The Sand Mountain Reporter | Illegal is Illegal

Illegal is illegal
By Malarie Haven | The Sand Mountain Reporter | October 21, 2011

Some believe Alabama's new law cracking down on illegal immigration may save taxpayers' money, but it's 15 years too late to save the brother-in-law of Albertville City Councilman Chuck Ellis.

Ellis favors the law and has spent many years fighting for immigration reform. if(typeof oTNCMS_Ad.setRelative == 'function'){ oTNCMS_Ad.setRelative(); }oTNCMS_Ad.show();

"If someone locally had taken this stance 15 years ago, my youngest sister's husband might still be alive," he said. "He was murdered on June 2, 1999, by an illegal alien and fellow employee. My daughter Marli is named after my slain brother-in-law, Marlin Strange. It was my memoriam to a great man, husband and father whose life was taken by an illegal alien."

HB 56 is more than just another state law for Albertville Mayor Lindsey Lyons, too. It's the culmination of personal grief and years of work to find a solution to illegal immigration.

For Lyons, the fight began after his third automobile accident involving an illegal immigrant. After seeking assistance from then-police chief Benny Womack, Lyons said the police were doing everything they could under the laws they had, but their hands were tied to a large extent.

He said he then got together with concerned citizen Teresa Ferguson and helped create a forum to discuss the issue and formed the Concerned Citizens of Albertville group.

Lyons, Ellis and Ferguson then aided in the creation of a tour through various areas of Marshall County showcasing the "negative attributes on this illegal alien issue we had here in Albertville," Lyons said.

He said many federal, state and local elected officials and candidates took the tour, including 2010 gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne, now Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, former Alabama AG Troy King and U.S. Congressman Robert Aderholt.

"We wanted to create something to open a lot of officials' eyes and help us get some assistance here in Albertville," Lyons said. "That was the ultimate goal - to help Albertville. Ultimately, it got to the point where it really impacted the whole state."

Lyons attributed much of the state law to the efforts of the CCA and other area citizens.

"People may not realize that Albertville had a large impact on this bill," he said. "Some of the ideas in the bill originated here in Albertville. I don't mean just from elected officials. I mean from people in the community that were very supportive of immigration reform."

Besides the issues commonly referred to in the immigration debate, such as economic impact and dangerous driving conditions, Ellis cited several other problems caused by illegal immigration. For example, he said the migration of unchecked residents could lead to an influx of previously eradicated diseases, drugs and criminal activity. In fact, he said terrorism, as seen on Sept. 11, 2001, and the recent death threat from Iran of Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal on American soil, could become more common the longer American boarders go unimpeded.

"Bottom line, it's the government's job to protect the people," Ellis said. "If we continue down this road, that's going to happen all the time. We're going to start saying, ‘Where did they come from? What happened?' Whenever the answer starts pointing to the southern border, some people are going to wake up and say, ‘Oh that was a problem that we overlooked for the past 30 years.' That scares me more than anything."

‘The rule of law should stand'

Supporters of the law tout the phrase "illegal is illegal" to explain the reasons for the law's harsh measures, and Lyons and Ellis agree.

"It's real simple to me," Lyons said. "Once you sneak across our border without authorization, you've broken our laws, and it impacts our citizens in a lot of different ways. That's why I support the bill."

Lyons and Ellis said they understand that many immigrants come to America "to better themselves," but they "believe in doing it the right way."

"It's important to me," Ellis said. "I'm very compassionate. I want to see people better themselves. It's the fact that the process must be followed so that we maintain the rule of law in the country. If we don't and we allow unruliness to rule, then we're no better than the caveman.

"It starts with the laws of the land. If people don't like the laws, they need to change them. But until then, the law's the law and the rule of law should stand."

Ellis stressed that he supports legal immigration and it "makes me feel good when I start talking to people who have done it the right way."

"That excites me because the process does work," he said. "Hey, I'm proud of the fact that I've got my insurance, that I've got my tag on my car and I've got my driver's license. For the most part, I know most folks that are legal are the same way."

He noted that once a person enters America illegally, the chances of that person gaining legal status are slim to none.

"People miss so much when they don't go through the process," he said. "Whenever that illegal thing has happened, it's difficult for a person to do what needs to be done because they're not supposed to work in this country. They're not supposed to be driving vehicles. You will never become legal, short of amnesty, without going through the proper channels.

"And people are doing it every day. I've got friends in Arab. They're of Indian decent. They tell me that it's expensive, but it's worth it because they want to better their families, and they want to live the American dream. I get excited thinking about people wanting to live the American dream. "

Lyons said he feels violation of the country's immigration laws also belittles the work of American military men and women.

"To me it sort of denigrates their service when illegal immigrants flaunt their disregard for our laws, and that bothers me," he said.

The law is currently being contested in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Hearings are scheduled for next month, and a decision may be made as early as December. However, many speculate the issue of the law will not be settled until it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court. Ellis and Lyons believe the law "will stay in place a long time."

