Photo by Marilina Sanz
New York Mayor Rudolf Giuliani (at podium) opens the immigration conference.
Behind him are: (l-r) NACo President-elect Randy Johnson; Seattle Mayor
Norman Rice; Los Angeles County (Calif.) Supervisor Yvonne Burke; Cameron
County (Texas) Judge Gilberto Hinojosa; Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky; and NACo President Michael Hightower. Behind Mayor
Giuliani are Ft. Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke and Los Angeles County Supervisor
Gloria Molina.
Fifteen county and city elected officials gathered in New York City June 9-10 to bring national attention to the plight of legal immigrants due to the denial of Supplemental Security Income and Food Stamps, enacted as part of last year's welfare reform legislation. The day-and-a-half meeting was hosted by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
"Immigration is at the core of what makes us the most dynamic and successful nation in the world, Giuliani said. "Immigrants contribute more than they take. The new law is telling people 'we will treat you the same for taking your money, but we'll treat you differently if you need help.' "
NACo President Michael Hightower spoke at the opening general session about the effect of the law on the nation's counties. "It is fitting that this conference is taking place in New York City, not only because of the mayor's leadership, but also because New York has been the gateway city to so many of our population," Hightower said.
Noting that the immigration provisions affect all local governments, Hightower gave an example from Fulton County, Ga., where he is a commissioner. "Although our numbers are not as high as in other parts of the country, our immigrant population is growing. Both Fulton and DeKalb counties fund Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in the country. We are concerned that as a result of the loss of income, people will come to our facilities sicker and in need of more expensive health care," said Hightower.
Los Angeles County, Calif. was represented by three county supervisors: Board Chair Zev Yaroslavsky, Supervisors Yvonne Burke and Gloria Molina.
Speaking at the same general session as Hightower, Yaroslavsky brought home the enormity of the impact that these provisions will have on California in general and Los Angeles County in particular. California is home to 40 percent of the individuals affected by these changes, and 20 percent reside in Los Angeles County.
Noting that the local impact on Los Angeles County's economy is estimated at $500 million a year, he said: "A few years ago when they were getting ready to close a naval yard, which would have had the same economic impact, people went crazy and had all sorts of press conferences. Yet, you make the same reductions to our local economy by targeting legal immigrants and you hear hardly a peep."
NACo President Elect Randy Johnson addressed the second general session. "The federal government has the responsibility to determine our immigration policy, enforce it and police our borders. It is therefore appropriate for the national government to have the major responsibility for immigrants who become sick, disabled or too old to work," Johnson said.
Johnson, who chairs the Hennepin County (Minn.) Board of Commissioners, was asked to describe county efforts to help immigrants who may lose benefits. He spoke about the larger metropolitan area of Hennepin and Ramsey counties, which have a substantial number of Hmong, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian refugees. The counties have established multilingual hotlines and have a multimedia campaign to explain the complexities of the law. "Unlike other areas, we have not had to identify those who might be losing benefits, because they are coming to us asking for help with naturalization," he said.
The impact on smaller communities was also discussed by Cameron County (Texas) Judge Gilberto Hinojosa: "Our county has approximately 48 percent of our population living in poverty and there is no state program to help those who lose benefits. Our local tax base simply cannot afford to absorb these cuts."
During the conference, several other county naturalization efforts were described, including New York City's $12 million campaign; Los Angeles County efforts to identify, by district, individuals who may be affected; and Dade County, Fla.'s 10-point campaign, which has included an offer by the county to assign some of its employees to help the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Several speakers also addressed the problems with the growing backlog at the INS, where it can now take up to a year to complete the naturalization process.
On Tuesday, June 10, the group gathered at Ellis Island to sign a statement of principles, including calling for restoration of benefits and increased naturalization efforts. During its years of operation, Ellis Island was the gateway for 12 million immigrants. An estimated 40 percent of the nation's population can trace their ancestry to someone who entered the country through Ellis Island.
Joining Giuliani were two other county officials, Philadelphia Mayor Edward Rendell and Dade County Mayor Alexander Penelas. Penelas, the son of Cuban immigrants, is the first person elected to the post of county mayor for Metropolitan Dade County. "Making us decide between covering the disabled or covering the elderly is unconscionable," said Penelas.
Both Rendell and Penelas addressed how the economic loss of Food Stamps will affect small businesses. Penelas spoke of how immigration has made Miami - where a majority of the population is foreign-born - the center of trade between the United States and South America.
Rendell said that although Philadelphia does not have as many legal immigrants, many Korean immigrants have taken over boarded-up businesses and are helping revitalize the city. "It is ironic that the same businesses that will be asking to hire welfare recipients, will also be losing income because of the loss of Food Stamps," Rendell said.