Recommendations to be considered
for the final
report of the
Blue Ribbon Committee
Some of the main issues affecting our local immigrant
community which have come to the surface during this committee’s meetings are:
the impossibility of obtaining drivers licenses by undocumented residents while
the Sheriff’s office takes steps to implement program 287(g), the lack of
housing codes to ensure the safety and fair treatment of all county residents,
the need for programs and services that ensure a positive integration of the
immigrant community into America’s fabric at the county level, and the lack of
cultural awareness, ignorance and fear factors regarding diversity in Henderson
County. The following are my recommendations to the
1. Regarding the Sheriff’s Office 287(g) Program:
HPD officers already detain suspected illegal immigrants involved in drug sales and other crimes. Even in those cases where ICE does not issue a detainer, HPD can detain the person for the state criminal law violation subject to a bond being set for release. The Office of the Sheriff does not need a special program nor more faculties to focus their effo
2007 was characterized by the
raising of anti-immigrant sentiments by a vocal and seemingly influential
minority group in Henderson County. This reaction found official expression in
the formation and meetings of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Illegal Immigration,
a group of concerned citizens charged with the responsibility to assess the
impact of “illegal” immigration at the local level. This situation opened a
door of opportunity for our organization to become a clear and strong voice
advocating for the community. These are
excerpts of the recommendations that the Latino Advocacy Coalition presented,
in a letter to the Committee, on behalf of the Latino Community:
rts on
violations of criminal law. As they have done in the past, they should continue
to address illegal immigration associated with violations of criminal law.
The 287(g) Program is an extravagant
apparatus to rid the community of criminals. According to a report prepared by
nine major cities chiefs of police departments on this program (“M.C.C. Immigration Committee Recommendations for Enforcement of
Immigration Laws By Local Police Agencies,” June 2006), the
following are negatives that have to be considered as local police agencies
think about engaging in implementing 287(g):
a) This program undermines trust and cooperation of immigrant communities.
b) Lack of local police agencies’ resources.
c) Police officers are ill prepared to deal with the
complexity of federal immigration law.
d) Lack of local authority and state law limitations
of authority.
e) Risk of civil liability.
Since the sheriff’s office is already
detaining suspected illegal immigrants involved in drug traffic and other
crimes and considering all the negatives that come with the 287(g) package, my position
is to withhold support for the 287(g) program. Far from alleviating the
taxpayer from the cost generated by illegal immigration, this program will
increase it while imposing a heavy burden on our police force, already
stretched too thin, to provide the services the community needs under the
pressure of insufficient funds. Nevertheless since the majority of this
Committee seems to support the Sheriff’s initiative on 287(g), I offer the
following amendment to be added to Recommendation #2.
Amendment
to Recommendation #2:
- The
BOC should, by way of a written document, encourage the Sheriff’s
Department to be very clear and open about what violations trigger 287(g)
interventions, to act consistently with their public statements to the
Latino community on the subject and to ensure that the program is used to
remove serious threats to public safety rather than allow it to become an
indiscriminate threat to all immigrants.
2. Regarding Driver Licenses:
To all the above negatives provided
by the “M.C.C. Immigration Committee Recommendations
for Enforcement of Immigration Laws,” we should add the issue of drivers’ licenses not being available to undocumented
residents. The outdated and broken
system of immigration law does not provide a way for long term Hendersonville
Latino residents to regularize their immigration status either. Regardless all
of these limitations, the need to put food on the table will compel any
responsible parent to drive without a license anyway. Thanks to the 287(g)
program, hard working, family committed and head of household immigrants who do
not have criminal records will become engaged in a deportation process after
being fined for driving without a license two or three times. This will create
a whirlpool of undesired effects whose costs will have to be absorbed by the
taxpayer, such as the burden on DSS to relocate thousands of children after
their parents have been deported.
Furthermore, it is necessary to assess current needs in the
county for public transportation as an alternative method of mobility for
residents who would prefer not to drive.
The first recommendation that
follows bridges, in a reasonable step, the desire of this Committee to secure
the taxpayer from the social, financial, and criminal costs of illegal
immigration, and the recognition given by the same Committee regarding the
economic contributions made by the undocumented workforce in this county.
A similar initiative has been adopted by the City of New Haven, CT, whose
officials overwhelmingly approved an ID card program last month in a 25 to 1
vote. In this case,
Recommendations:
- Consider
issuing ID cards to and registering those undocumented immigrants with no
criminal records, who have a paying job and pay taxes (via the W-2 process).
- Consider
extending public transportation routes to better serve the
origin/destination needs of the immigrant community as a whole. Encourage
carpooling with a centralized informational structure that makes it
feasible.
3. Regarding Housing:
During the course of our investigation and hearing of
testimonies provided by individuals working on housing issues, it has become
evident that Henderson Co. presents deficiencies related to a housing code. It
is unclear to me whether Henderson Co. has one and if so, whether that code is
being enforced. The mention of numerous dangerous situations generated by overly
intensive habitation of housing or the habitation of otherwise condemned
dwellings should be of concern. No resident of Henderson Co. should be living
in infrahuman housing conditions. Therefore, the eradication of such
accommodations should be deemed of high importance.
Recommendation:
- Discourage
substandard or overly intensive habitation of housing by a combination of
appropriate housing code measures and enforcement of same.
4. Regarding the Integration of the Immigrant Community:
Blue Ribbon Committee meetings have revealed a great a need
in Henderson Co. for the implementation of cultural awareness training for
public employees and service agencies staff in order to dispel misconceptions
and provide nondiscriminatory service to all residents.
The debate on illegal immigration undertaken by this
Committee has also evidenced the need the community at large faces regarding
cultural diversity. This could well include a class topic on the subject taught
in the public schools to all students. Both racial minorities/ethnicities and
the vastly white community in this county could benefit from such an
educational campaign, which should also include the fostering and revival of
American values. Focusing on strengthening the core values inherent in being an
American could prove a positive resolution with the potential of bearing great
fruit.
Recommendation:
- Implement
cultural awareness training for public employees and service agencies
staff in order to dispel misconceptions and provide nondiscriminatory service
to all residents. Assure that issues of cultural diversity are included at
all levels of the public schools’ curriculum.
Respectfully submitted,
Patrick
Tapia