Task force continues dialogue on immigration

PRESCOTT - With a new layer of state regulation now governing it, the immigration issue took on even more urgency for a local task force this week.

After three months of studying the matter, members of Prescott Mayor Jack Wilson's immigration task force continued Monday to chip away at myriad related issues: possible employee shortages because of stricter enforcement; a lack of trust between the immigrant community and local law enforcement; and difficulty in getting out an understandable message.

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk kicked off the discussion this week with a report on the Legal Arizona Workers Act - a strict new law that went into effect Jan. 1.

Under the law, Polk explained, employers face penalties for knowingly or intentionally employing an illegal immigrant.

While a 1986 federal law made hiring undocumented immigrants illegal, Polk said, the federal government did not have the "manpower on the ground" to enforce the law widely. The Arizona State Legislature approved a similar law this past summer to target more enforcement.

The state law requires employers to run all new hires through E-Verify, an Internet-based system that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security operates in partnership with the Social Security Administration to determine employment eligibility.

"Our goal is voluntary compliance," Polk said, adding that county attorneys' offices around the state are responsible for enforcing the law.

Anyone violating the law faces a number of penalties, including probation, suspension of business-related licenses for as long as 10 years, and permanent revocation of licenses for a second violation.

While the new law generated no immediate reports of possible violations in Yavapai County, Polk reported that her staff has received a number of calls inquiring about how to file such a complaint. She said complaint forms are available for download on the county attorney's Web site, at www.co.yavapai.az.us/Attorney.aspx.

Along with her explanation of the basics of the law's procedure and consequences, Polk added that she sees "some serious flaws" in the legislation.

For instance, she said the state provided her department a one-time allocation of $71,000 to administer the law in Yavapai County. Noting that her department is already overloaded, Polk added, "I have no feel for what the impact is going to be for my office."

The task force, which formed in November to try to come up with a local solution to situations such as the day workers who regularly gather at Lincoln/Grove avenues, has acknowledged that stricter immigration enforcement could lead to a shortage of workers.

Sandy Griffis, who represents the Yavapai County Contractors Association on the task force, brought the issue up again this week, noting that such a shortage of workers could have an impact on the local economy.

"I don't want us to lose sight of (the economic issues)," said Griffis, who serves on a sub-committee to consider the impacts on jobs. "I wonder if that's not a bigger issue than the social issue is."

Along with Griffis, other task force members also reported back on sub-committee discussions they conducted during the past month on issues such as community policing.

From that discussion, task force members pushed for more Spanish-language information in the local media. For instance, several members suggested that The Daily Courier should publish articles in Spanish about the importance of making "Silent Witness" reports after witnessing a crime.

Also in the interest of communication, city officials agreed to try to have more bilingual workers answering telephones and policing high-immigrant areas.

While the diverse members of the task force acknowledged that they still disagree on many points, several maintained that the ongoing dialogue is helpful nonetheless.

"The worst alternative would be to walk away and be polarized and not do a thing," said task force facilitator Gil Shaw.

The task force scheduled its next meeting for Jan. 28 at Prescott City Hall.

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