New York Times Editorial - Day laborers' rights
New York Times Editorial - Day laborers' rights
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: November 24, 2006
You cannot abuse people through selective enforcement of the law. You cannot single people out for special punishment without cause. You cannot instruct the police to harass people for being Latino and poor.
Cities and towns across the United States have overlooked these basics in their eagerness to punish those they presume to have violated federal immigration laws. But thankfully for all of us, the Constitution still has the final say. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Mamaroneck, a suburb of New York City, had waged a discriminatory campaign of ticketing and harassment to drive Latino day laborers out of town. In Freehold, New Jersey, last week, advocates for immigrants hailed the settlement of a three-year-old lawsuit sparked by similar mistreatment. Day laborers there will no longer be ticketed for soliciting work in public places. That followed a heartening ruling issued last May, when a federal judge ordered the city of Redondo Beach, California, to stop arresting day laborers for soliciting work in public.
Together, these victories send an important message about basic rights and promise to help stem a tide of local vigilantism.
The underlying problem, however, remains. The righteous ardor of the Mamaronecks and Freeholds of this world has risen in direct proportion to the federal paralysis on immigration. It underscores the urgent need for Congress and President George W. Bush to step up to the perennially difficult task of determining who may cross U.S. borders and how, and of creating a fair and viable path out of the shadows for deserving immigrants who are living and working in the United States illegally.
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: November 24, 2006
You cannot abuse people through selective enforcement of the law. You cannot single people out for special punishment without cause. You cannot instruct the police to harass people for being Latino and poor.
Cities and towns across the United States have overlooked these basics in their eagerness to punish those they presume to have violated federal immigration laws. But thankfully for all of us, the Constitution still has the final say. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Mamaroneck, a suburb of New York City, had waged a discriminatory campaign of ticketing and harassment to drive Latino day laborers out of town. In Freehold, New Jersey, last week, advocates for immigrants hailed the settlement of a three-year-old lawsuit sparked by similar mistreatment. Day laborers there will no longer be ticketed for soliciting work in public places. That followed a heartening ruling issued last May, when a federal judge ordered the city of Redondo Beach, California, to stop arresting day laborers for soliciting work in public.
Together, these victories send an important message about basic rights and promise to help stem a tide of local vigilantism.
The underlying problem, however, remains. The righteous ardor of the Mamaronecks and Freeholds of this world has risen in direct proportion to the federal paralysis on immigration. It underscores the urgent need for Congress and President George W. Bush to step up to the perennially difficult task of determining who may cross U.S. borders and how, and of creating a fair and viable path out of the shadows for deserving immigrants who are living and working in the United States illegally.
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 8:10 AM
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