Diverse doesn't mean illegal
Residents' concerns not something local authorities can address.
Monday, August 06, 2007
By LYNN OLANOFF
The Express-Times
HACKETTSTOWN | Mayor Michael Lavery says 80 percent of the complaints he receives are about one thing: Suspected illegal immigrants.

As the town's Hispanic population has grown in recent years so has concern among some residents about Hispanics' legal status.

At a recent town council meeting, Councilwoman Nancy Brown mentioned Hispanics living on Main Street and having about a dozen stores catering to them.

She was surprised to learn she is not legally permitted to ask someone about his or her residency status. And she's not the only one inquiring about the topic.

Lavery receives regular calls, comments and e-mails about suspected illegal immigrants in town.

"Anytime anyone sees someone of a background other than their own, they assume they're here illegally," he said. "Some of the things that are said about the Hispanics downtown are the same things that were said about the Irish 100 years ago and the Italians any race."

Town police Chief Leonard Kunz has also taken calls on the issue. He said people regularly complain to the police about Hispanics loitering on Main Street.

"If it was 10 white-haired ladies standing there, would (they) be concerned? The answer is 'no,' " Kunz said. "There's so many people that have prejudices about the Hispanic community and they don't even know them."

Not much locals can do

Kunz and Lavery talk regularly about suspected illegal immigrants in town and agree there's little locals can do to combat illegal immigration. Even before a federal judge last week struck down Hazleton, Pa.'s, ban on hiring or renting to illegal immigrants, Lavery said he knew the ban was legally questionable, although he said he agrees with its aim.

Town officials have researched a proposal from Morristown, N.J., where the mayor wants to deputize local police officers as federal immigration agents.

"We're trying to see what works for other people and what doesn't work for other people," Lavery said. "I'm not going to go off half-cocked and get the town sued."

Kunz said there is not much his department can do because federal officials are not equipped to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants.

"The harsh reality of it is if you identify people here locally, they're not ready at the national level to handle it," he said.

Kunz said town council members have asked him to add more downtown patrols to address the issue but he said he does not have the manpower.

In 2005, the town council enacted an ordinance to combat residential overcrowding, or stacking, a practice some town residents said was especially prevalent among downtown residents. Landlords now have to pay a $120 annual fee for annual property inspections. Since notice is given for the inspections, it's been difficult to catch many who violate the rules, Lavery said.

Seeking legal status

Michael Alper, a Hackettstown-based immigration attorney, said most of his clients are eager to become legal residents. Some employers are also eager to seek legal status for their workers, he said.

"There are a number of farms in the area that have contacted me to do things for people who work there because they can't get Americans to serve those positions," Alper said. "Most of my clientele here in this area are hard-working people who come here and want to make a living. They want to achieve the American dream."

Alper said the threat of local enforcement often scares immigrants, who have moved out in force from Hazleton and Riverside, N.J., which had an ordinance similar to Hazleton's until town officials stopped its enforcement in June due to a legal challenge. The town's economies have suffered with the immigrants leaving, he said.

Hackettstown has been generally welcoming to its immigrants, said Alper, who added he believes Main Street is thriving more today than when he moved there five years ago.

Others doubt if immigrants are well accepted in town.

The Hackettstown Business Improvement District interviewed many of the town's Hispanic business owners recently and found many didn't feel accepted, Executive Director David Rucki said.

"They felt not really warmly welcomed and afraid to get involved in things," he said.

But many of the Hispanic storeowners were also upset by downtown loiterers, he said.

"They recognize the problem of loitering in the streets," Rucki said. The loiterers "don't really shop in their stores and they give them a bad name."

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