Rogers, Springdale Models On Immigration Enforcement Makes Contrast

Last updated Tuesday, May 15, 2007 10:40 PM CDT in News

By Doug Thompson
The Morning News

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    FAYETTEVILLE -- Whether local police should pursue illegal immigration cases on their own or wait until a suspect is arrested for breaking local laws was the longest-debated topic of a televised forum on immigration Tuesday night.

    Local television station KHOG 40/29 and The Morning News cooperated in a series of reports that culminated in a forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the University of Arkansas student union theater. The forum was broadcast live.

    "If we'd had a 287(g) program in place, Daniel Ray Francis would be alive today," Rogers Mayor Steve Womack said of the 32-year-old Fayetteville man killed in a "road rage" shooting in Lowell in 2006. Two men and one woman were charged in the shooting, including one residing in the country illegally. The 287(g) program of the federal Department of Homeland Security trains local police to enforce immigration law.

    There are two options in the program. One trains police to determine legal residency after an arrest for breaking local law. The other allows police to enforce immigration law on their own. Springdale has chosen to train three officers for the "detention" option of investigating status after an arrest because it reduces the risk of an improper arrest, Springdale Police Chief Kathy O'Kelley said. Rogers is pursuing the other option.

    There's "no way that somebody with six weeks training -- not even if it was six weeks a year -- can make determinations on somebody's legal status," said panel member Frank Head Jr., spokesman for Catholic Charities, which assists immigrants. Head has dealt with the issue for years "and I still call our lawyers half the time," he said.

    In one example Head related, a woman who was in the country legally was cited for having a burned-out tail light on her car. When questioned about her residency, she gave her maiden name instead of her married name to authorities. Since the name she gave was not the one listed in government databases, she spent the night in jail and amassed $5,000 in legal fees to keep from being deported "because legally resident aliens are not eligible for public defenders," he said.

    Whether Rogers could, in theory, pursue a more aggressive stance on immigration or not, it gave up that option in a settlement of an earlier racial profiling lawsuit, said panel member Jim Miranda of Bella Vista, a community activist.

    About 50 people attended the invitation-only forum. Other panelists were: Kathy Deck, an economist at the university; Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers; and Rick Schaffer, spokesman for the Springdale School District. Topics addressed included immigration's economic impact and education.

    "I thought it was staged," said Jeff Burch, a drywall contractor interviewed for The Morning News series who attended the forum. "I didn't think they actually addressed the issues from the point of view of the people who are working. I'm the one getting put out of business. Tonight, I heard more politicians and bigwigs saying the same things I've heard before."

    State Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, said the 30-minute forum did not provide enough time for a meaningful discussion.

    Sarah Faitak of Fayetteville said she thought the discussion on the different options in the 287(g) program was the most interesting part of the discussion. She said Womack's use of the Francis case undermined the point he was trying to make. The person found to be in the country illegally, by Womack's admission, had been pulled over and arrested before, she said. Therefore, the approach being used in Springdale would have had the same effect, she said.

    Rey Hernandez, president of Council 754 of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said most people in the country illegally are the children and wives of workers who are in the county legally, and the laws should not "make criminals out of children who were brought here by their parents." He also said that it was wrong to "tell someone 'I want your labor, but I don't want your family.'"

    Reader Comments (39 comment(s))


    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.

    3744 wrote on May 15, 2007 11:53 PM:

    " Yes, unfortunately Mr. Burch, that's all you are going to hear from them too. VOTE FOR TOM TANCREDO. He is the only candidate who will secure our borders and crack down on illegal aliens. "

    Pilot wrote on May 16, 2007 12:21 AM:

    " Ron Paul is very good also. The meeting stunk Springdale is controlled by the very company,s who are hireing the illegals their police chief has to tip toe as she will find herself out of a job if she backs the law as it is written "

    Ozarks wrote on May 16, 2007 4:49 AM:

    " I didn't even know this was coming up. Guess I don't watch enough ABC TV. Seems from the article and comments I didn't miss anything? My question is this.. Why is the U of A used for a forum that is not open to the public and by invitation only? Is it becasue they don't want to hear how "We the People" feel about illegal immigration? I already felt 40/29 was bias toward illegals and this just seems to prove that feeling? Pilot has a point about Springdale. ICE needs to come up here in force and go to every chicken plant and, construction site and landscaping company and ID all of them. I sepent the day in Rogers and Bentonville yesterday and saw nothing but hispanics cutting grass and working contruction. I bet I could have deported 100 people yesterday. This is just all too strange in my thinking. Our elected officials have turned their backs on the ones that put them in office. "

    cybertech wrote on May 16, 2007 7:02 AM:

