Thread: Plan Would Outlaw Renting To Illegal Immigrants

An Escondido official's proposal to make it illegal for landlords to rent to undocumented immigrants has the community talking -- and not everybody supports the idea. Councilwoman Marie Waldron wants to punish landlords with fines of up to $1,000 for renting to undocumented immigrants. The community is sharply divided over the idea

"What they're creating is hatred among people," said Escondido resident Monica Camacho.


A similar measure is being considered in San Bernardino, where supporters are in the process of gathering signatures.

Some people in Escondido said they supported the idea.

"I think they should be held accountable for who's living there," one man told NBC 7/39.

"If you're going to rent your property out to somebody, I think it's your responsibility to, no. 1, make sure they'd be a good tenant, and, no. 2, I think you should check legal status," said another man.

Critics, however, think the plan has flaws.

"I think it would be the government's responsibility, not the landlords'," said Escondido resident Adriana Ramos.

Other critics said the proposal would violate state law to have property owners checking citizenship.

"You cannot check their documents," said Camacho. "Even if you know they're not legal, you cannot tell them they're illegal."

One member of the council who asked not to be identified told NBC 7/39 that the proposal is a political move to gain attention for Waldron, who is up for re-election in November.

Regardless of the idea's genesis, the controversial idea is hitting close to home.

"Half of my family is from the United States, and half my family is from Mexico," said Camacho

Escondido's city manager said that the earliest the proposal could go before the council would be next month.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9492368/detail.html

"Half of my family is from the United States, and half my family is from Mexico," said Camacho

Well if you went back you would be reunited with the other half of your family, right

You cannot check their documents," said Camacho. "Even if you know they're not legal, you cannot tell them they're illegal."

Who said we cannot check their documents? Funny, I thought the law said we could...

What they're creating is hatred among people," said Escondido resident Monica Camacho.

No Monica, what YOU and others like you, are the ones creating the hate because your "free ride" is going to be over soon.

"I think it would be the government's responsibility, not the landlords'," said Escondido resident Adriana Ramos.

You are so right and that's why is being done - See Ya!!!

This sort of connects with part of a Lou Dobb's piece today. Said there are now around 500 laws trying to be enacted re illegal immigration across the country. Obviously locals are trying to do what they can since the feds are dragging their.....well, can't depend on them.

I salute Mrs. Waldron and other patriots like her!

What they're creating is hatred among people," said Escondido resident Monica Camacho.

"I think it would be the government's responsibility, not the landlords'," said Escondido resident Adriana Ramos.

Hmmm, good solid American names.

How come there weren't any Mr. or Ms. Smith's, Jones', William's, Miller's, etc. complaining?

Quote:
"Half of my family is from the United States, and half my family is from Mexico," said Camacho


Well if you went back you would be reunited with the other half of your family, right

Yeah, what he said! We're all for reunification of family. Oh, and make sure you take your children with you.

http://www.uscis.gov/lpBin/lpext.dll/in ... slb-act274

Sec. 274. [8 U.S.C. 1324]

(a) Criminal Penalties.-

(1)(A) Any person who-

(i) knowing that a person is an alien, brings to or attempts to bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether such alien has received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any future official action which may be taken with respect to such alien;

(ii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move such alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of law;

(iii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation;

(iv) encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law, shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B); or

(v) 1/ (I) engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts, or

(II) aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts,

We already have laws covering this. We just need to enforce them.

Can anyone explain to me when we have so many laws that if I as a natural born US citizen get caught breaking, are these same laws so hard to enforce in the same manner against those that are not here legally.
I was under the impression that if a US citizen coninually broke certain driving laws, (ie. dirivng without a driver's license) that not only would their vehicle be impounded but that they would also serve time in jail.
I found this article when looking up "aliens driving in CA"

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Photograph by R. V. Scheide
On the Road Again: Brothers Juan and Pilson de la Cruz face two bad choices: drive illegally or don't work. Like millions of others, they opt to work.

Alien Vessels

Unlicensed driving is an expensive proposition

By R. V. Scheide

It's no secret that undocumented immigrants are one of the main forces driving California's economy. This is particularly true in the North Bay, where Mexican nationals and noncitizens from other Latin American countries can be found toiling in vineyards, restaurant kitchens, construction sites, and even in our homes, for wages far lower than the average pay earned by U.S. citizens for similar work.

