Thread: Town Battling Illegal Immigration Is Emptier Now

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/nyregion/28ban.html

Town Battling Illegal Immigration Is Emptier Now

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By JILL P. CAPUZZO
Published: July 28, 2006

RIVERSIDE, N.J., July 27 — The downtown streets of this working-class town — usually filled with many of the immigrants who have made this place home — were unusually empty the day after the Township Council approved an ordinance banning employers and landlords from hiring or housing illegal immigrants.

At a heated meeting on Wednesday night that one resident compared to “The Jerry Springer Show,” Riverside’s five-member Council unanimously approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, citing overcrowded apartments, jammed parking lots, and a strain on the town’s schools and social services, as reasons for passing the measure.

“They’re jealous of the Brazilians because they’re hard workers and they live well,” said Celeste Martiniano, a Portuguese-American who owns the Pavilion Barbecue restaurant here.

Efforts to reach Mayor Charles Hilton and members of the Township Council were unsuccessful.

The new law is similar to a measure passed in Hazleton, Pa., earlier this month and others being discussed by municipalities around the country. In Congress, the explosive illegal immigration issue has been bogged down over guest worker passes and the level of border enforcement.

Fines start at $1,000 for violations of the Riverside ordinance, which makes it illegal to hire people who cannot prove they are legally in the United States, or to rent or lease them property. A violator also could lose his or her business permit for five years.

Before Brazilian immigrants began moving here in the last five years or so, Ms. Martiniano said, the downtown business district, once a bustling shopping area, had been in decline. But the new ordinance, she said, “this is going to kill the town.”

For the last 25 years, Ms. Martiniano has lived in this Burlington County town of 8,000 residents, where as many as 2,000 to 3,000 immigrants live today. Business has been good since the opening of her restaurant two years ago, largely because of the growing Brazilian population. But on this day, there were no takers for the chicken legs spinning on spits over open flames.

Ms. Martiniano said that immigrants here were scared in the aftermath of the vote, and that those who have been most vocal against immigrants “are not working and have nothing better to do.”

Ingrid Reinhold said that the new ordinance smacked of discrimination. She and her husband, Gustav, own three businesses along Scott Street: a music store that features mostly Latin music, a Brazilian cafe that is undergoing renovations, and a bustling Western Union office, where many of the immigrants can stay in contact with relatives back home. Down the block is another Brazilian restaurant and a Brazilian nail salon. The yellow and green Brazilian flag is pasted to many shop windows.

“Three years ago this was a dead town,” said Ms. Reinhold, who was born in Ecuador. “Now you see all the stores are open, the people are out. If they do this, it’s going to be like it was before.”

Standing in front of his recording studio next door, Ed Robins talked about the Wednesday Council meeting. Describing the meeting’s adversarial atmosphere among members in the audience, Mr. Robins said “it reminded me of being on Jerry Springer.”

Although his business depends very little on the town’s growing immigrant population, Mr. Robins also worried about the ordinance’s impact on the business district and real estate values, which he said have increased with the influx of Brazilians.

“As a community, we should have drawn everybody together, including the illegals and approached it intelligently, rather than taking this small town and ripping it apart,” Mr. Robins said.

Certainly, the Brazilians are not the only immigrant population to call Riverside home. This town on the Delaware River was originally settled by Germans in 1851, followed by Poles, Italians and Irish in the early 20th century. Once a thriving industrial town, the immigrants provided much of the workforce for the textile mills of Riverside, once the country’s leading manufacturer of men’s hosiery, and the Philadelphia Watchcase Company, headquartered here until it closed its doors in 1956.

After the factories closed, the movie theater burned down and many shoppers migrated to nearby malls. Its new distinction, recognized at one point by the Guinness Book of World Records, was having the most bars and liquor licenses in a mile-square town.

Many of those bars remain, and in some of them there is talk about what needs to be done to slow the tide of immigration.

At Big Daddy’s Pub on Scott Street, Dave Dalhman Jr., described the town’s growing immigrant population as “a swarm of bees.” Having lived here for the first 40 years of his life, Mr. Dalhman said he was forced to move to a neighboring town two years ago.

“I’m a minority here now,” said Mr. Dalhman. “I love this town. I was born and raised here, and I’d love to come back here, but that’s not going to happen.”
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“They’re jealous of the Brazilians because they’re hard workers and they live well,” said Celeste Martiniano, a Portuguese-American who owns the Pavilion Barbecue restaurant here.

No the people are sick of living in the squallar you people create for hardworking folks that are legal. They are sick of the crime, sick of the Brazilian flags replacing the American flag, sick of the disease and illnesses you bring, and if you call living well 15 people sleeping on matresses in a 1 bedroom apt. believe me I don't envy you I want you out.

