Migrant policy debated at raucous town hall

Casey Newton and Daniel Gonzalez
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 14, 2007 12:00 AM

"Changing Phoenix police's immigration-enforcement policies will create a climate of fear in Phoenix that could lead to multimillion-dollar lawsuits and even riots, speakers said Thursday at a raucous town hall.

From the audience, supporters of drafting a new policy said police need more freedom to enforce the law and said their voices weren't being heard Thursday night.

About 600 people packed the auditorium at South Mountain High School to address a four-man panel convened by Mayor Phil Gordon to review Operations Order 1.4.

The immigration controversy led to a wild forum that saw several illegal-immigration foes forcibly removed from the auditorium after shouting at the stage. They loudly performed the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening remarks of Mary Rose Wilcox, an event organizer and Maricopa County supervisor.

Members of the mostly Hispanic audience leaped to their feet throughout the evening in support of various comments made by speakers. When protesters began shouting, audience members drowned them out with a chant of "Si, se puede," or "Yes, it is possible."

"They don't want any opposition," said Jim Williams, a supporter of the new policy who was asked to leave. "They're trying to shove this down our throats."

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