Ironically, such workers are currently not permitted to have a driver's license. In car-crazy California, that's the economic equivalent of a death sentence. Faced with the prospect of getting to work or going back to Mexico, where the wages are far lower, such immigrants have no economic choice but to violate the California Vehicle Code and drive without a license. And that, as brothers Juan and Pilson de la Cruz have discovered, can lead to significant financial problems.

Juan, 28, came to Sonoma County from Mexico in 1998. "I worked with the grapes, I did yard work, I worked as a mechanic," he explains through an interpreter. After numerous different jobs, he finally landed permanent employment with a local landscape maintenance company, where he's worked for the past four years.

Unfortunately for Juan, in the years just prior to his arrival in California, the Legislature passed two laws presenting undocumented workers with significant obstacles. The first, enacted in 1993, tied driver's licenses to Social Security numbers, essentially making it impossible for immigrants without SS cards to legally obtain a license. The second, passed in 1995, increased the penalty for anyone driving without a license or on a suspended license to include a 30-day impoundment of their vehicle.

Although neither of these laws specifically targeted undocumented immigrants, the end result for those who get stopped by police while driving without a license is the automatic impounding of their vehicles. By the time 30 days have expired, fines and towing and storage fees total, on average, some $2,000. That's often more than the car is worth, and rather than pay the penalty, immigrants don't retrieve their impounded vehicles. They simply buy another car--usually a clunker worth less than $1,000--and if they are stopped again, they repeat the process. In the seven years Juan has lived in Sonoma County, he's had eight cars impounded.

It didn't take Juan long to figure out how the game works. He just buys another car, one with no registration papers at all.

"This is a custom between Mexicans," he says. "You can get the car cheaper because it has no papers. The other advantage is that since it is not [legally] my car, they can't charge me for the storage."

Juan's brother Pilson, 30, knows firsthand how obeying the law and buying a properly registered car works against undocumented immigrants. He once made such a purchase, then later sold the car to a friend--without transferring the title. When the car was subsequently impounded, Pilson was stuck with the bill, since his name and address were on the registration. When he refused to pay up, the towing company sent it to a collection agency, which added interest to the bill. "I have $4,000 in collections hanging over me," he says.

Although both men suspect they have sometimes been pulled over for "driving while brown," they admit that the police usually have a valid reason for stopping them. Generally, it has to do with the nature of the cars they buy-- a taillight might be out, or the front license plate might be missing. The latter infraction is what led to the impoundment of Juan's eighth vehicle in Forestville last month.

He didn't fret about it too much. Pilson loaned him $1,000, and the next day, Juan bought his ninth car in seven years. Asked what they would do without a car, the brothers' answers are the same: They would be unable to get to work.

Interestingly, state Sen. Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, author of SB 60, the controversial bill that would allow immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, first became interested in the issue because many of his constituents complained about the exorbitant impoundment fees.

"It's not like the senator was seeking out a divisive issue to polarize the electorate," says Cedillo spokesman Edward Headington. In fact, he says Cedillo first tried to get an exception to the impound rule for undocumented workers. That was killed in committee, so Cedillo decided that rather than treat the symptom, he'd go after the cause. The bill was approved by the Legislature but vetoed three times by Gov. Gray Davis, who only relented and approved the measure after it became clear he was badly trailing in polls during the recall election in 2003. Davis had hoped to energize the Latino electorate. Instead, Arnold Schwarzenegger used the issue to help end Davis' political career.

Last year, after convincing the Legislature to repeal SB 60 by promising to approve the measure if security and background checks were amended to it, Schwarzenegger reneged, and vetoed the bill, recast as AB 2895. Cedillo reintroduced SB 60 in January, and it will be debated upon later this year.

Meanwhile, the de la Cruz brothers--and an estimated 2 million other immigrants--still have to get to work. So they continue to drive without licenses. Despite the financial pitfalls such illegality presents, they have no intention on returning to Mexico, where instead of $10 an hour they earn $10 a day.

"Here, I can go to the store, and if I want a sandwich or a hamburger, I can buy it, because I have the money," says Juan.

"I can buy a car, and if the police take it, I can buy another one."


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