Danbury latest front in illegal immigration debate

Newsday ^ | April 24, 2005 | JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

[Founding Father]

Danbury latest front in illegal immigration debate

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

Associated Press Writer

April 24, 2005, 4:36 PM EDT

DANBURY, Conn. -- Thousands of miles from where the so-called Minutemen volunteers patrol the Mexican border, this small city has erupted as a hotbed in a growing national debate over illegal immigration.

[Founding Father]

The invasion continues.

[blogbat]

I knew this would happen the minute the illegals made it north east of Ohio ;)

[A. Pole]

"The newer immigrants often do landscaping and build the stone walls in Connecticut's richest towns and settle in Danbury, where housing is more affordable."

Bump

[Huber]

CT Ping!

[grania]

"The newer immigrants often do landscaping and build the stone walls in Connecticut's richest towns and settle in Danbury, where housing is more affordable."

I'm actually from Danbury, and did my first year of teaching there in the '60s. It has always been a city with a great deal of diversity, lots of immigrants (back to when it was a hat-making center) and very definite ethnic groups that kind of stuck together. The schools, even back in the late '60s and early '70s had serious problems with clashes among various populations.

One can't help but wonder if the Ecuadorians weren't playing their volleyball game a little too close to the small number of exclusive neighborhoods.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Even if cities like Danbury deputize its police to enforce immigration law what good is it if the federal government won't come and pick them up? Today illegals other than from Mexico are simply let go into the country anyway so for every illegal from Brazil that might get deported five come in to replace them.

[blogbat]

Law-abiding immigrants are great.

[Serenissima Venezia]

"You can be pro-immigrant, which I am, but anti-illegal immigration," Boughton said. "We are a nation of immigrants. We are also a nation of laws."

Another good politician willing to say it like it is. Wish we had one in the White House.

He said the influx has strained schools, created overcrowded housing and led to other problems such as unlicensed and unregistered drivers.

Finally, the rest of the U.S. is starting to realize what CA and the other border states have been stuck with!

[Founding Father]

As the meeting ended, one woman shouted, "I want my country back. I want my language back."

How politically incorrect from the looney northeast of all places.

[kahoutek]

Danbury is fed up and is well aware of what happened just across the border in Brewster, NY.

Brewster is now a barrio. A once beautiful little village is now full of empty storefronts and slums.

Danbury has a population of 75K and 15k illegals is putting an enormous load on all social and medical services.

Danbury residents are taking this into their own hands because no one else will.

[blogbat]

"He said the influx has strained schools, created overcrowded housing and led to other problems such as unlicensed and unregistered drivers. "

But don't you know, the answer to that is simply to allow them to get their motor-voter driver licenses ;)

[scott says]

Spent a couple of drunken nights in "the Bum Steer". Is it still there or is it a victim of the times?

[DumpsterDiver]

Ping list, please.

[Dad yer funny]

yeah , Brewster was nice ,...also, jobs that kids used to be able to have for the summer are no more , when I was coming up,I could ALWAYS get work , now illegals have it ALL! Hey Nascar fans,I watched Randy LaJoie's dad race at Danbury , now it is a mall,what does the mall look like with all the illegals?

[floridavoter2]

Its amazing that what happened to California is now happening to communities all over the country. No area is being left untouched. Makes me wonder if we all will be the frogs boiling in the pot that California was or if this outcry/outrage will continue to grow until we have real reform.

[kahoutek]

It seems that the mall owners have some sense. The illegals started gathering there and within days it stopped.

[blogbat]

The invasion will stop when the illegals flood Cambridge.

[headstamp]

The Bum Steer had a gas explosion a number of years ago. Think someone was also killed in it. The entire center of the building was gone and stood for a few years until it was finally knocked down. The old "Fore and Aft" out on Rte 6 is also gone. Burned down and was subsequently demolished within the last few months. I can attest to the fact that Brewster, especially near the train station and along the main drag looks like a Central American town with hundreds of illegals standing on the sidewalks and street corners waiting to be picked up by homeowners and contractors.

Basically, these people are really being used and exploited and is a sad commentary on how this country allows this to go on. That we have to rely on a permanent underclass to work in our economy. They may be making good money compared to where they came from but they are really surfs here.

Just trying to look at this from another angle aside from the illegal immigration standpoint.

Regards

[blogbat]

"Basically, these people are really being used and exploited and is a sad commentary on how this country allows this to go on. That we have to rely on a permanent underclass to work in our economy. They may be making good money compared to where they came from but they are really surfs here."

And that is the other half of this tragedy. You are dead on, headstamp.