Posted on 05/07/2005 10:42:36 AM PDT by antonia
DANBURY, Conn. - Mayor Mark Boughton blames the government for his town's inability to cope with 15,000 illegal immigrants, approximately 19 percent of the overall population.
"This is one community that has been incredibly stressed by failed federal policy and we need help," said Boughton.
Because the illegal residents aren't counted in the U.S. census, Danbury doesn't receive any federal aid for them.
"In terms of our social services, this presents a tremendous strain, particularly on quality of life of our neighborhoods, our schools our health care system," Boughton said.
Residents complain the influx is killing property values. Homeowner Peter Gadiel said neighbors are fed up. "They're blue collar workers and their whole life savings is tied up in their house and they're seeing their neighborhood being destroyed."
The mayor says he wants state police officers to be deputized as federal immigration officers - giving them access to a federal database and helping them track illegal immigrants. But Connecticut's attorney general said Boughton needs the approval of the governor and others before that can happen.
Boughton has set up a task force to inspect neighborhoods that have received a lot of complaints about buildings housing illegal immigrants. In one home, the task force found 30 cots in the basement, each one being rented for $5 a night.
This middle-class New England suburb is nowhere near an international border but it still has the illegal immigration problems familiar to cities like San Diego and Tucson, Ariz.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Construction firms are the biggest contributer to the problem.
Also thought about going to where the Mexicans congregate to pick-up construction work with about 5 or 6 of my friends and just congregate with them. That should be fun :-)
Or even going to construction sites and taking pictures of the job site, formen, workers. Not to prove anything, just to be obnoxious.
Heck, even call into ICE after passing by your favorite construction site and seeing the same two dozen workers who don't speak English there day after day, week after week. Report that the company is hiring illegals.
Finally, I've thought about going to Mexican run stores and snapping pics of the license plates of the cars sitting out front.
The trick is not to do anything illegal, just be a huge pain in the rear.
There are several farms around here, and they hire immigrant labor. Strangely, just down the road is the local Cornell University Cooperative Farm which sponsors 4-H clubs, numerous children's programs and summer camp, and some of the workers are inmates from the minimum security prison. I wonder why instead of using cheap illegal labor on farms we just don't use non-violent minimum security convicts? It's certainly not cruel and unusual punishment.
Surprisingly, the new County head, a Democrat, Steve Levy has been working hard to bring this problem to national attention and is promoting laws that will allow police officers who've arrested known illegal immigrants to detain them until INS deports them (currently they are not required to do so). Unlike his Republican predecessors, he is taking action. He may be posturing to make Hillary look good in the upcoming election, but it's still a start.
The wealthy folks of Westchester DON'T GIVE A SH-T ABOUT IMMIGRATION. Its basically a more urbanized version of Manhattan. Do you REALLY expect the folks in Scarsdale, Chappaqua, etc. to leave their liberalism behind to join together with the lunch pailers from places like Yonkers in some "anti-illegal" coalition?
I'm not blaming the towns people for the problem, but in many places citizens don't help themselves by continuing to to vote for pols who renege their promises. I'm simply stating that even though it's the government who aids and abets their entry and stay, we are also enabling them by hiring them for our menial jobs or doing business with companies that hire them.
"Republicans would lose both houses of congress if the Democrats really pushed this issue."
Each democrat and Republican will take a stand, based on local circumstances.
At the federal level, Hillary, with a get tough stand, WILL beat any Republican that runs on Bush's record.
Now I'm not saying she will be able to sell her brand of "get tough" and I'm not saying the Republican candidate will adopt Bush's record.
But the time seems to be clearly NOW that America demands changes.
Connecticut wants the Governor to enable deputizations, for what the feds won't do.
Arnold is moving for same, in California.
But we can pass and have laws at all levels, to no avail, unless resources (money and manpower) are devoted to enforcement.
Is Bush's latest solution to ADD another 50 immigration agents? 150, 550, 1,050?
When we need 25,000 or 50,000 or 200,000 added?
Bush wouldn't dare enflame his donor base of business interests, would he?
We currently have a no fault system. The employers NEVER go to jail, or pay huge fines.
The immigrants NEVER are punished enough, to convince others to not try.
Yeah. The liberal voters are the ones who should be the most upset because its their social programs which will crash.
Actually, they do.
I live in Mount Kisco, and there are dozens of working class towns like mine in Westchester - we do not all fit your caricature of rich snobs. (And what on earth could be "more urbanized" than Manhattan??) The illegal immigrant population strains social services to the breaking point and tremendously increases crime. Virtually everyone here is fed up - but stymied, since everything the law-abiding citizens have tried has been thwarted by the illegals' legal victories, ironic enough.
Oh, really? Read your post 5 again:
I think the people of this community should ask themselves if they too had a hand in this influx. If so many illegals are in this town, they have to ask themselves, why? The citizens are the ones hiring them. The illegals are their maids, child care providers, landscapers and gardeners and drivers. They fix and build their homes. Go to the posh Hamptons in NY and when you see who rides the buses in and out town, you know that it's not just fast-food chains, Mega-Stores and construction workers hiring them. Even obscenely wealthy people want to save a few bucks.
You obviously didn't read the article very closely. That line you quoted was from the author of the article, not the mayor. From the article: "The mayor says he wants state police officers to be deputized as federal immigration officers — giving them access to a federal database and helping them track illegal immigrants."
And:"Boughton has set up a task force to inspect neighborhoods that have received a lot of complaints about buildings housing illegal immigrants. In one home, the task force found 30 cots in the basement, each one being rented for $5 a night."
Hardly a politician who's just waiting for someone else to give him money.
The plant now has approximately 200 job openings. One of our guys was sent down there to do the hiring and as of the day before yesterday, he said that of the 40 people he has hired so far, 20 have quit.
If there are any FReepers in that area looking for work, let me know and I can certainly guarantee you an interview........
I live in California and don't know much about Connecticut. I was relying on the article to provide the salient facts of the story. In my state it seems sometimes that standing around on street corners, blocking traffic, and scaring off citizens is the main occupation of illegals.
I was referring to the folks in Scarsdale, Pound Ridge and Chappaqua. The only folks from Westchester I meet who really give a sh-t about immigration are the usual suspects (blue collar white Catholics from North Yonkers, Dobbs Ferry, etc.), who are a minority in the county. Westchester has been blue for some time, with the limousine liberals who move up to the towns I initially mentioned from Manhattan after they decide to breed. They vote for the same liberal Dems as they did when they lived in the city. Immigration is not a major priority for them.
BTW: I meant a more SUBURBANIZED version of Manhattan, limousine liberal politics and all.
Sounds like this homeowner might be spending some time with the IRS dudes. If he was pulling in $50k per year on revenue, and not reporting it...then he will get a visit. He better hope that no one from IRS reads the local news or can add up profits.
But since you live in a county where people vote for the likes of Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel (who was my former congressman, btw. A step up from his predecessor Mario Biaggi, but still a scumbag), you are SCREWED.
Xenalyte is indeed a stickler for grammar, but she is my sister-in-law so I can talk behind her back. You really shouldn't.
Wasn't he the gun grabbing former cop who was a crook?
Yes, he was a MAJOR gun grabber. As was the longtime RINO Bronx State Senator Guy Vellella, who was also eventually indicted.
BTW: Forgive my grammar, I was partying a little too early tonight, if you know what I mean (my guests are still here).
too much information... esp. when you have no webcam to prove it.
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