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Danbury Council Vote on Policing Immigrant Community Draws Thousands to Protest
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ImmigrantR-@afsc.org
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Feb 07, 2008 11:01 PST
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/nyregion/07danbury.html?ref=nyregion
February 7, 2008
Danbury Council Vote on Policing Immigrant Community Draws Thousands to
Protest
By THOMAS KAPLAN
DANBURY, Conn. - On Wednesday night, Jose Contreras gazed toward City
Hall here, his face wrinkled with pain as he wondered aloud about what
the future might hold for his restaurant - not to mention for his
neighbors. Thousands of them were standing nearby in the crisp darkness,
waving signs, whistling and chanting in Spanish and English at a volume
that could be heard blocks away.
At the time, the Common Council of this city was moving through its
agenda en route to voting on a contentious plan for its police force to
partner with federal officials to enforce immigration laws, an
arrangement many in the large immigrant community fear could have a
devastating effect. Officials were expecting so many residents to turn
out for the vote that they set up a simulcast at a local school.
Despite the night's raucous protest and solemn predictions by many that
the partnership would drive people away from this diverse city, the
Common Council approved the plan, 19 to 2.
"Most of these people are going to leave," said Mr. Contreras, 39, who
added that he immigrated here illegally two decades ago from El Salvador
but now is a legal resident. "Danbury is going to be lonely."
Opponents of the plan said it would inspire racial profiling and damage
the trust between the large immigrant community here and the
authorities. At least 10,000 illegal immigrants - in addition to the
80,000 legal residents - are estimated to reside in Danbury, which has a
greater proportion of foreign-born residents than any other community in
the state, according to United States census estimates.
City officials, including Mayor Mark D. Boughton, who has supported the
plan, have promised that the partnership with the federal Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agency would help police better pursue major
investigations related to immigration, including document forgery and
drug smuggling.
Council members emphasized that the arrangement would not give the
police carte blanche power to root out and round up illegal immigrants.
"There aren't going to be sweeps," Councilman Benjamin Chianese vowed.
Instead, he said, "there is going to be mutual trust in this community."
But among the protesters on Wednesday, some doubted the true motives of
the plan. They pointed to a September 2006 sting in which undercover
police officers approached 11 illegal immigrants in a city park and
offered them jobs; when the workers followed, they were arrested.
"We shouldn't be giving the police more power," said Vincent Yettito,
52, who brought his entire family to the demonstration, where the crowd
chanted "U.S.A." and "We are not criminals!" throughout the evening.
Ted Duarte, 37, a union carpenter who works in Danbury and traveled here
from his home in Wallingford to support fellow union members, motioned
to the chanting. "This says it all," Mr. Duarte said. "For a city
council that supposed to represent the city of Danbury, they should take
a look out here - this is Danbury."
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