    " A big problem that I see constantly regarding this issue and a lot of the press is that they tend to lump both legal and illegal immigration under the immigration banner instead of separating and dealing with the two topics and their issues independently. I watched one segment on 40/29 and they did just that type of lumping. I missed the debate cited in this article though because I am on Dish and dont get the local channels at present........I also watched the Republican debate on Fox the other night, and with respect to all the candidates there were only two that I really found as far as republicans go that I think would get the job done on many of the issues and that was Guliani (sp?)and Tancredo (sp?). Ron Paul hung himself last night which I found quite comical. Anyway what the politicians and the press need to do is focus on both issues independently and for what they are and correct the problems in both areas. Most of all the current immigration laws we have in place need to be enforced as they are written, and ICE needs to cooperate in the way they are supposed to........... "

    cybertech wrote on May 16, 2007 7:10 AM:

    " Cont'd.................................The 287(g) program is a start. I have had discussions with others on illegal immigration and one question that always came up is that if we did identify all the illegals how would we transport them all back to and across the border? Well there are lots of alternatives there and of course the cost issue always comes up but one cheap way would be to borrow a school bus from each district to use for transport, just one thought and other than the cost of fuel and food it would be a lot more negligible than say charter buses................In the mean time we could be bolstering the border security force and quit trying to throw every border guard that does their duty in prison when they do so. Illegal immigration is not an issue that we can be soft on, Mexico sure is not soft on it, yet they expect us to be? lol give me a break. "

    Madison wrote on May 16, 2007 7:28 AM:

    " The elected officials of this country have forgotten they work for us,not the illegal aliens in this country,or the countries they came from,or big business.It's time for the citizens of this country to start taking action.Vote out these politicians who aren't listening to the wishes of the citizens,and replace them with ones who will.If the citizens of this country would take to the streets in protest like the illegal aliens have,maybe then the powers that be would pay attention to us,but people here have become too complacent thinking our elected officials will do the right thing.I question who they are doing the right thing for? I'm tired of the term racist when it doesn't apply to reverse discrimination.I'm an American citizen who's tired of watching this countries constitution and laws being ignored.This has gone beyond a few thousand illegals coming here to work,to an all out invasion of this country.It has to stop,or the United States of America will cease to be. "

    sqirt wrote on May 16, 2007 9:20 AM:

    " americans breaks the law we have to pay the price. we get fined, jailed, put on probation, and etc. illegal means do it and u r breaking the law. what is the problem with our government? don't they know they have sworn to uphold the law and the constitution of this country of ours? illegals come to this country knowing full well they r breaking american laws. but they don't care or respect the laws of our land. all our government has to do is enforce the laws that r all ready in place. "

    sqirt wrote on May 16, 2007 9:28 AM:

    " but... by enforcing the immigration laws, they will loose votes from the american born children of illegals. there is big money going to our government via illegals. it makes me ask, "what does our government owe the mexican government?" i ask that cuz it seems like the mexican government doesn't really attempt to prevent their people from sneaking across our borders. why don't our government put the thumb down on the mexican government and make them do something more drastic on their side of the border? "

    sqirt wrote on May 16, 2007 9:40 AM:

    " why does bush go to mexico and kiss mexico's president's rear when it comes to immigration? why do we have to explain why we r building a fence? why do we have to worry about the constitutional rights of illegals in this country when by law non americans have no constitutional rights? heck most americans don't have rights when it comes down to it. any body who brings illegals across our borders should be punished. it's a sad situation for americans. we r bound by the law, but.... illegals and mexico isn't. why? "

    shameful wrote on May 16, 2007 11:12 AM:

    " It's not a true forum if it was only 30 minutes long. Who could discuss anything in that short time period? "

    masonstorm1958 wrote on May 16, 2007 11:37 AM:

    " Rey Hernandez better get his facts straight. Of course his agenda is obvious to anyone who cares to pay attention. He tries to play on our sympathies by bringing the issue of children into this hotly contested debate. I'm sorry sir in a battle of any kind there is always going to be what they call collateral damage. There is a war going on all over our country about who is going to control the things that make America what it is. Our language, culture, government, customs,and freedom are all at stake here. I too wonder why the common man did not get a voice in these proceedings. There was not enough balance to the forum. I think commoners from both sides should have been allowed to participate. It was not what they call a level playing field. It did seem to me to be a bit of bias. "

