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Pomona wants its voice heard on bill
Council hopes that resolution helps stop plan
Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun

POMONA - For those who urged the Pomona City Council this week to adopt a resolution opposing a federal immigration reform bill, the council's actions were more than a symbolic victory.
The resolution adds to the credence of cards and phone calls directed at federal elected officials calling for development of other options to address illegal immigration, said Jose Calderon, president of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley Latino and Latina Roundtable and a professor at Cal Poly Pomona.

The resolution "is telling the U.S. Senate this bill is wrong - (and) is sending a very strong message to the Senate and those representatives that are there,'' Calderon said Tuesday.

Approved by the council on Monday by a 4-2 vote, the city's resolution opposes HR 4437, a bill introduced by House Judiciary Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., which was passed by the House of Representatives late last year. The bill is now in the Senate.

Among the things the bill would do is call for local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration regulations; stiffen the penalties for those who employ undocumented labor; and provide for construction of barriers along the nation's southern border.

Councilman Marco Robles, who proposed the resolution, said the resolution is significant because of its overall opposition to HR 4437 and because it addresses areas of concern to many city residents.

"It goes beyond the symbolic statement,'' Robles said. "This is a clear statement that our voices count.''

Among the concerns is that should the bill become law, it would place an additional burden on the already-taxed Pomona police without providing any additional resources, he said.

In addition, the resolution states that requiring police to take on immigration responsibilities would keep undocumented immigrants from reporting crimes, which would contribute to the city's crime problems.

Some may think the resolution does little but if the resolution does nothing more than raise people's awareness about immigration issues and the need for better ways to address the problems "that is sufficient enough,'' Robles said.

Resident Gustavo Ramirez said he believes the resolution's passage will give the city's immigrant residents a better feeling about taking concerns to local government.

"I think what this victory also means is that people who have been afraid to go to City Hall and to their city leaders will do so now,'' said Ramirez, who is also principal founder of the Coalition for Safety and Well Being, a Pomona group that has undocumented immigrants as members.

Advocates for immigration reform say the adoption of the resolution means little.

"It's just people making themselves feel important,'' said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, also known as FAIR. "I don't think it really changes anything.''

Even if a city like Los Angeles was to take a similar step and with the recent call of Cardinal Roger Mahony to Catholics urging them to welcome immigrants regardless of their legal status, lawmakers in Washington won't be swayed, he said.

"In the grand scheme of things nobody is going to pay attention'' to the cities, Mehlman said.

Others see Pomona's actions making little impact on the illegal immigration debate.

"It's a symbolic gesture,'' said Jaime Regalado, director of the Edmund G. "Pat'' Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a think tank based at Cal State Los Angeles.

"Even if you have 15 or 25 cities, it doesn't mean they're making a dent'' in the national debate, he said.

Such a move, however, does other things, such as give cities like Pomona or Pasadena a chance to speak on an issue and even take a leadership role in an issue instead of waiting for major cities like Los Angeles to take the lead, Regalado said.

"I think it takes some guts to do that,'' Regalado said. "It opens you up - and opens the flanks to being called `un-American.' ''

City leaders in Maywood and Huntington Park passed resolutions opposing HR 4437 in January and February respectively. Pasadena did the same Monday night and Los Angeles passed a similar resolution Wednesday.

Councilman George Hunter, who with Councilwoman Paula Lantz opposed the resolution, said he wanted an opportunity to refine the resolution. He had concerns and questions about various points in the bill tied to funding and enforcement, and their inclusion in the local resolution.

Hunter said he would have liked for all these topics to have been discussed by the council's legislative subcommittee before going to the full council.

Supporters of the resolution came to the council meeting Monday night, as did some who said city leaders should stay out of a federal matter.

Resident Richard Parra said Monday night this was an issue that was out of the council's realm and was being pushed forward by people who were coming from outside of the city.

"I am alarmed,'' he said. "I feel they are brow-beating us'' to act on the resolution.

Pomona resident Hank Fung said he agreed the city's police officers shouldn't be called to address immigration issues unless they were dealing with dangerous criminals.

Attempts on the city's part to become involved in the federal illegal immigration debate are out of place, he said.

"Unfortunately illegal immigration is a crime,'' he said. "That does not need to be handled by a resolution.''

Instead, Fung said, the city should focus on pressing local issues.

"Pomona needs to concentrate on what is important to the city and this is not it,'' he said.

Robles said the illegal immigration debate is a pressing one to the city because it affects residents of the city.