Ingrid Reinhold said that the new ordinance smacked of discrimination. She and her husband, Gustav, own three businesses along Scott Street: a music store that features mostly Latin music, a Brazilian cafe that is undergoing renovations, and a bustling Western Union office, where many of the immigrants can stay in contact with relatives back home. Down the block is another Brazilian restaurant and a Brazilian nail salon. The yellow and green Brazilian flag is pasted to many shop windows.

I think you forcing your latin ways and taking over the downtown area is discrimination. And lady please they are using Western Union to telegram they are wiring money back to Brazil. Give me a break!

“They’re jealous of the Brazilians because they’re hard workers and they live well,” said Celeste Martiniano, a Portuguese-American who owns the Pavilion Barbecue restaurant here.

Jealous is not the word I'm thinking. These comments just drive me nuts. Easy to live good when you are cheating the system, not paying taxes and receiving social services paid into by others.

Dixie

oops I did not see the thread already posted by Brian503a. Sorry folks.

The most vocal were the ones that were making money off of the illegals. I wonder how many of the business owners are legal themselves.

It's sad that everyone is fighting and insulting each other these days--but that's what happens when a "parent" doesn't enforce rules, the kids start fighting. In this case our government is the parent who is absent for years, and now thye whole situation is a mess with strained feelings on all sides.

Man I live in houston and the situation is out of control. I am hearing the most liberal, air-headed gay men complaining that this has got to stop--and gay men tend to be the most liberal people on the earth. Everyone's fed up. I went to renew my driver's license yesterday and there was ONE person helping a room full of at least 150 people, and I would say 75% of the crowd was not speaking English. This crap from people like Tamar Jacoby saying these people are learning the language and assimilating like immigrants from 50 years ago is a big fat lie. I can show you vast portions of this city where zero English is spoken.

“They’re jealous of the Brazilians because they’re hard workers and they live well,” said Celeste Martiniano, a Portuguese-American who owns the Pavilion Barbecue restaurant here.

We are not jealous, we want the illegal aliens out of our country because of the drain on our social systems and the filth, crime and disease that they bring in. They can go back to Brazil or wherever they came from. The businesses that will lose the most money are those that cater to illegal aliens, I do not feel sorry for them. Go open a business in your own country and you can cater to them there.

think you forcing your latin ways and taking over the downtown area is discrimination

That's what I was thinking. Latin restaurants, Music store with Latin music, where's their diversity? Doesn't seem they were the least bit interested in fitting in and becomming a part of a community....they were taking over and pushing the residents out. I don't like Latin food and don't like latin music and neither does everybody else in the US. Ya, some do......but you cater to the community, not one specific group.

“They’re jealous of the Brazilians because they’re hard workers and they live well,” said Celeste Martiniano, a Portuguese-American who owns the Pavilion Barbecue restaurant here.

Jealous? Jealous of what? Your failed third world culture and lifestyle is an absolute joke. Problem is now you want to bring all your failures and problems over here and we don't want it and we want you gone. Your hard workers? Great, go work hard in your own country. Seriously, if your all such hard workers, then why isn't your own country doing better?

But the new ordinance, she said, “this is going to kill the town.”

Says who? You? I'm sure the town will do just fine without the criminal element.

Ms. Martiniano said that immigrants here were scared in the aftermath of the vote, and that those who have been most vocal against immigrants “are not working and have nothing better to do.”

Maybe when the job thieves leave the area, the legal citizens will be able to reclaim the jobs they once had at a decent wage. As far as the so called immigrants are scared, well GOOD, I hope they are scared enough to leave and never come back.

Ingrid Reinhold said that the new ordinance smacked of discrimination.

Yep, we are discriminating against criminals. Oh the horror.

“As a community, we should have drawn everybody together, including the illegals and approached it intelligently, rather than taking this small town and ripping it apart,” Mr. Robins said.

So what your saying is that your all for aiding and abetting criminals?

“I’m a minority here now,” said Mr. Dalhman. “I love this town. I was born and raised here, and I’d love to come back here, but that’s not going to happen.”

Once the rats leave you mind be able to.

Before Brazilian immigrants began moving here in the last five years or so, Ms. Martiniano said, the downtown business district, once a bustling shopping area, had been in decline. But the new ordinance, she said, “this is going to kill the town.”

Then its still a DEAD TOWN filled with lower wage earners, who will just drag it into the gutter. Turning our 'dead towns' into third world slums because 1000's of people who make $8.00 and hour can make a system where they all live by cheating taxes and housing laws is not revitalizing the city, its just filling it with the failed third world. Only by speaking english and having a substantial upper class and upper middle class would the town be revitalized, but then they would move out of the Crime infested areas, so all your doing is SLUMING AMERICA.