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02-14-2009, 01:27 AM #1
Ut - Migrants forced from Park City
Migrants forced from Park City
Business slow; lawmakers may crack down on illegal immigrants
Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff
Posted: 02/13/2009 02:58:26 PM MST
The tourism-driven economy in Park City depends on immigrants to clean ritzy hotel rooms, serve five-star meals and build slope-side vacation homes. Many Latinos, however, are leaving town as job layoffs take their toll.
"The economy is tourism, and now it is so low, and the hours are so low," said Silver Creek resident Gil Martinez, a Mexican employed at a grocery store in Park City. "We, the Latino community, are who is working in the hotels, restaurants, stores and everywhere, and we are getting fewer hours."
Immigrants he knew in Park City have moved elsewhere for work, Martinez explained in Spanish through a translator.
"People who have chosen to stay here for now are finding it more difficult to find work in Park City," said Martinez, who has lived in western Summit County for more than nine years. "It was a real surprise that the economy became so bad for the immigrants."
The downturn most impacts migrants working in construction-related fields, he said.
"Construction is bad. There is nothing for construction," Martinez said. "It's tough."
Nearly all the workers at Craig Weaver's El Chubasco Mexican restaurant in Park City are immigrants. And Weaver says he receives more job applications today than ever before.
"The ones that are hurting are the high-end restaurants," Weaver said, adding that swankier establishments than his have laid workers off. "We get a lot more people coming by El Chubasco this year than we ever have."
Many immigrants in Park City are out of work, he said.
"There are a lot more people out of work in that community than there were last year," Weaver said. "More Mexicans are going back to Mexico because of this."
Latino advocate Tony Yapias said he received a grim letter in Spanish this week from an immigrant who has worked in Park City several years.
"I have two kids and my wife, and they are all on the other side of the border I don't have a job right now since I was laid off," a translation of the letter states.
The man's name is not being disclosed because he is an illegal immigrant.
"I am a professional but I don't work in my profession here," he states in the letter. "I worked in a hotel in Park City. I have lots of friends who don't know what to do stay or go?"
Parkites ask Yapias about how to move back to Mexico if the economy forces them to leave.
"If they've decided that they're getting the heck out of here for good, I suggest they go to the Mexican Consulate to get a border pass, then when they get back to Mexico with a truckload of their belongings, the Mexican customs won't give them a hard time or make them pay extra for all the things they are taking back," Yapias said in an interview. "They can move their whole entire house into Mexico without penalties."
Employers in Park City have cracked down on migrants by more carefully monitoring work papers, he explained.
"They're checking documentation," Yapias said. "And, there is not enough help needed right now. Not enough people are traveling to Park City, or anywhere."
Meanwhile, Martinez said he attended a meeting Thursday in Salt Lake City of the Proyecto Latino de Utah group to oppose controversial immigration reform slated to take effect in the state in July.
"I really want to know what is happening with the immigration bill. People have been calling me asking about Senate Bill 81," Martinez said in an interview after the meeting. "Many people do not have all the information. They don't read the paper because many need to have like two or three jobs."
The sweeping immigration law requires local police officers and deputies enforce federal immigration measures in Utah. But the American Civil Liberties Union claims cops in the state already harass illegal immigrants.
"Currently, the ACLU has heard many things about people who don't have documents, and the police are harassing," ACLU spokeswoman Barbara Swzeda told hundreds of immigrants Thursday at Centro Cristiano Maranatha in Salt Lake City. "People without documents have civil rights in the United States."
Illegal immigrants at the meeting were advised to not open their doors when officers come to their homes.
"Just because the police knock on the door, does not mean you have to open the door," Swzeda said. "Ask them what they want, but don't let them into your house."
SB 81 will also require government employers register to use a system that verifies the work status of new employees. The law may mean governmental entities must verify the immigration status of people who apply for state or local benefits. State lawmakers passed the legislation last year but delayed its implementation until July.
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02-14-2009, 02:26 AM #2
I wonder what happens in Mexico when the police knock on their door and they don't open it?
Lets find out and try that, eh?!
Oh just treat them like any American who refuses to open their door for the police.
A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy
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02-14-2009, 01:25 PM #3If they've decided that they're getting the heck out of here for good, I suggest they go to the Mexican Consulate to get a border pass,Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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