Thread: Town Hall Meeting in San Diego

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/09 ... ogcomments

San Diego town hall airs debate on immigration

By: EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO ---- A recent series of congressional hearings on immigration were criticized by pro-immigrant activists as one-sided, but anti-illegal immigration activists left a televised town hall meeting Thursday in San Diego expressing the same feelings.

The town hall, sponsored by three local TV stations, was supposed to create a dialogue about this pressing issue. But it largely generated many of the same comments expressed before by both sides of the illegal immigration divide.

"It was a little one-sided," said Jeff Schwilk of Oceanside, founder of the anti-illegal immigration activist group, the San Diego Minutemen. "There was a lot of the same smoke-and-mirror arguments about why we need illegal immigration."


On the other hand, asked what impression the meeting had made on her, longtime immigrant rights activist Claudia Smith simply shrugged her shoulders.

During the 90-minute broadcast, the audience watched pretaped reports on topics ranging from immigration policy history to the jobs that illegal immigrants do in the region. The reports were followed by comments from a group of invited panelists, including academics, activists and law enforcement professionals.

The wide-ranging discussion included topics familiar to North County residents, such as Vista's new day-labor ordinance and Escondido's proposal to make it a crime to rent to illegal immigrants.

Escondido Councilman Sam Abed, one of the leading proponents of the rental ordinance, said the dialogue was helpful.

"It's always good to communicate and discuss the issues, but we have to leave the rhetoric outside the discussion," Abed said.

Several panelists agreed that work was the main reason why many of the nation's estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants came to the country. But opinions varied on what to do about the problem.

Immigration attorney Lilia Velasquez said the nation's immigration system, which provides few avenues for legal immigration, is broken. She said there are too few visas granted each year for low-skilled workers, and there is a shortage of workers for many sectors of the economy, such as farm work, service and construction industries.

"Employers want to do the right thing," she said. But, "I tell them the system does not allow it."

Peter Nunez, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego, said the country cannot accommodate the world's poor. The nation must decide which people to allow in and enforce its laws, he said.

"If you are going to have a law, you need to enforce the law," Nunez said. "Otherwise, you need to do away with the law."

About 90 people attended the discussion, and nearly two-thirds of them appeared to be immigrant rights activists, students and scholars. About one-third of the audience appeared to be anti-illegal immigrant activists or members of Minutemen groups.

KGTV Channel 10's Hal Clement, KPBS' Gloria Penner and Tom Fudge, and Azteca America San Diego's Adriana Alcarez moderated the broadcast from KPBS' studio on the campus of San Diego State University.

The panelists included David Shirk of the University of San Diego's TransBorder Institute; professor Wayne Cornelius of UC San Diego's Center for Comparative Immigration Studies; San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Ruben Navarette; Mexican Consul Luis Cabrera; and T.J. Bonner, a Border Patrol agent who is president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.


My comments on this meeting below:

The discussion was to feel good for me this is a tough subject. The approach of how to correct the problem is not some easy feel good solution.
America has allowed allot of foreign immigrants into this country and yes the legal US citizens have felt that some group whether it was Germans, Italians or Irish that the country was changing in a way that was not wanted. I feel that it is a justifiable feeling do not hide it and try to make feel good comments on what people are feeling.
Basically you have the community of Escondido, CA that some of its citizens feel that the community is starting to resemble Tijuana. I say that is a justifiable feeling and if the people want to slow the change of their town\city from becoming another Tijuana they should have that right. It is in our history that we have slowed Immigration at times, is that bad or good? Well America has been doing quite well if you ask me or we would not be having this discussion of why so many foreign immigrants wanting to move to this country.
As for the Mexican Consulate representative at these town hall meetings across America, if I were him I would be holding my head down low. Basically the Mexican government is so dishonest they can not create a working economy, so that their own citizens can live decent lives in thier own country. I really fail to see how the Mexican government has a say in any thing that we do. They basically have no clue how to do much of anything but take bribes.
The laws on legal Immigration exist today and all that needs to be done is enforce them. We did not get this far, if what we have was wrong. Yes let’s have legal immigration and allow foreign immigrants in. The problem is the system can not run correctly by just allowing poor workers from one ethnic group in. It has been stopped before and should be stopped now. America is great because of its diversity.
It will offend some people and it has in the past also. We need real factual discussions on this subject and not everyone is going to go away from this discussion feeling good about what happens.
For the Governments to take down the borders and let the citizens of this planet move freely from area to area may happen some day, but I do not believe we are there yet.

Immigration attorney Lilia Velasquez said the nation's immigration system, which provides few avenues for legal immigration, is broken. She said there are too few visas granted each year for low-skilled workers, and there is a shortage of workers for many sectors of the economy, such as farm work, service and construction industries.

Ms. Velasquez, yes, the 'system' is broken. Not because it doesn't let large numbers of people into the country with little effort or cost (we, as a country have a right - and I would argue, an obligation - not to allow 'just anyone' to enter and remain here)
... it is broken because existing laws are not being enforced.
Quite the contrary, there is no shortage of visas - there are plenty of visas granted to work in the US. Some ag-related visa programs are UNLIMITED in the number of workers they allow in - it's just that greedy farm owners and industrial farms don't want to 'bother' with untidy little details like filing paperwork or paying payroll/SS taxes, etc. Oh, and H1B visas - don't get me started - what a complete joke!

Where did Ms. Velasquez get the rediculous idea we even NEED any more low-skilled people in this country anyway!!!!! Duh.

"Employers want to do the right thing," she said. But, "I tell them the system does not allow it."

Most employers that hire illegals could care less (unpatriotic scum, IMO)
Yes, the system does allow it - just use the Basic Pilot Program. Free, relatively quick and easy - verify the SSN of nearly every job applicant in a matter of a couple minutes online.