I hated Marlboro when I grew up there, but this definitely gets my respect. Wouldn't it be great if the immigration issue was dealt like this -- locally -- seeing as our Federal Government is totally impotent :
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEWS/706130735/1116
Marlboro immigrants upset over customs proposal
City money would pay for ICE office
By Elaine Thompson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
MARLBORO— Members of the immigrant community were upset yesterday after learning the City Council wants to offer office space for a federal customs agent to help deport illegal immigrants living in the city.
In a 10-1 vote, the council Monday night directed Mayor Nancy E. Stevens to find out the legality and feasibility of using city money to pay for the cost of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement opening an office in Marlboro. The only ICE field office in the state is in Boston. Mrs. Stevens has 90 days to report her findings to the council.
Mrs. Stevens yesterday declined to give her opinion of the proposal.
“I’ve been ordered by the council to research this. I will do just that and report back to them,” the mayor said.
Paula Grenier, public affairs officer for the ICE office in Boston, said she cannot speculate how officials would respond to Marlboro’s proposal.
“We work and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners. If they have a specific concern, we will work with them to address it,” Ms. Grenier said.
Council President Arthur Vigeant and Ward 2 Councilor Paul R. Ferro sponsored the proposal. They said the presumably thousands of illegal immigrants in Marlboro are a burden on the city, including its school system, court system, police, health facilities and housing.
They have also said that illegal immigrants ignore or are ignorant of laws that prohibit overcrowded housing and blighted properties.
Mr. Ferro estimated there are 4,000 to 10,000 immigrants in Marlboro; he suspects between one-fourth and one-third of them are here illegally. More than 30 languages are spoken by students in the school system.
He said he receives calls from constituents who complain about issues related to illegal immigration.
Because local police have limited authority to deal with immigration issues, he said, the city would benefit from helping an immigration agent have an office here. Immigrants here legally could also benefit by having a local place to go with questions about their immigration status, Mr. Ferro said.
“Marlboro has been welcoming to waves of immigrants and that’s going to continue. All we’re asking is that they follow the laws of the United States and our community,” Mr. Ferro said. “There are a lot of people who go through a lengthy legal process to become citizens. There should be a level playing field for everyone.”
Josimar Salum, a Brazilian native and pastor who lives in Worcester, said Brazilians from Marlboro and Framingham contacted him yesterday after hearing about the proposal. He said most immigrants are hard workers who came here because of dangerous and hopeless living conditions in their native countries. Immigrants who are working to help make the country better and are not committing crimes should be given amnesty, he said.
“If Americans can go far away to Iraq and liberate people there, why not liberate people from all over living right here in this land? This would be huge,” said Mr. Salum, who is pastor of Great Revival Ministries in Worcester, which establishes Brazilian churches throughout the state. If illegal immigrants’ status is legalized, they will be able to do such things as pay their taxes and get their driver’s licenses without fear, he said.
With so many non-citizens living in Marlboro, the council a couple of years ago began trying to get a handle on issues surrounding them. In 2005, Pam Wilderman was hired as assistant building inspector to enforce a new ordinance on property blight as well as building codes and other related laws. Ms. Wilderman said one of the biggest problems she has encountered is overcrowding, a violation of local and state codes. She said many immigrants come from countries that have no or minimal building codes and no requirement for building permits.
Ms. Wilderman said several single-family homes have been turned into rooming houses. In one case, she found four families living in a small, three-bedroom apartment. There were four refrigerators in the kitchen and each bedroom and the living room were being used as separate apartments. In a small ranch-type house, she found 12 people sleeping on mattresses in the basement.
Two measures were taken last year. The council adopted an ordinance to curtail illegal apartments. The ordinance requires owners of three- to 20-unit dwellings to provide buyers with certification from the city of the legal number of units.
Mr. Vigeant, the council president, also proposed an ordinance that would require a valid Social Security number or taxpayer identification number from anyone seeking licenses or permits, including certificates to operate local businesses. The proposal has been bogged down in the legal department as research is being done on about 130 different licenses or permits offered by the city.
Assistant City Solicitor Cynthia Panagore Griffin said there are some issues with the proposal “partly because it is untested waters … totally new ground.” She said the federal government also prohibits the use of an individual taxpayer number other than to pay federal taxes.
“Marlboro has a tax base of 40,000 residents. We can not support 45,000 or 50,000 residents,” Mr. Vigeant said. “It’s not fair to the older residents who have been here all their life to pay additional tax to subsidize them.”
