Thread: Illegal immigrant controversy in New Haven

Illegal immigrant controversy in New Haven



by News Channel 8's Darren Duarte
Posted May 31, 2007
7:10 PM

(New Haven-WTNH) _ The idea of passing out municipal ID cards to illegal's has some people making the charge that New Haven is becoming a safe haven for illegal immigrants.

The cards would allow undocumented residents to receive basic services at banks and libraries. City Hall has been inundated with e-mails from people against the cards.

Ted Pechinski who is with the group Citizens for Immigration Reform said, "Tell me how it's going to benefit the legal citizens of this country, of this city."

The group has posted flyers all over the city and Mayor DeStefano says their literature is a form of intimidation.

"This is hate-based literature. It's done to inspire fear and to make people feel better about themselves by having someone else to blame," said Mayor DeStefano.

"I hate anyone who calls me a bigot. I am looking out for the American citizen," said Pechinski.

Angelo Reyes, a Fair Haven businessman, disagrees. He says many of his customers are undocumented immigrants.

"They have a right to their freedom of speech but I think they're wrong on this one. They're not the ones out there doing all the labor work," said Reyes.

The mayor says that private funding is behind the cards and threats will not stop him from distributing them.

"If a group wants to debate immigration policy that is fair game. We can debate immigration policy but we don't make ourselves better by tearing each other down," said Mayor DeStefano.






http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6595645&nav=3YeX

Angelo Reyes, a Fair Haven businessman, disagrees. He says many of his customers are undocumented immigrants.

What a fine American, he will sell out for the Dollar.

Greed is one of the 7 deadly sins. That did Judas get in return for the 30 pieces of silver, which he accepted from the wrong doers? Dirty money is dirty money and it comes with bad Karma.

Dixie

06/01/2007
City plan for ID card comes under fire
By Mary E. O'Leary , Register Topics Editor

NEW HAVEN — City officials Thursday rejected an outside group's lobbying effort against planned municipal ID cards as an attempt to divide the city racially.

In July, New Haven will be the first community in the nation to issue municipal IDs for all residents, including illegal aliens. The city will accept $237,000 in funding for the project from the First City Fund Corp. on Monday.
But literature from the Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform, which appears to be targeted at black and Latino residents, said illegal immigrants steal American jobs and every citizen who obtains a municipal card would be subject to criminal charges.

Standing in front of the statue of Joseph Cinque, the African who successfully led the 19th century Amistad revolt of captives on their way to a life of slavery, Alderman Yusuf Shah, D-23, said the group's information was wrong.

"We know that these types of posters and fliers are meant to do nothing but terrorize people and to scare them into being biased. ... There is no credence to anything they wrote in any of these fliers and it is meant to do nothing but divide us. We have no room for this in New Haven," Shah said.

Mayor John DeStefano Jr., surrounded by clergy and immigrant advocates, called the material "hate-based, race-based literature. It is done to inspire fear and to make people feel better about themselves by having someone else to blame."

He said it follows a pattern of discrimination in American and world history.

"We have seen this before and we have defeated this before," DeStefano said.

Ted Pechinski, 75, of North Branford, a retired Yale University electrician and leader of the immigration reform group, tried to talk over the mayor as he addressed a crowd of about 50 people who had gathered near the statue.

"Our agenda is to stop the illegal immigration in this country ... these ID cards are going to give them a status, a beginning, and it will spread to North Haven, Branford, East Haven, wherever. We've got to stop it before it becomes unbearable," Pechinski said to a group of reporters.

He said illegal immigrants are flooding the country's schools, hospitals and jails. "Doesn't anyone understand the word 'illegal?" Pechinski asked.

John Jairo Lugo, head of Unidad Latino en Accion, which worked on the ID program, said he was upset outsiders are trying to divide the city.

"We tried to do something good for New Haven to bring all the communities together. ... I work really hard in this city and now he comes in and says we are criminals and we are bad for this country," said Lugo, who was an illegal immigrant when he fled Colombia before getting political asylum and eventually citizenship.

Bill Farrell, 45, a roofer and member of the group from North Branford, said the organization has about a dozen members, but is affiliated with Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control, headed by Paul Streitz.

"We think it will be an economic disaster for the region," he said of the IDs, in terms of attracting cheap labor.

DeStefano, however, pointed to a report from the Public Policy Institute In California, which found immigrants did not hurt employment opportunities of natives in that state, which is home to 30 percent of all foreign-born workers in the United States.

The IDs will be available for all residents, and will allow access to city libraries and recreational resources. A debit component can be used to pay parking meters and to buy goods downtown. It does not confer legal status on immigrants, but will be an accepted ID in New Haven.

Professor Michael Wishnie, an expert on immigration law, said issuing the IDs is not illegal. "The mayor has nothing to worry about. It is entirely lawful," he said.

Shah spoke for city officials when he said the debate on IDs in New Haven is over. "The IDs are coming. That's a done deal," he said.

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm ... 0581&rfi=6