Malèna
11thMay2005, 20:26
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POTOMAC NEWS
A threat to legal immigrants
By CHARLES REICHLEY
Columnist
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Illegal immigration has been big news lately. From the Minutemen volunteers patrolling our border with Mexico, to the local day laborer controversy, and now to a recent rally in Maryland, we are forced to confront the problem of illegal immigrants. I'd rather pretend the problem didn't exist, but that no longer seems possible.
I am not anti-immigrant. There are jobs in our country which citizens don't want to do. A rational immigration policy would provide legal workers, properly monitored, to meet our employment needs. But we also need to crack down hard on illegal immigrants. Laws are meaningless if they are not enforced. Each time an illegal immigrant gets a pass, it is a slap in the face for the immigrants who are here legally.
Last week I observed some cases in a Prince William County courthouse. In one case that caught my attention, the defendant was a two-time illegal immigrant. He had previously been convicted of gang-related activity, and deported. But he turned around and re-entered the country, and would have lived a long and happy life here if he hadn't gotten caught drinking and driving.
Illegal immigration is a growing problem in our country, and locally. Recently a group of day-laborers was arrested for loitering at a local 7-Eleven. Some were illegal immigrants, and at last report several were still being detained. The county appointed a Day Laborer Task Force to study the problem.
I wrote previously about the problem of ever-expanding government programs. In researching that column I found a lot of information about non-profit advocacy groups pushing for government money to support day laborer centers. Before we open a center here, we should learn more about these organizations.
Casa De Maryland is one such organization, whose mission statement is to improve the quality of life, social and economic well being of the Latino community. It is very involved in setting up day laborer centers in our region. Its operating budget grew by more than 50 percent last year, to more than $3.6 million, and more than half of its budget comes from federal, state and local governments. This is a good group that serves its constituents well.
This weekend, the group held a rally in Rockville, Md., against the REAL ID act. The REAL ID act is an attempt by the federal government to regulate the security of state driver's licenses. This would make it harder for illegal immigrants to get identification.
According to the Associated Press, the event was attended by "Hundreds of Latino immigrants - many of them illegal." Also in attendance was Michael Graham, a local radio talk-show personality.
Mr. Graham, dressed provocatively in a T-shirt with "INS" on the front, was refused entrance to the event, stopped by unidentified organizers who he claims jumped him. They asked to see his identification and told him he needed a second ID (for an anti-ID event!). He was told that the attendees were threatened by his shirt. (They needn't have been worried, as there were no immigration officials and the police were there to protect the crowd, not arrest them).
The rally called for amnesty for all illegal immigrants, and included attacks on both political parties, along with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. The group's executive director claimed the MVA was illegally asking for identification before giving out licenses, and led the crowd (including illegal immigrants) in chants of "MVA Obey the Law!" It is almost funny.
Demonstrators were also led in the chant "No License, No Justice. No Justice, No Peace," a threatening message to those who want to enforce the law. The police said they feared for their own safety if Mr. Graham went into the rally and got attacked, which they said was likely.
In 2002, a group of day laborers claimed they had been shortchanged thousands of dollars, so the organization staged a protest at the office AND home of the company involved, as an "event" to kick off a five-day conference.
By all accounts this group is not only typical of pro-labor groups; it is one of the better organizations. But is this the kind of organization we want to give a foothold in our county? Do we want rallies at our schools where legal American citizens are denied access and the crowd is incited to anger? Do we want organized protests against local businesses? Do we want marches and picketers intimidating our county board of supervisors to provide ever-increasing public financing to help illegal immigrants?
We certainly don't want workers loitering at local businesses. And we don't want to discourage legal immigrants. There is a need for day laborers in our county.
But there has to be a way to solve the problem of matching employees and employers that doesn't require the "services" of organizations who are in part dedicated to fighting for illegal immigrants at the expense of the rest of us. It's not good for us, or for the legal immigrants who followed the rules but have to compete against those who mock the law.
Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1982. He can be reached at: criticallythinking@msn.com
source:
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POTOMAC NEWS
A threat to legal immigrants
By CHARLES REICHLEY
Columnist
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Illegal immigration has been big news lately. From the Minutemen volunteers patrolling our border with Mexico, to the local day laborer controversy, and now to a recent rally in Maryland, we are forced to confront the problem of illegal immigrants. I'd rather pretend the problem didn't exist, but that no longer seems possible.
I am not anti-immigrant. There are jobs in our country which citizens don't want to do. A rational immigration policy would provide legal workers, properly monitored, to meet our employment needs. But we also need to crack down hard on illegal immigrants. Laws are meaningless if they are not enforced. Each time an illegal immigrant gets a pass, it is a slap in the face for the immigrants who are here legally.
Last week I observed some cases in a Prince William County courthouse. In one case that caught my attention, the defendant was a two-time illegal immigrant. He had previously been convicted of gang-related activity, and deported. But he turned around and re-entered the country, and would have lived a long and happy life here if he hadn't gotten caught drinking and driving.
Illegal immigration is a growing problem in our country, and locally. Recently a group of day-laborers was arrested for loitering at a local 7-Eleven. Some were illegal immigrants, and at last report several were still being detained. The county appointed a Day Laborer Task Force to study the problem.
I wrote previously about the problem of ever-expanding government programs. In researching that column I found a lot of information about non-profit advocacy groups pushing for government money to support day laborer centers. Before we open a center here, we should learn more about these organizations.
Casa De Maryland is one such organization, whose mission statement is to improve the quality of life, social and economic well being of the Latino community. It is very involved in setting up day laborer centers in our region. Its operating budget grew by more than 50 percent last year, to more than $3.6 million, and more than half of its budget comes from federal, state and local governments. This is a good group that serves its constituents well.
This weekend, the group held a rally in Rockville, Md., against the REAL ID act. The REAL ID act is an attempt by the federal government to regulate the security of state driver's licenses. This would make it harder for illegal immigrants to get identification.
According to the Associated Press, the event was attended by "Hundreds of Latino immigrants - many of them illegal." Also in attendance was Michael Graham, a local radio talk-show personality.
Mr. Graham, dressed provocatively in a T-shirt with "INS" on the front, was refused entrance to the event, stopped by unidentified organizers who he claims jumped him. They asked to see his identification and told him he needed a second ID (for an anti-ID event!). He was told that the attendees were threatened by his shirt. (They needn't have been worried, as there were no immigration officials and the police were there to protect the crowd, not arrest them).
The rally called for amnesty for all illegal immigrants, and included attacks on both political parties, along with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. The group's executive director claimed the MVA was illegally asking for identification before giving out licenses, and led the crowd (including illegal immigrants) in chants of "MVA Obey the Law!" It is almost funny.
Demonstrators were also led in the chant "No License, No Justice. No Justice, No Peace," a threatening message to those who want to enforce the law. The police said they feared for their own safety if Mr. Graham went into the rally and got attacked, which they said was likely.
In 2002, a group of day laborers claimed they had been shortchanged thousands of dollars, so the organization staged a protest at the office AND home of the company involved, as an "event" to kick off a five-day conference.
By all accounts this group is not only typical of pro-labor groups; it is one of the better organizations. But is this the kind of organization we want to give a foothold in our county? Do we want rallies at our schools where legal American citizens are denied access and the crowd is incited to anger? Do we want organized protests against local businesses? Do we want marches and picketers intimidating our county board of supervisors to provide ever-increasing public financing to help illegal immigrants?
We certainly don't want workers loitering at local businesses. And we don't want to discourage legal immigrants. There is a need for day laborers in our county.
But there has to be a way to solve the problem of matching employees and employers that doesn't require the "services" of organizations who are in part dedicated to fighting for illegal immigrants at the expense of the rest of us. It's not good for us, or for the legal immigrants who followed the rules but have to compete against those who mock the law.
Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1982. He can be reached at: criticallythinking@msn.com
source:
http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN/MGArticle/WPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782655426&path (http://www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN/MGArticle/WPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782655426&path)=