Mesa prodded again by citizens group on immigration issue
Group asks City Council to endorse Utah principles

azcentral.com
by Gary Nelson
Dec. 6, 2011 10:23 AM

Emboldened by the defeat of Mesa's fiercest foe of illegal immigration, a citizens group is again asking the City Council to endorse a moderate approach to the inflammatory topic.

East Valley Patriots for American Values revisited council chambers Monday night to lobby for principles contained in the Utah Compact, an immigration policy statement endorsed by numerous interests in that state a year ago.

But unlike their first appearance a year ago, this time they were countered by speakers favoring strict immigration enforcement.

Worried about the potential for outbursts from the more than 100 people in the audience, Mayor Scott Smith warned that applause, whistling and catcalls would not be tolerated. The audience complied as seven speakers had their say.

Daniel Martinez said the faith-based patriots group seeks "change in the negative tone and direction of policy and legislation about immigration."

He noted recent surveys in which most Arizonans have said they favor "a more humane approach to the issue of undocumented immigrants," and again asked the council to take up the issue.

Mesa resident Jo Darling said, however, that immigration laws must be enforced.

"Our Founding Fathers had divine inspiration to create this country as a republic," she said. "We are a sovereign nation with rules and with laws. ... If you did not come here legally, you have slapped every person who has obeyed our laws, and come here legally, in the face."

She added, "As an American citizen I resent having illegals take our jobs, our homes and our generous taxpayer benefits. These people who have broken our laws by coming here illegally have shown they have no desire to be legal Americans and only want what taxpayers will give them."

As was the case when East Valley Patriots first approached the council in December 2010, council members could not legally comment Monday because the item was not on the agenda.

As the meeting ended, however, Smith said, "It's an issue we've got to solve. There's got to be a solution. There's got to be an answer."

Most council members said a year ago they would prefer not to discuss the topic as a body.

Arizona at the time was still in an uproar over Senate Bill 1070, which had been signed into law the previous spring. The law made it a state crime to be in the country illegally and imposed numerous other sancations on illegal immigration. Key portions are pending court review.

The author of that and numerous other immigration laws, Senate President Russell Pearce, was trounced last month in a recall election by fellow Mesa Republican Jerry Lewis. Lewis already has been sworn in, vowing to support Utah Compact principles as he seeks solutions to the immigration problem.

Among the speakers Monday night was Randy Parraz, a chief organizer of the recall election. The Utah Compact, he said, is neither pro-immigration nor anti-immigration. It's simply an effort, he said, to steer the country away from "the politics of division and extremism."

Although the City Council did not take up the Utah Compact last year, Mesa did not ignore it. After a series of chamber-packing public meetings, the Human Relations Advisory Board voted in May to support a modified version of the Utah Compact, and asked the council to consider it.

"The purpose is to have a principal framework for discussion," Rory Gilbert, the advisory board's vice chairwoman, said in May. "We've had debates, but we haven't had a community conversation to talk more about concerns and where do we find common ground.

Last week Mayor Smith said he would welcome such a conversation, but he said the City Council isn't necessarily the best place to have it.

The Utah Compact -- endorsed by numerous political, business and religious leaders -- says the nation must find ways other than strict enforcement to deal with people who are here illegally but working productively.

It says immigration is a federal problem requiring federal solutions; local police should focus on serious crime rather than civil immigration violations; encourages policies that keep families together; and recognizes immigrant contributions to the economy.

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