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Focus is on town's changing profile
Immigration's impact to be topic of forum
By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff | October 27, 2005

The town of Framingham, where a number of immigrants have settled in recent years, will co-host a conference on immigration issues on Monday featuring US Representative Edward J. Markey and a presentation from a Boston think tank.

''The Changing Face of Massachusetts: Implications and Opportunities for MetroWest" was the brainchild of Katie Murphy, chairwoman of the Framingham Board of Selectmen.

She began planning the conference several months ago in response to residents' increasingly vocal concerns and questions about illegal immigration to the area.

''As I went around town, people said to me, 'This is really a conversation we need to have,' " said Murphy. ''I'm setting up this forum so I can learn really what the whole story is."

Today is the last day to reserve a seat at the conference through the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. The $20 fee can be paid at the door.

The featured presentation will be from MassINC, a public policy think tank, which has done extensive research on immigration in the state.

Markey will discuss federal immigration issues and a bill filed recently by senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and John McCain, Republican of Arizona. It would let many undocumented workers take jobs legally, allow them to eventually apply for permanent residency, provide more English language education, and at the same time intensify border enforcement.

Geoffrey O'Hara, executive director for the eastern region of the US Chamber of Commerce, will discuss the business community's take on the immigration system.

The state and particularly the western suburbs have been experiencing an immigration boom over the last 10 to 15 years, according to specialists in the field. Framingham, a magnet for Brazilian immigrants, has the 12th highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the state, with more than 20 percent of the town population listing a birthplace outside the country. In the western suburbs, newcomers largely hail from Latin America, China, India, and Russia.

Ted Welte, president of MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, who is organizing the conference, said the immigration system is broken and the federal government must fix it.

''It's clear that the demand for workers is going to outstrip the supply of folks already living here," he said. ''We are desperately in need of skilled people to come into this country. We need to have a system in place that allows that to happen in an orderly fashion."

The conference will include a panel discussion with Murphy; Jamie Holmes, general manager of the Crowne Plaza Boston-Natick hotel; Carole M. Berotte Joseph, president of MassBay Community College; and Vera Dias-Freitas, the owner of Vera Jewelers in Framingham and a Brazilian immigrant.

Jim Rizoli, a member of Concerned Citizens and Friends of Illegal Immigration Law Enforcement, said he would attend even though he believes it will be a one-sided discussion. He is vehemently opposed to illegal immigration.

''I can't believe they wouldn't have the opposing side on the panel," said Rizoli. ''It's a stacked deck."

The conference will be held Monday from 7:30 to 10 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Framingham Hotel, 1657 Worcester Road. To register, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 508-879-5600 or go to www.metrowest.org. The sponsors are the MetroWest Medical Center, the town of Framingham, MassINC, the MetroWest Alliance for Workforce Diversity, and the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce.

Murphy said the conference would focus on economic issues since there are far too many immigration topics to fit into one short event.

''I do see it really as a first step, but a good first step," she said.

Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or by e-mail at lkocian@globe.com.