Posted on 03/08/2007 1:11:55 PM PST by TheDon
Mission Viejo has joined the national immigration debate, adopting an ordinance requiring its employees and contractors to participate in a federal program meant to weed out unauthorized workers.
"We will be setting an example for all those in the community," said Mayor Pro Tem John Paul Ledesma, who put the ordinance on the agenda. The council unanimously approved the measure on its first reading on Monday. If it's approved on a second reading, it will go into effect July 1.
The city's decision would require participation in the Department of Homeland Security's Basic Pilot Program, which is free and Internet-based. It requires verification that city employees and those contracted with the city are legally authorized to work in the United States.
Ledesma said he introduced the ordinance after a resident approached him about illegal workers in the city. In February, he introduced a no-trespassing ordinance as a response to an influx of day laborers in the city.
"It is our responsibility to show we believe in the rule of law and respect," said Ledesma. "We should do as much as we can on the City Council level."
The police department in Orange and the city of Santa Ana also use the program, but the cities do not require contractors to use the system.
In 2006 about 50 contracts were approved by the Mission Viejo City Council, according to Karen Hammen, city clerk.
...
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
"The Basic Pilot Program began in 1996 as an experiment in seven states. Under legislation authored by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, it was expanded to all 50 states in 2004.
Participation is voluntary and as of this week 14,834 employers were participating, including 247 federal, state and local government offices. In California, 1,990 businesses were participating. More than 30 Los Angeles County agencies use the system as well.
Under the program, after someone is hired, an employer enters the worker's Social Security number onto a database and it is sent to the Social Security Administration, which verifies that the number is a valid one. If a match cannot be made, the name and number are then checked through Department of Homeland Security databases."
Good stuff.
Sounds good.
As to the headline: What's with this "undocumented" euphemism? "Illegal" is shorter, fair and gets right to the nub. "Undocumented" suggests that they, whoops!, just misplaced their DOCUMENTS and that all they need are some easily-obtained replacements. The lede's use of "unauthorized" is closer, but again, why not "illegal"? Is "rape" next going to be euphemized into "unauthorized sex"?
Yahoo Mission Viejo
PING
Good news from MV! City by city we must fight back because our federal government refuses to.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.