Oct 18, 2006 11:36 am US/Central
Carpentersville Immigration Ordinance Tabled
Ordinance Would Punish Those Who Help Illegal Immigrants
CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. (STNG) ―
Talks were tabled indefinitely regarding the Village of
Carpentersville's proposed
Illegal Alien Immigration Relief Act, and it seemed only fitting that Village President
Bill Sarto, avid opponent of the ordinance, cast the deciding vote to do so.
"I think we should just sit back and wait," Sarto said. "There is no reason to jump in until we know what the outcome will be."
Tuesday's board meeting started off addressing possible locations and dates for its special meeting concerning the immigration ordinance but quickly turned into another heated debate between board members.
The proposed ordinance, co-sponsored by Trustees
Judy Sigwalt and
Paul Humpfer, debuted at the board meeting Oct. 3. It would establish English as the village's official language and would set fines for employers and landlords who aid and abet illegal aliens.
"We can go and hide, but we have gang and overcrowding problems in the village," Humpfer said. "To pretend it doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. We came here to address venues and it turned into a discussion on the ordinance and that is unfortunate."
Trustee
Ed Ritter attempted to calm the audience and board members. He said he did not want to make a decision until he saw how the litigation ended with four other villages that had passed similar ordinances, including the one in
Hazleton, Pa., which Humpfer said he used as the model for the Carpentersville proposal.
"I don't know we should go through all this pain -- and it is pain," Ritter said. "There were fistfights outside during our last meeting. I don't want to make up my mind and then find out in six months I made an illegal decision.
Trustee
Jim Frost concurred with Ritter.
"I want to know all the facts," Frost said. "I think we should hold off until the courts decide and then go from there."
The trustees asked Village Attorney James Rhodes his idea of when the litigation might be decided with the other villages, and Rhodes replied his best guess would be between two to three years before a decision came out from the court of appeals.
Sigwalt said going forth with the special meeting would encourage other communities and show the federal government that there are communities rallying behind these ordinances. But, said Trustee
Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, "We can't lead other communities. We have to concern ourselves with Carpentersville and its residents."
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