"I'm optimistic about it," Lyons said. "I feel like they're going to uphold most of what (Federal District Court) Judge (Sharon) Blackburn has ruled on."

Many say the law could reach beyond the borders of the state, as well.

"Everybody knows we need intelligent reform in our immigration laws, but until that day comes through congress, I feel like the country is going to see more states enact legislation that will mirror Ala bama's law," Lyons said.

No matter what happens in the courts, he said Albertville will "continue to enforce the law as written." Ellis also commented that the law has had little effect on his job as a state trooper and councilman, and he doesn't expect much change in the future.

"I still go out and work, still go out and do the job I raised my right hand and swore I would do, just like with the city council," he said. "Some days are better than others, but that's just like with anything. I still love doing both of them."

Lyons has hope for more help from the federal government as well. Currently, the nearest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is in Birmingham, but he said it can't provide "enough agents for the issues we have in north Alabama."

"Sources tell me there's going to be an office in Huntsville with about seven agents," he said. "That's great news because we know it's going to have an impact on Marshall County. We've got a great relationship with them now, but this is going to further enhance our relationship and make more of an impact for Albertville."

He also said the city will continue its three-year quest to attain a 287(g) program, which allows a few trained officers in the municipal police department to detain suspected illegal residents until the resident's status can be confirmed. The city filed a formal application for the program in January 2010.

The new law is similar to the 287(g) program, but Lyons said it "actually serves our law enforcement better" because the law allows all officers to detain suspects.

"The way this law is written, every one of our officers can take any kind of action based on Alabama law," he said. "It serves us better because we've got 100 percent coverage at all times in dealing with the immigration issue. That's a huge difference."

A letter has been drafted to send to congressmen and other officials in the federal and state government "to let them all know that any assistance you can give us with the agency is going to be appreciated," he said.

"I feel like we've still got a great tool in the law, but that's not anything we've given up hope on," he said.

‘It's made a pretty big impact already'

Lyons said the effects of the immigration law could be seen immediately in Albertville, particularly through self-deportation.

"The day Judge Blackburn ruled on it, it was noticeable that night that people were packing up," he said. "Once it was appealed and she upheld the parts that she already ruled in favor of, we saw even more immediate effects on people leaving at that time."

Lyons said he recently observed several trailer parks in the city and they "probably consistently average at least 50-60 percent empty now."

"If that's an indication of rental properties across the city, it's made a pretty big impact already," he said.

Ellis said he has noticed the most difference in traffic patterns across the county.

"Traffic's not as high," he said. "Yeah, I've noticed a big difference, mainly in the amount of traffic on the roads."

Area opposition groups attempted to prove the economic impact of the Hispanic culture on Oct. 12, when many stayed out of work and Hispanic businesses closed for the day. When they couldn't receive a parade permit for a protest rally in Albertville because they fell behind the city's 10-day rule, Lyons said there was rumor of an unpermitted rally.

"Fortunately, it never happened," he said. "We got word that there wasn't enough people that wanted to participate in that protest rally. I believe that was a wise thing to do, but we were ready for it in any case."

In fact, Lyons said the protests had little affect on the city.

"We didn't have any problems," he said. "Our call volume was down at the Police Department. As a matter of fact, it was a very peaceful, quiet and pleasant day."

Lyons admitted that the law would provide some "short-term pain," but it does not come as a surprise.

"We're not naive," Lyons said. "We all know up front that it's going to have a certain amount of economic impact. That goes without saying."

However, Ellis said he believes the hard-hitting effects will pay off in the end.

"We see the effects of it, but we will begin to recoup that in other ways that remain to be seen," he said. "Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not two or three weeks from now, but over the next two or three years. What's important to realize is as we do this, people will start seeing that there's a right way to do it, and they'll start doing it that way because they know they're going to be held accountable."

The two Albertville city leaders refuted claims that the American work force is lacking people to fill positions left vacant by illegal workers.

"I think that the larger poultry industry plants will survive," Lyons said. "Over the years, I've gotten many calls from people that couldn't get a job at our poultry plants.

"We have a good labor pool now to fill the jobs, and the steps that have been taken to position ourselves at the regional airport for better paying jobs in different industries like aerospace and aviation is why I feel like we've got a great future here in Albertville. I'm confident of it. It's just a matter of time to where we're going to have some wonderful paying jobs out there."

Ellis showed little compassion for employers who no longer have a workforce.

"The reason you don't have a workforce to hire from is because there was a problem to start with," he said. "If they weren't doing anything wrong, they wouldn't have anything to worry about. But to say, ‘It's going to ruin my business,' and expect the American people and the citizens of Albertville to take upon their shoulders the burden is not right. That's just downright, in my opinion, selfish. At this time we should be thinking of being more selfless instead of selfish.

"I don't think that the effects of us enforcing a law which should've been enforced in the first place by the federal government, is going to make or break the city of Albertville."

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