    Madison wrote on May 16, 2007 2:12 PM:

    " The 14th amendment needs to be changed.Why should the childern of illegal aliens be given citizenship when their parents shouldn't have been in this country to start with. The 14th amendment was made after the civil war so the childern of the slaves were citizens,not so some illegal could slip across our border just in time to give birth to a "citizen". "

    clucknot wrote on May 16, 2007 2:50 PM:

    " In the spirit of our Revolutionary War predecessors I suggest something like a Boston Tea Party.The Rogers Tortilla Party could protest by dumping taco shells into Lake Atalanta. "

    Madison wrote on May 16, 2007 3:48 PM:

    " To:clucknot.You gave me a good laugh,but you may be right!Let me know if and when you deside to do that,I'd love to be there. "

    3744 wrote on May 16, 2007 5:40 PM:

    " To Cybertech; I agree with you; they lump legals and illegals in together, I have no problem with ANYONE of any race who is here legally, pays their taxes, Insurance and their own medical bills; however,I do think we need to put a hold on all immigration for 5 years, secure our borders and find out who is already here and how we are going to process them. We need to send the ones that have not held a job and are in trouble with the law back home to where ever they came from. After 5 years we may discover that we don't need as many workers. Our population is exploding. On Guiliani, I have a problem with him because he is for gun control, that puts him on my NO VOTE list. "

    3744 wrote on May 16, 2007 5:51 PM:

    " Sqirt is right, people here illegally do not have constitutional rights, they are not citizens. The constitution guarantees those rights to citizens, not illegal aliens. Madison is right about the 14th amendment, anchor babies should not be considered citizens because their parents came here illegally. Although I can't find it right now, I think that the constitution also says that in order to become a citizen of the United States you have to give up citizenship of the country you came from and swear allegiance to the United States. "

    scoot wrote on May 16, 2007 7:13 PM:

    " One American lost to being killed by an Illegal is one too many and there are more Citizens killed here each day by Illegals than are killed in the IRAQ conflict. States and Cities need to toughen up on those who are here illegally. There is no excuse for anyone losing their life, losing their business or having their kids subjected to a third class enviornment in school. "

    Glock-9 wrote on May 16, 2007 7:33 PM:

    " Most of the illegals have committed felonies by using false ID's. I would be in jail if I used a false ID. I would also be in jail or fined heavily if I didn't have insurance on my vehicle. Let a illegal hit my car. Who is going to pay for it? They drive with no insurance and a forged driver's license. They disappear very fast when they think they might be sent back home. They want the United States to be like Mexico!!!! If Mexico is so great, then why try to turn our country into Mexico. If you want to know what the country will look like in a few short years, cross the border in El Paso and see if that is how you want to live. "

    Tspud wrote on May 16, 2007 7:35 PM:

    " Has anyone read the lead article that appears on this site about the paper examining the perception vs myth of immigration. My take is very different from theirs and it tells me why the stories are written so often the way they are. The apparent bias to one side seems to jump out. Not only is this paper bias but so many others around the country are as well. When 80 per cent of the people want something done about the illegals, it is a disgrace to be spoon fed the exact opposite from the media. "

    keeparkansaslegal wrote on May 16, 2007 8:15 PM:

    " Does The Morning News always have to mix legal immigrants with illegal aliens? It seems they want to make illegals look better by mixing them with those who have lived here for generations and make six figure incomes. It's the same scam done by the Win Rockefeller Group Study. "

    3744 wrote on May 16, 2007 8:40 PM:

    " To keeparkansaslegal; They do it so that we citizens that want the illegal aliens sent home will look like racists, when that is not the case, as I have said before, I have no problem at all with anyone who comes here legally. "

    levotb wrote on May 16, 2007 11:13 PM:

