calm fears among many in the immigrant community.

"We are not going into your homes to look for anybody undocumented or anything else," Hyde said. "We are not going to set up roadblocks to find out if the person in the car is legal or undocumented. That is not the purpose."

The city has not made the application yet, Hyde said. Once sent, the city would wait for ICE approval and then negotiate an agreement with ICE before officers could begin training.

"It may take one month, six months, a year, or it may never happen," Hyde said.

Regarding how many officers would be trained, he said "maybe two."

The mayor also agreed to meet quarterly with a newly formed group of parishioners at the church about how ICE powers are used, if granted.

"From this date on, we'll meet to see what the next steps are," Graf said. "We have to pray and organize and decide what the next step is."

The church was filled to capacity. Doors were closed shortly after 7 p.m. and hundreds of people stood outside the church.

The first half of the meeting was a series of testimonials from immigrants, students and clergy. They argued that community relations with police would erode in the Latino community.

Horacio Lopez, vice president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Lake County, said, "I feel strongly that the actions of the City Council do nothing more than polarize the community."

Waukegan Chief of Police Bill Biang said the thrust of the initiative is to to target violent criminals, gang related activity, sexual assault, narcotics smuggling and other serious crimes.

"We are already involved in working with immigration to deport these individuals," he said. "No one will be authorized to ask their legal status unless arrested for these crimes."

People will not notice a change in the police department, he said.

A few organizations broke from the organizers of Wednesday's town hall meeting, and refused to accept anything except full withdrawal of the city's resolution to seek ICE certification.

Emma Lozano, director of Centro Sin Fronteras in Chicago, and a few others chanted "No to 287" in Spanish during the meeting before being quieted down by Graf.

Jose Guzman, a leader of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in Waukegan, said, "The immigration issue is a federal issue and it has nothing to do with the city or the state."

See video coverage at newssunonline.com