Poorly-sourced AP story missed much
I failed to see the "news" in the Nov. 17 story entitled "Immigrants don't feel welcome in Waukegan". There was a photo taken back in July. Have there been more recent protests? Has there been some recent newsworthy action? Or was it simply a rehash of old news?
AP writer Tara Burghart writes that "coexistence has been uneasy at best ever since Waukegan officials applied last summer" for federal immigration training, yet she presents no examples of the friction.
Her sole expert source of the tension is a lawyer by the name of Yolanda Torrez, who advertises her practice as Spanish-speaking and caters to criminal, DUI traffic violations, real estate, Social Security and DWL traffic violations cases.
Did it ever occur to Burghart that Torrez has a vested interest in the status quo? The writer also failed to mention that the business boycott last summer was a failure.
Alderman Larry TenPas told an Elgin group in October, "We had some activists there that stirred people up. They went around to all the stores; put signs in the stores, 'Don't shop here. Do not support 287g'. And it backfired. The sales tax still went up. It was a bad move."
TenPas also emphasized the intent of 287(g) when he said, "We were not going after a regular person that is here illegal. We're going after the violent sex crimes, terrorism-related activities, drug offenses -- which is money laundering, human trafficking -- and violent physical crime , such as homicide."
He also reported on the towing ordinance when he said, "I don't believe there is a major problem with the immigrant population. We do have a towing ordinance. If you drive illegally without a license, without insurance, your car is going to be towed; $500 to get it back. This has cut down on the accident rate dramatically in the city of Waukegan."
Nor did the article mention that according to the Homeland Security Web site, the 28 agencies currently using the program have made over 25,000 arrests to date.
As for MALDEFs comments about a "patchwork of different ordinances popping up," it must be noted that 287(g) is not some renegade local ordinance. It is a federal program authorized by Congress. One must also wonder how a sworn member of the bar like Torrez can take issue with 287(g).
Just a word about why the program is necessary. Based on the foreign-born population in Waukegan and research by Pew Hispanic Center, one out of 10 people in Waukegan is an illegal alien. Doing nothing is not an option.
I applaud the courageous efforts of the city council for taking steps to correct this problem. I hope Elgin's leaders will someday soon do the same.
Doug Heaton
Co-director
Association for Legal Americans, Elgin (www.legalamericans.net)