    " The MNM has consistently used the buzzword "immigration" to define "the Invasion", in a sense lumping legal and illegal immigration together. Even supposedly "conservative" Fox News is guilty of this. Also, the use of the grossly underestimated Pew Study figure of "11 or 12 million" is still being used by even some of the most ardent anti-illegal immigration folks, including radio talk show giants John and Ken at KFI in Los Angeles. Just think if the majority of Americans used the Bearn Stearns Report of Jan. 2005 (using 2004 data) of "20 million", how that would change the discussion! It is estimated by another study that 3 million illegals break into the U.S. from Mexico, and they ain't returning to their countries of origin! That is where the 26-30 million figures come into play. All one has to do is look at how many millions live in L.A. County alone (5 to 7 million), figure on another 2 million at least in the S.F. Bay Area (including Arabs, Chinese, Vietnamese) and then in the rest of CA, another 3 million. That's a minimum of 10 million in CA ALONE!! Everyone in the illegal immigration debate knows that CA has more than half of all illegals in the country, although that may be changing. There has been a huge migration fr. CA by illegals to Georgia, just in time for Georgia to pass the toughest anti-illegal laws in the states. "

    3744 wrote on May 17, 2007 12:35 AM:

    " The only people who don't see illegal aliens as a problem are the upper class and the ultra rich, who are the ones making the money off of them, while the middle class pays the bill for the social services they get with fake I.D.'s, the free medical care they get when they go to the emergency room at the hospital and don't pay the bills, and the billions of dollars we are spending on bilingual teachers and new schools we are having to build because classes are so overcrowded. "

    Pilot wrote on May 17, 2007 6:31 AM:

    " The Great United States Of America Exists No More. We Are Now An Open Border Trade Zone. The Next President Will Spend 1 Billion Dollars getting elected.Someone wants somthing for their money and it is not the working man.What was called the middle class of America no longer exists.Siloam Springs has spent thousands of dollars attempting to promote their downtown. Problem is the road they are promoting that leads to downtown is lined with latino businesses with crude hand painted signs,we passed a law that says no moveable food joints,the latinos are allowed to violate the law with their taco trailers our schools are over run with latinos why? we have a chicken plant right smack in the middle of town this chicken plant had 2 large sewer over flows the drained into sager creek a few weeks back Oklahoma got wind and attempted to investigate the city administrater was more interested in who tipped them than the sewer spill by the simmons plant. Ok was told by the city administrater the spill was run off from a parking lot have any of you ever seen creeks lined with lime due to run off from a parking lot? We know who gives the administrater his marching orders We have a tax assisted clinic for people who work but have no insurance I challenge the mornning News and 29-40 to peek your heads in the door and report truthfully what you see. corperate welfare to say the least "

    Pilot wrote on May 17, 2007 6:34 AM:

    " I saw and read the other day Arkansas now has the fastest growth rate of latinos in the USA "

    prtzman wrote on May 17, 2007 10:07 AM:

    " The sad thing is that our law enforcement officers have to take things in their own hands to begin with. Illegal immigration is a federal crime! Where in the world are the federal marshalls that are supposed to take care of this problem? Benton County has had the largest increase in hispanic population in the country for several years. The majority of which are here legally and I support them for going about things the right way. But the federal government had to know that with such a huge increase in a short period of time that those who got here illegally must represent a substantial percentage of the numbers. But they have done nothing about it. "

    Tspud wrote on May 17, 2007 11:30 AM:

    " " Coming to your county soon: EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of Illegals Have Registered to Vote in Bexar County Officials are confident new procedures will purge them from the rolls By Jim Forsyth Wednesday, May 16, 2007 Hundreds of illegal immigrants have registered to vote in Bexar County in recent years and dozens of them have actually cast ballots, canceling out the votes of U.S. citizens, 1200 WOAI news will report Thursday morning. Figures obtained by 1200 WOAI news shows 303 illegals successfully registered to vote, and at least 41 cast ballots in various elections..... http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=2138213 " "

    scoot wrote on May 17, 2007 5:18 PM:

    " Since when was it legal for illegals to vote ? Just so you know I recieved an e-mail about where the state politicians in Texas stand. The Picture is real clear there. Republicans are persistant with passing a law to require a voter photo ID. Democrats are continually objecting to it with double standard talk that it would be used to intimidate the voters. Well we know know who`s votes they want. It spells out to illegal votes. It doesn`t sound very legitimate does it. Exactly who should fear a photo ID ? "

    3744 wrote on May 17, 2007 8:09 PM:

    " Not me! This is an outrage! They have no right to come here and vote, to dictate how WE live. I am furious about this, as I'm sure everyone else is, also. Under the laws of this country, if you are not a legal Citizen of the United States, you can not vote. ILLEGAL ALIENS CANNOT VOTE! How much more of this bull do they think we are going to put up with? "

    sovereignty wrote on May 17, 2007 8:55 PM:

