Fremont issue dead, discussion only beginning

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By JEAN ORTIZ / The Associated Press

FREMONT, Neb. — A proposed ordinance targeting illegal immigration in Fremont may be dead, but the discussion of the problems fueling the debate is just getting under way, say those involved in the issue.

Fremont Mayor Don “Skip’’ Edwards cast the deciding vote late Tuesday night against a proposal that would have banned renting to, harboring and hiring illegal immigrants

Opponents and supporters found much to disagree on in the public debate in recent weeks. But those on both sides of the issue agreed Wednesday the issue needs attention.

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City Councilman Bob Warner listens to comments during the Fremont City Council meeting Tuesday night. (Chris Bristol/Fremont Tribune)

City Councilman Bob Warner listens to comments during the Fremont City Council meeting Tuesday night. (Chris Bristol/Fremont Tribune)

“We know we have a problem,’’ Edwards said. “That has never been debated.’’

Edwards, who maintains a strong stance against illegal activity, said he concluded illegal immigration is a federal issue.

He said the city needs to pressure federal officials and the Nebraska congressional delegation to push the issue toward a solution.

Frustration with federal enforcement, or lack thereof, is understandable, said Angel Freytez, the acting director of the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission, who strongly opposed the proposal.

While some Fremont residents said the emotional debate already has created division in this city of 25,000, Freytez said the discussion could get other Nebraska communities talking about the real issues they face.

Fremont is not unlike other Nebraska communities that have seen marked demographic change in recent years, primarily because of a mostly Hispanic work force at meatpacking plants.

Fremont is, however, the first Nebraska city to attempt such a proposal, said Norm Pflanz, an attorney with Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest.

Other communities, including Hazleton, Pa., Escondido, Calif., and Riverside, N.J. have attempted similar measures but have run into legal challenges. The latter two cases were repealed while a federal judge struck down Hazleton’s plan as unconstitutional.

But there’s a danger more communities could make similar legislative attempts, said Lourdes Gouveia, director of the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Approved or not, the proposal presented long-term impacts and lessons, she said in an interview before the council’s decision.

Communities can respond with irrational fears and manufacture problems with no basis in what’s really going on in the community, she said.

Or they can engage in research and discussion, keep emotions out of the debate and handle issues separately — for example, by taking on housing concerns separate from frustrations about language barriers, she said.

“I think communities in these cases have a choice and they don’t even always realize they have choices,’’ she said.

State Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha is hoping to find a solid understanding of the real issues illegal immigration creates for Nebraska communities in coming months.

The chairman of the Judiciary Committee is conducting an interim study examining South Sioux City, Lexington, Grand Island, Scottsbluff, North Platte and Omaha and issues like education, employment and social services.

The cities were chosen based on location, demographics and employers, he said.

Nebraska lawmakers waded into the illegal immigration issue earlier this year, though the effort failed. A legislative committee rejected a bill that would require state and local agencies verify residents applying for state benefits are in the United States legally. It also would have disqualified illegal immigrants from state or local retirement, welfare, unemployment, public housing and other benefits — something critics pointed out a federal law already handled.

“Citizenship is something that is sacred to us and that needs to be respected in our society,’’ Ashford said. “But we also have to have policies that are reflective of our reality.’’

As for the Fremont City Council, it’s unknown what’s next, said Councilman Bob Warner, who led the city’s recent effort.

He has no regrets with the proposal saying at least it drew attention to the frustrations he and other Fremont residents feel about what they feel is lax federal enforcement.

He also knows Fremont is not alone in its concerns. He’s received dozens of phone calls in the past few weeks, including from Schuyler, Hastings, Grand Island and North Platte, to name a few.

“They all say the same thing — ‘We are waiting to see what happens in Fremont,’’’ he said.

Emotional wounds on both sides of the debate will eventually heal and Fremont can move forward, Freytez said.

“I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel,’’ he said.