Cities Grapple with Day Laborer Debate

Recently, many cities throughout Southern California have been grappling with issues related to day laborers, loitering and day laborer centers. And in almost all of those cases, the issue continues boiling down to a debate over illegal immigration - the timeless issue that will continue to be an issue in this country.

First, there was the case of the Home Depot that ultimately had its development permit revoked so that a Home Depot store could not be built at the site of a former K-mart in the Sunland-Tujunga area. The reason? Many residents against the proposed retailer argued that the store would become a breeding ground for day laborers loitering in the parking lot waiting for work.

In an Orange County case, opponents of a Laguna Beach day laborer hiring site, filed a lawsuit to stop the city from funding the hiring center. The only problem? A judge ruled in late November that the opponents did not provide sufficient evidence that the city knowingly funded a hiring center that hired illegal immigrants - the main argument made by the plaintiff in the case.

The Laguna Beach hiring center is run by South County Cross-Cultural Council, a nonprofit that receives funds through the city's community assistance grants. The lawsuit had been filed by Judicial Watch on behalf of Laguna Beach resident Eileen Garcia. Judicial Watch has said that it would appeal the decision on the basis that thre is evidence to prove the city had knowledge that illegal immigrants were being hired.

Now, the outcome of this hinges on what evidence there is to prove the city knowingly continued to fund a center that hired people without the sufficient documents necessary to legally work in the country. There are a lot of people that make connections based on wide leaps in evidence about hiring centers and illegal immigrants.

After the city of Orange (again in Orange County) decided to up the ante in October with respect to requirements for day laborers at its Resource Center, the number of workers applying for jobs declined drastically. The city council began requiring workers to show two types of identification and fill out federal compliance forms in order to be connected with a position and some 50 workers had protested the council's actions.

Some may say that the steep drop in workers attending the Orange Resource Center is proof that day laborer centers around the country provide safe havens for illegal immigrants. However, that's not what should be argued in the case of these centers. It comes down to an issue of law and not whatever people's stances are on the issue of illegal immigration, border control and everything else that gets opened up with that debate.

The issue in the case of these centers is simply whether the centers are following the rules when it comes to hiring. Everyone is required to show proof of identification when applying for a job. It doesn't matter if a person is apply to work as a retail sales associate or a lawyer at a law firm. Everyone is required to do that and the same rules should apply to day laborer centers.

There is nothing wrong with having these centers exist. They provide an organized and resourceful approach for individuals looking for work - as long as they adhere to the same policies as any other employer or hiring firm when it comes to the law.