    " this matter makes me wonder why we do not ask the illegal drug dealers how we should enforce drug laws? maybe we should not enforce drug laws until we have investigated the impact such has on the famliy of illegal drug dealers. i am certain that our enforcing said issue impacts them greatly up to and including seperating parents from their children as when one goes to jail or prison. that is terrible. okay, that settles it, we need to stop enforcing the illegal drug laws. what is next, rape, robbery, murder, child molesting??? at the end of the day people make choices, as in sneaking in here or cooking meth. if such leads to seperation in families that is not my problem, it is theirs. "

    Deacon wrote on May 17, 2007 9:26 PM:

    " Go to WWW. NUMBERS USA. COM and check out their site. Our voices are being heard by the Senators and Representives in Washington D.C. , but even more voices need to heard, SOON. Congress is going to make a major vote on Monday May 21st. about the amnesty bill. The site has easy point and click faxes that go directly to your "ELECTED" officals and lets them know what a "True American" feels. WWW. NUMBERS USA. COM. "

    Madison wrote on May 18, 2007 6:48 AM:

    " Deacon is right,Numbers USA.com is a great sight. They're urging everyone to call your Senators today especial the Dems., and let them know how you feel about this new amnesty deal they have passed.Remember both of our Senators are Dems.,and are up for reelection in '08.I've already informed them they will not receive my vote unless they change they're ways. "

    scoot wrote on May 19, 2007 12:04 PM:

    " It`s not that I am against giving someone an opportunity to become a citizen, the question is do they want to be an American. Many are activist`s for the country of Mexico and I personally take it as an insult with their attitude towards our country. "

    Fed Up wrote on May 21, 2007 12:33 PM:

    " Here is a link to a picture I recently received. Kinda says it all: http://members.cox.net/trainman707/ Sorry if it offends anyone....but looks like where we are headed. "

    teacher2 wrote on May 22, 2007 10:44 AM:

    " Check out the editorial on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/21/navarrette/index.html I find his article to be blatantly offensive and disrespectful, stating that Anglos fear being "Hispanic-ized" and that he says "Memo to the low skilled: "Grow up. Stop complaining. And go get more skills. Then you won't have to suffer the humiliation of being driven out of the market by folks with a sixth-grade education who are here illegally and don't even speak English." Nice, huh? Typically, I want to find an answer to the problem. This article, however, does not elicit any sympathy whatsoever. "

    3744 wrote on May 22, 2007 4:23 PM:

    " To Teacher2; How do they expect us to get a better education when we don't qualify for assistance and can not afford it on what we are being paid? As for becoming hispanicized, that'll be the day! Just what I would expect from a person who is probably making the big bucks off of these people, someone probably born with the silver spoon! I've worked hard all my life, and this is what I get for being a honest taxpaying Citizen? I've been at my job for 12 years, I have senority and 3 weeks of vacation, at 45 I don't want to start over. OK, that's fine, when I do get driven out of my job, i'll just go on the disability that i've been qualified for the last 12 years for carpal tunnel syndrome, get food stamps and sit on my rear, at least I helped pay into the social services and social security i'll be drawing! "

    teacher2 wrote on May 23, 2007 10:29 AM:

    " To 3744, I think you misunderstood my comments. I do NOT agree with the article. I, too, work very hard in my classroom. I find it difficult, if not impossible to teach a student to be English proficient in a year. The test scores get splashed all in the papers and on tv, and the community wonders what we're doing here at school. Something has got to change. Mr. Navarette is not looking at things objectively. Obviously, you and I live in the real word and witness first hand the negative impact this is causing. Illegal is illegal.... "

    3744 wrote on May 23, 2007 8:41 PM:

    " To Teacher2; I was agreeing with you, it was what the person said that you quoted that made me upset. I can imagine what you have to deal with. Where I work is right at 80% hispanic, and it would make my job easier if they could understand and read their work instructions better. A lot of them can speak sufficient English to understand them, but they won't, sometimes I feel like I moved to Mexico. It is frustrating and makes my job a misery sometimes. I didn't mean to sound like I was angry at you. "

    910131440 wrote on May 23, 2007 9:21 PM:

    " If you are against ,you need to contact all the Senators and repersentatives.You can get the phone numbers at www.kfi640.com,go to the John and Ken link,they have all the numbers for the Senators.E-mail,fax and call them all,EVERYDAY.BE POLITE while speaking to them. "


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