Luis Lucar took exception when he found out an immigration discussion had taken place in Schuyler Wednesday between state senators and community leaders — and no Hispanic residents were there.

At least one, a clergyman, had been invited, said Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler, but he had been unable to attend.  Apparently the Catholic priest was out of the country this week.

The Nebraska Mexican American Commission noticed, too, the absence of Schuyler’s Latino voice at the meeting.

Lucar owns  businesses there, said Angel Freytez of the commission. He could be considered a well-connected resident of the city, but he wasn’t invited.

Lucar called on Langemeier Friday to talk about the lack of Hispanic representatives at the meeting. The senator said he  asked Lucar to get five community representatives and he would convene a meeting to continue the discussion.

“I’m glad he called,” Langemeier said. “This will allow us to start that communication.”

Lucar and other Hispanic residents of Schuyler said they also had concerns about a meeting that took place Wednesday evening, arranged by Schuyler businessman and former U.S. Senate candidate Pat Flynn.

An estimated 75 to 100 people attended that meeting.  

Norm Pflanz, attorney with Nebraska Appleseed who attended Pat Flynn’s meeting, said it appeared the meeting was set up to  create a rift between Hispanic residents and others who lived in Schuyler. But a number of community residents spoke up, saying they wanted to move in a more positive direction.

Many of those who spoke supported meaningful immigration reform that would offer a pathway to citizenship, Pflanz said.

The town’s Hispanic immigrants generally are church-going, family-oriented and hard-working, he said.

They want to come together as a community and develop solutions to issues surrounding illegal immigration, he said.

It disturbed Lucar that speakers representing the Nebraska Minuteman, a group against illegal immigration, were giving inaccurate information at the evening meeting.

One such speaker blamed Hispanic immigrants for the economic problems the country has faced in recent weeks. The speakers also blamed Hispanics for bringing crime and diseases to the state.

“They want to divide the community,” Lucar said. “They were trying to destroy the good relationship we have.”

Lucar said Hispanic residents worked side by side last year with other Schuyler residents to pass a multi-million-dollar school bond issue.

“We need to work together since the federal government isn’t doing anything,” he said.

Hispanic immigrants are not taking away American jobs, Lucar said.  Cargill, which has a plant in Schuyler, has many jobs it needs to fill, he said.

The state recorded 38,513 job vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor. 

Undocumented workers pay taxes, Lucar said, but the government does not have to pay them benefits.

Hispanic residents said solutions to the problems in Nebraska could start with furnishing undocumented workers some form of ID. 

Their inability to get a driver’s license presents a safety issue, Lucar said. Getting a driver’s license would help reduce the traffic accident rate and enable these residents to get auto insurance.

“It’s just common sense,” he said. “It’s time for a change. We need a change.”

Victor Arroyo, who owns a convenience store and has lived in Schuyler since 1984, moved to the community to work in the meat packing plant.

He agrees an ID would help matters.

The only way to survive is to get a job, he said, and if workers can’t get a legitimate ID, they will find a false one.

He believes Hispanic residents have improved Schuyler’s economy.

Victor Lopez, who owns El Pueblo Tires in Schuyler, said undocumented residents are in Nebraska to make a living for their families. But often they are treated like terrorists.

Without work permits, or some type of identification, many of them are transient. If they could feel comfortable in Schuyler, not fearful, they would settle, buy homes and contribute to the community, Lopez said.

“People are not going back to Mexico or South America,” he said. “And they will keep coming.”

He likes living in Schuyler, he said, because of its size. He knows many residents, including police, the mayor and business owners.

“It’s a really peaceful town,” he said. 

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.