Post by admin on Aug 3, 2006 20:20:11 GMT -5
Freehold mayor takes illegal aliens to task
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Mike Wilson
FREEHOLD - Mayor Michael Wilson told anyone who attended the Borough Council's May 1 meeting exactly what he thought of a rally that brought more than 200 immigrants to the borough earlier that day.
The immigrants - those who are in the United States legally and those who are here without the permission of the government - rallied in an attempt to prove their economic value to the nation and to decry federal legislation that would make being in the United States illegally a felony. The House of Representatives has passed such a bill, but the Senate has not.
In a statement he read near the end of the May 1 council meeting, Wilson said, "There is a beautiful irony in today's protest by illegal immigrants. Those who have shown no respect for the laws of this sovereign nation by crossing our borders illegally, and once here, by working here illegally, demand greater rights than those who have worked and toiled to be a part of this country through legal means.
"These protesters are doing here what they cannot do in their own country - enjoy the right of free speech. Imagine these protests occurring in front of (Mexican president) Vincente Fox's home.
"And while it is the very essence of who we are as Americans to allow everyone to speak freely, it is a bitter pill to swallow when that right is being used to taunt law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants by demanding that they should be exempt from the laws and regulations that govern immigrants from every other nation or part of the world who seek a better life here in America. While workers from Eastern Europe, Africa and all other reaches of the globe spend years of waiting and filling out forms and requests to immigrate to this country, today's protesters feel that they should not be subject to these same requirements. They believe that they, above everyone else, have the right to cross our borders and avail themselves of all the benefits that our nation has to offer without being subject to our rules and laws," the mayor said.
"They come without vaccinations or medical clearance, without criminal background checks, and without legal documentation.
"The alleged message today is that these millions who cross our borders illegally are vital to our economy. They claim they do jobs Americans will not do. The truth is that they get jobs because they undermine the American worker by undercutting wages and benefits. In truth, they place a severe burden on our economy by overcrowding the schools and housing stock, by availing themselves of medical care at hospitals that is reimbursed from the public pocket for this uncovered care. And all this is happening at the same time that the working poor of America cannot find affordable housing and are denied medical care - when the displaced poor of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are still homeless and jobless after Hurricane Katrina," Wilson said.
"Until we can care for our own poor and homeless, people who are willing to work for a decent and legal wage, until we can provide affordable housing for Americans who work full time, we should not entertain any thoughts of legitimizing illegal immigrants. We cannot lose sight of the ideals upon which this nation was founded - E Pluribis Unum - From Many, One."
Asked to respond to Wilson's comments, Frank Argote-Freyre, director of the Monmouth County Chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance, said, "For the last three years Mayor Wilson has treated us to one disgraceful display of divisiveness after another. His speech before the council on May 1 was more of the same. Lacking ideas and a constructive program for Freehold Borough, Mayor Wilson chose to scapegoat immigrants.
"Immigration is a complex issue, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Mayor Wilson only chooses to emphasize what he perceives as the negatives. He does this for his political advantage, so he can divide people against each other. Who profits from this? Mayor Wilson and his tired, old, good-old-boy network that has run the borough for more than 20 years," Argote-Freyre said.
"The mayor, since it does not fit his political agenda, fails to acknowledge the economic revival taking place across the borough as a result of the immigrant community. From Broad Street to South Street to Main Street - the borough is thriving. Latino businesses are fueling the renaissance.
"The immigration rallies on May 1 were aimed at promoting comprehensive and fair immigration reform. The system is broken and needs to be fixed. You cannot use immigrant labor to provide child care for our children, mow our lawns, serve us our food and do our dirty work and then discard them. They are part of the solution and must be considered in any immigration reform legislation.
"As the debate continues, Mayor Wilson needs to be reminded that he is supposed to serve all the residents of his community - not just those that look like him," Argote-Freyre said.
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Mike Wilson
FREEHOLD - Mayor Michael Wilson told anyone who attended the Borough Council's May 1 meeting exactly what he thought of a rally that brought more than 200 immigrants to the borough earlier that day.
The immigrants - those who are in the United States legally and those who are here without the permission of the government - rallied in an attempt to prove their economic value to the nation and to decry federal legislation that would make being in the United States illegally a felony. The House of Representatives has passed such a bill, but the Senate has not.
In a statement he read near the end of the May 1 council meeting, Wilson said, "There is a beautiful irony in today's protest by illegal immigrants. Those who have shown no respect for the laws of this sovereign nation by crossing our borders illegally, and once here, by working here illegally, demand greater rights than those who have worked and toiled to be a part of this country through legal means.
"These protesters are doing here what they cannot do in their own country - enjoy the right of free speech. Imagine these protests occurring in front of (Mexican president) Vincente Fox's home.
"And while it is the very essence of who we are as Americans to allow everyone to speak freely, it is a bitter pill to swallow when that right is being used to taunt law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants by demanding that they should be exempt from the laws and regulations that govern immigrants from every other nation or part of the world who seek a better life here in America. While workers from Eastern Europe, Africa and all other reaches of the globe spend years of waiting and filling out forms and requests to immigrate to this country, today's protesters feel that they should not be subject to these same requirements. They believe that they, above everyone else, have the right to cross our borders and avail themselves of all the benefits that our nation has to offer without being subject to our rules and laws," the mayor said.
"They come without vaccinations or medical clearance, without criminal background checks, and without legal documentation.
"The alleged message today is that these millions who cross our borders illegally are vital to our economy. They claim they do jobs Americans will not do. The truth is that they get jobs because they undermine the American worker by undercutting wages and benefits. In truth, they place a severe burden on our economy by overcrowding the schools and housing stock, by availing themselves of medical care at hospitals that is reimbursed from the public pocket for this uncovered care. And all this is happening at the same time that the working poor of America cannot find affordable housing and are denied medical care - when the displaced poor of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are still homeless and jobless after Hurricane Katrina," Wilson said.
"Until we can care for our own poor and homeless, people who are willing to work for a decent and legal wage, until we can provide affordable housing for Americans who work full time, we should not entertain any thoughts of legitimizing illegal immigrants. We cannot lose sight of the ideals upon which this nation was founded - E Pluribis Unum - From Many, One."
Asked to respond to Wilson's comments, Frank Argote-Freyre, director of the Monmouth County Chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance, said, "For the last three years Mayor Wilson has treated us to one disgraceful display of divisiveness after another. His speech before the council on May 1 was more of the same. Lacking ideas and a constructive program for Freehold Borough, Mayor Wilson chose to scapegoat immigrants.
"Immigration is a complex issue, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Mayor Wilson only chooses to emphasize what he perceives as the negatives. He does this for his political advantage, so he can divide people against each other. Who profits from this? Mayor Wilson and his tired, old, good-old-boy network that has run the borough for more than 20 years," Argote-Freyre said.
"The mayor, since it does not fit his political agenda, fails to acknowledge the economic revival taking place across the borough as a result of the immigrant community. From Broad Street to South Street to Main Street - the borough is thriving. Latino businesses are fueling the renaissance.
"The immigration rallies on May 1 were aimed at promoting comprehensive and fair immigration reform. The system is broken and needs to be fixed. You cannot use immigrant labor to provide child care for our children, mow our lawns, serve us our food and do our dirty work and then discard them. They are part of the solution and must be considered in any immigration reform legislation.
"As the debate continues, Mayor Wilson needs to be reminded that he is supposed to serve all the residents of his community - not just those that look like him," Argote-Freyre said.