Thread: AZ: Cities take on federal immigration issue

Cities take on federal immigration issue
Immigration laws in Payson, Lake Havasu City appear symbolic, with modest impact on business
Ronald J. Hansen
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 4, 2007 12:00 AM

PAYSON - Like many residents in Mogollon Rim country, Butch Klein has had it with the impact of illegal immigrants.

The owner of a small moving company, Klein said he saw competitors rely on suspicious day workers who toiled for a fraction of the wages he offered. That let competitors cut their prices and thus cut his business, he said.

Frustrated by the failure of immigration reform in Washington, the 60-year-old Vietnam veteran urged his town council to tackle the issue.

This past summer, Payson joined a growing number of communities across the country that enacted ordinances intended to crack down on illegal immigrants, chiefly by going after the businesses that hire them. But the results, people here say, are modest.

Bob Edwards, the mayor of Payson, said the town hasn't spotted any violators since the ordinance went into effect. He couldn't point to specific employment changes, either.

Neither can Mark Nexsen, the mayor of Lake Havasu City, which this year passed its own ordinance intended to ensure that it didn't do business with companies that hire illegal workers.

"I haven't seen where it's affected me directly," Klein said last week of the Payson ordinance he helped push.

Others say a new Arizona law that requires employers to check the employment eligibility of new hires using an online federal database will have more effect. The law is under review by a federal judge, who is expected to rule before it is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

Across the country, local and state authorities are creating piecemeal policies to immigration enforcement while courts consider legal challenges.

On Monday, for example, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said that he would seek to end a policy that barred the city's police in most cases from asking people about their immigration status, calling it a relic of a different time.

Symbolic impact
In Payson, the new ordinance scarcely creates a stir. That doesn't mean those who supported the measure believe in it any less.

"Really, what we set out to do is level the playing field," Edwards said. "I think it's made a fairly sizable difference."

It is unclear how much illegal immigration skews the workforce in Payson and Lake Havasu City, two small towns popular with retirees and with limited industry.

Still, the illegal-immigration issue that has roiled Arizona and the nation struck a chord that resonated in both communities.

"All of it is basic fairness with me," Klein said. "We've got people taking benefits they don't deserve. The pie in this country is only so big. The question is, how much are we going to give away?"

Klein said he understands well the contribution foreign workers make.

He flies his American flag off a porch built by a Mexican friend. He helped put a child of Mexican ancestry through college and, with his church, has worked missions in Mexico to improve living conditions for the poor.

Nexsen said the public and business communities say little about the Lake Havasu City ordinance these days.

"It's almost a non-issue," Edwards said of Payson's law. "It's become a part of the culture here. We've moved on."

Perhaps it is because the state's employer-sanctions law looms large.

Sanctions concerns
John Stanton, who manages the Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce, said one of Payson's few manufacturers is considering relocating to California because he is fearful that the sanctions law will force him to pay higher wages.

"The squeeze from the town has taken a back seat to the state law," Stanton said.

Payson resident Kathleen Linde, 61, said the ordinance or the state law has led to a slowdown in the production of furniture, an early sign of problems to come.

"We've got to find a way to keep the people who are already here," she said, calling the town's ordinance illegal and foolish.

Nexsen and Edwards are pleased that their towns have not faced lawsuits, though both said the ordinances were crafted in a way they believe would survive legal scrutiny.

Each mayor expects his town to begin spot-checking businesses to ensure the ordinances are taken seriously.

No legal challenges
The American Civil Liberties Union, which successfully sued to overturn an immigration-related ordinance in Hazleton, Pa., is also suing over Arizona's sanctions law.

Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona, said his organization's limited resources, not legal ingenuity, explain why there aren't challenges to the ordinances in Payson and Lake Havasu City.

Lake Havasu City requires businesses doing work for the city to swear they've made good-faith efforts to hire only those eligible to work in the U.S.

Payson now requires employers who apply for local, annual business licenses to file a sworn statement that says they have done their best to ensure they don't employ illegal workers. Violators could lose their licenses.

"I think that's the way it should be. They are taking away our jobs," said Ken Grandjean, a computer-network administrator in Payson.

Still, he added, "I don't think it should be done by the town, though."

Reach the reporter at ronald .hansen@arizonarepublic.com.
http://www.azcentral.com/business/artic ... 1204.html#

Dan Pochoda, legal director of the ACLU of Arizona, said his organization's limited resources, not legal ingenuity, explain why there aren't challenges to the ordinances in Payson and Lake Havasu City.

Wonderful! Even the ACLU is running out of money to defend these criminal aliens! This is great news for America.

miguelina wrote:

Wonderful! Even the ACLU is running out of money to defend these criminal aliens! This is great news for America.

I agree, this is very big news. In reference to their financial status, what was once thought to be a bottomless pit seems to be quickly filling with dirt! IMO, this validates that their actions to circumvent the rule of law and the will of the American people on the issue of illegal immigration is a loser. While we may lose a battle here and there, this proves that we're winning the war!