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[Sir Alemeth]

California: Undocumented immigrants appointed to city commissions

Undocumented immigrants appointed to city commissions

(CNN)Two undocumented immigrants will get to serve on city commissions in Southern California -- drawing outrage from some residents.

Julian Zatarain and Francisco Medina are longtime residents of Huntington Park, a city of about 58,000 near Los Angeles that is 97% Hispanic or Latino.

In appointing them to city commissions, Huntington Park councilman Jhonny Pineda said the two men have a track record of volunteering in the community.

But the decision infuriated some residents who spoke out at a city council meeting this week.

One woman told CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL that the decision sets a terrible example.

"We're sending the wrong message: You can be illegal and you can come and work for the city," she said.

But the councilman defended his selections.

"I am proud to appoint both Julian and Francisco to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Health and Education Commission, respectively," Pineda said on his website.

"Huntington Park is a city of opportunity and a city of hope for all individuals regardless of socioeconomic status, race, creed, or in this case, citizenship. Both these gentlemen have accomplished a great deal for the city."

Pineda emphasized that the two undocumented commission members would not get paid, as that would be a violation of federal law. They also won't have any power in determining city policy and will serve only advisory roles.

He said according to a city ordinance, "Zatarain and Medina are eligible to serve on the city commissions as long as it is solely volunteer work and both individuals do not receive financial benefits from the city."

Mayor Karina Macias supported the appointments, KCBS/KCALreported.

Volunteer history

During his run for office, Pineda promised voters he would create opportunities for the city's undocumented immigrants, the affiliate said. Some have accused him of appointing the two men because they helped with his campaign.

But Pineda pointed to the two men's history of volunteer work.

He said Zatarain, who arrived in the United States in 2007, graduated from Huntington Park High School with the highest GPA in his class. Zatarain now attends Santa Monica College and hopes to attend law school.

Zatarain also created the Huntington Park Red Cross Club "to make sure the community is ready in case of any emergency, and as president of Red Cross, organized multiple blood drives," Pineda said.

Medina graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills and was an intern for the office of former California State Assembly member Gil Cedillo, Pineda said. He helped students with information about college admissions requirements and financial aid opportunities, the councilman said.

Medina said he would rather focus on his new position than argue with critics.

"I'm not going to say anything negative," he told KCBS/KCAL. "I just happy for the opportunity that I have, and I'm going to do my best to represent every single resident in Huntington Park."

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/05/us/california-undocumented-immigrants-city-commissions/

 

[reggieandTFE]

Good. It seems that both of them are doing more with their lives than most 'citizens' and just happened to be born on the wrong side of an invisible line.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Good. It seems that both of them are doing more with their lives than most 'citizens' and just happened to be born on the wrong side of an invisible line.

.

 

[Mental Atrophy]

So document them.

 

[maquiladora]

Good.

 

[Jintor]

Good. It seems that both of them are doing more with their lives than most 'citizens' and just happened to be born on the wrong side of an invisible line.

.

 

[Patrol]

Hm. That is a clear violation of federal law.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Should probably highlight the part that says its volunteer work and they won't get paid too

 

[Polari]

I don't really know how it works in the US, but I had assumed known illegal immigrants would be deported?

 

[Dufase19089]

Hm. That is a clear violation of federal law.

Of course breaking the law doesnt matter to people these days because stupid social justice.

I honestly dont understand how people want change, yet they do not go through the legitimate channels to evoke change. They rather break laws thus making everyone look worse, that fight for legal change the correct way.

 

[numble]

Hm. That is a clear violation of federal law.

Please cite the law. A commission is not an elected position and can even be informal.

Of course breaking the law doesnt matter to people these days because stupid social justice.

I honestly dont understand how people want change, yet they do not go through the legitimate channels to evoke change. They rather break laws thus making everyone look worse, that fight for legal change the correct way.

Please cite the law that is being broken.

 

[Ledsen]

Good. It seems that both of them are doing more with their lives than most 'citizens' and just happened to be born on the wrong side of an invisible line.

.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Hey I'm a legal immigrant, can I get a volunteer position as well?

 

[LaNaranja]

You can tell which sites are run by assholes by whether they used "undocumented immigrant" or "illegal aliens" for their headline.

Of course breaking the law doesnt matter to people these days because stupid social justice.

I honestly dont understand how people want change, yet they do not go through the legitimate channels to evoke change. They rather break laws thus making everyone look worse, that fight for legal change the correct way.

What channels would those be?