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEWS/706130735/1116
Marlboro immigrants upset over customs proposal
City money would pay for ICE office
By Elaine Thompson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
MARLBORO— Members of the immigrant community were upset yesterday after learning the City Council wants to offer office space for a federal customs agent to help deport illegal immigrants living in the city.
In a 10-1 vote, the council Monday night directed Mayor Nancy E. Stevens to find out the legality and feasibility of using city money to pay for the cost of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement opening an office in Marlboro. The only ICE field office in the state is in Boston. Mrs. Stevens has 90 days to report her findings to the council.
Mrs. Stevens yesterday declined to give her opinion of the proposal.
“I’ve been ordered by the council to research this. I will do just that and report back to them,” the mayor said.
Paula Grenier, public affairs officer for the ICE office in Boston, said she cannot speculate how officials would respond to Marlboro’s proposal.
“We work and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners. If they have a specific concern, we will work with them to address it,” Ms. Grenier said.
Council President Arthur Vigeant and Ward 2 Councilor Paul R. Ferro sponsored the proposal. They said the presumably thousands of illegal immigrants in Marlboro are a burden on the city, including its school system, court system, police, health facilities and housing.
They have also said that illegal immigrants ignore or are ignorant of laws that prohibit overcrowded housing and blighted properties.
Mr. Ferro estimated there are 4,000 to 10,000 immigrants in Marlboro; he suspects between one-fourth and one-third of them are here illegally. More than 30 languages are spoken by students in the school system.
He said he receives calls from constituents who complain about issues related to illegal immigration.
Because local police have limited authority to deal with immigration issues, he said, the city would benefit from helping an immigration agent have an office here. Immigrants here legally could also benefit by having a local place to go with questions about their immigration status, Mr. Ferro said.
“Marlboro has been welcoming to waves of immigrants and that’s going to continue. All we’re asking is that they follow the laws of the United States and our community,” Mr. Ferro said. “There are a lot of people who go through a lengthy legal process to become citizens. There should be a level playing field for everyone.”
Josimar Salum, a Brazilian native and pastor who lives in Worcester, said Brazilians from Marlboro and Framingham contacted him yesterday after hearing about the proposal. He said most immigrants are hard workers who came here because of dangerous and hopeless living conditions in their native countries. Immigrants who are working to help make the country better and are not committing crimes should be given amnesty, he said.
“If Americans can go far away to Iraq and liberate people there, why not liberate people from all over living right here in this land? This would be huge,” said Mr. Salum, who is pastor of Great Revival Ministries in Worcester, which establishes Brazilian churches throughout the state. If illegal immigrants’ status is legalized, they will be able to do such things as pay their taxes and get their driver’s licenses without fear, he said.
With so many non-citizens living in Marlboro, the council a couple of years ago began trying to get a handle on issues surrounding them. In 2005, Pam Wilderman was hired as assistant building inspector to enforce a new ordinance on property blight as well as building codes and other related laws. Ms. Wilderman said one of the biggest problems she has encountered is overcrowding, a violation of local and state codes. She said many immigrants come from countries that have no or minimal building codes and no requirement for building permits.
Ms. Wilderman said several single-family homes have been turned into rooming houses. In one case, she found four families living in a small, three-bedroom apartment. There were four refrigerators in the kitchen and each bedroom and the living room were being used as separate apartments. In a small ranch-type house, she found 12 people sleeping on mattresses in the basement.
Two measures were taken last year. The council adopted an ordinance to curtail illegal apartments. The ordinance requires owners of three- to 20-unit dwellings to provide buyers with certification from the city of the legal number of units.
Mr. Vigeant, the council president, also proposed an ordinance that would require a valid Social Security number or taxpayer identification number from anyone seeking licenses or permits, including certificates to operate local businesses. The proposal has been bogged down in the legal department as research is being done on about 130 different licenses or permits offered by the city.
Assistant City Solicitor Cynthia Panagore Griffin said there are some issues with the proposal “partly because it is untested waters … totally new ground.” She said the federal government also prohibits the use of an individual taxpayer number other than to pay federal taxes.
“Marlboro has a tax base of 40,000 residents. We can not support 45,000 or 50,000 residents,” Mr. Vigeant said. “It’s not fair to the older residents who have been here all their life to pay additional tax to subsidize them.”
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