Re: Town rethinks law against illegals

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:49:57 -0700, Ken <flakey714@xxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sep 27, 5:15 pm, Old_Timer wrote:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.impeach.bush/browse_thread/thread/...

Snipped version of complete article follows





RIVERSIDE, N.J., Sept. 25 - A little more than a year ago, the Township
Committee in this faded factory town became the first municipality in New
Jersey to enact legislation penalizing anyone who employed or rented to an
illegal immigrant.

Within months, hundreds, if not thousands, of recent immigrants from Brazil
and other Latin American countries had fled. The noise, crowding and traffic
that had accompanied their arrival over the past decade abated.

The law had worked. Perhaps, some said, too well.

With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair
salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw
business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were
boarded up again.

Meanwhile, the town was hit with two lawsuits challenging the law. Legal
bills began to pile up, straining the town's already tight budget. Suddenly,
many people - including some who originally favored the law - started having
second thoughts.

So last week, the town rescinded the ordinance, joining a small but growing
list of municipalities nationwide that have begun rethinking such laws as
their legal and economic consequences have become clearer.

"I don't think people knew there would be such an economic burden," said
Mayor George Conard, who voted for the original ordinance. "A lot of people
did not look three years out."

In the past two years, more than 30 towns nationwide have enacted laws
intended to address problems attributed to illegal immigration, from
overcrowded housing and schools to overextended police forces. Most of those
laws, like Riverside's, called for fines and even jail sentences for people
who knowingly rented apartments to illegal immigrants or who gave them jobs.

In some places, business owners have objected to crackdowns that have driven
away immigrant customers. And in many, ordinances have come under legal
assault by immigration groups and the American Civil Liberties Union.

In June, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a housing
ordinance in Farmers Branch, Tex., that would have imposed fines against
landlords who rented to illegal immigrants. In July, the city of Valley
Park, Mo., repealed a similar ordinance, after an earlier version was struck
down by a state judge and a revision brought new challenges. A week later, a
federal judge struck down ordinances in Hazleton, Pa., the first town to
enact laws barring illegal immigrants from working or renting homes there.

After reading this I am still against illegal immigration.

This article has ignored "the other side of the coin"
Crime, free use of facilities meant for citizens use, etc.
Hospital ER overload etc
Health issues, School issues, language issues
Cultural conflicts

Old_Timer- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I was just reading a "Letter to the Editor" in my local newspaper by a
teacher saying over 50% of the kids in her school have English as a
second language, if at all
That affects all students.
No wonder our kids are getting a third rate education in public
schools...Ken

They should, of course, speak English but is it important if
English is their first or second language so long as they do
learn it? Many first generation immigrants, legal or not, did
not speak much English, if any, upon arrival in the U.S. They
learned but their kids learned faster. Yet even for the kids
English was a second language if they heard another language
spoken in the home.

I lived in a New York City neighborhood settled by Greeks. Many
of the old folks still preferred to speak Greek to one another.
And the shopkeepers spoke both English and Greek as well. As
time passed, fewer of their children retained the Greek language
skills, but most had learned it as children.

While one should speak English, actually being able to speak more
than one language is NOT a deficit. Visit Europe and you will find
lots of people there who speak English.
.

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