 

[IronicallyTwisted]

Please inform yourself before assuming things.

Also, "stupid social justice"... Yeah, those damn people that care about human rights! Damn them!

I don't really see how mass undocumented immigration from latin america is a human rights issue.

 

[Zeus Molecules]

They got elected so yeah they got the right to their jobs.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

I don't really see how mass undocumented immigration from latin america is a human rights issue.

Em, they're basically refugees.

 

[Polari]

I don't really get this thread... these are people who immigrated illegally instead of going through the correct legal channels, right? It's not like they're refugees who were escaping persecution.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

I don't really get this thread... these are people who immigrated illegally instead of going through the correct legal channels, right? It's not like they're refugees who were escaping persecution.

Basically: our immigration system is fucked by politicians. It's a lottery, with people who can work are ignored, and people with skills get shafted because they're payed a lower wage than citizens. Which fucks everything up.


Our immigration rate betters our population period. It barely exceeds replacement.

 

[Dufase19089]

Please cite the law. A commission is not an elected position and can even be informal.



Please cite the law that is being broken.

The fact that they came into this country Illegally is breaking the law...http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1325

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

The fact that they came into this country Illegally is breaking the law...http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1325

So shouldn't that mean that it's better to allow for immigration ease rather than damnation?

 

[BronsonLee]

Oh this ends poorly. You know someone will get so pissed about it that they try to cause trouble for them

 

[numble]

The fact that they came into this country Illegally is breaking the law...http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1325

Would you say Obama being elected is breaking the law, because he has done illegal activities in the past? The law you are citing is not a crime regarding status, by the way (look at the penalties).

 

[Winter John]

This is just another example of how badly out of shape the immigration system is. It should have been reformed decades ago, but of course neither the Democrats or the Republicans have had the will to do it. I had to laugh the other day when I saw Hilary Clinton talking about reforming the system. Given her husband's track record and her party's total lack of progress I believe we'll see a funny Adam Sandler movie before we see her achieve anything meaningful.

The Republicans have done little better though. Bush Jnr tried for years to reform the system and was blocked at every turn by his own party. That idiot Romney couldn't keep his mouth shut. He and several other clowns kept whining that these immigrants would immediately start voting Democrat. Total nonsense but it did enough to panic the career politicians. I often wonder if Bush would have been successful if 9/11 hadn't happened though. It was an issue he was very passionate about and he kept returning to, but the climate after 9/11 made it almost impossible for any serious discussion about relaxing border control policies.

The other factor and the one that these politicians won't mention is big business. The last thing corporate America wants is any kind of serious reform that would stop them profiting of illegal workers.

 

[MultiCore]

Sounds like California all right.

If they have track records, how are they undocumented?

If they have that long of a history, why haven't they fixed their status?

If their idea was to lay low, they're gonna be easy to find now.

 

[Patrol]

Please cite the law. A commission is not an elected position and can even be informal.



Please cite the law that is being broken.

Being elected isn't relevant, it's an officially sanctioned advisory arm of the city government. The city is then, in official affect, facilitating and encouraging the two illegal immigrants to remain in the United States. 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (iv)

 

[FyreWulff]

Hm. That is a clear violation of federal law.

Nope. You aren't required to be a citizen for many local level public offices. You're only required to be a resident of that city/county/state.

Seeing as how this is a volunteer position, they won't even have to fill out HR paperwork (when I worked for my city government, none of the volunteers were actually in the system .. you just showed up, and it was naturally understood that not living in the city or state would make your volunteer work hard to get to)

 

[poppabk]

This is just another example of how badly out of shape the immigration system is. It should have been reformed decades ago, but of course neither the Democrats or the Republicans have had the will to do it. I had to laugh the other day when I saw Hilary Clinton talking about reforming the system. Given her husband's track record and her party's total lack of progress I believe we'll see a funny Adam Sandler movie before we see her achieve anything meaningful.

The Republicans have done little better though. Bush Jnr tried for years to reform the system and was blocked at every turn by his own party. That idiot Romney couldn't keep his mouth shut. He and several other clowns kept whining that these immigrants would immediately start voting Democrat. Total nonsense but it did enough to panic the career politicians. I often wonder if Bush would have been successful if 9/11 hadn't happened though. It was an issue he was very passionate about and he kept returning to, but the climate after 9/11 made it almost impossible for any serious discussion about relaxing border control policies.

The other factor and the one that these politicians won't mention is big business. The last thing corporate America wants is any kind of serious reform that would stop them profiting of illegal workers.

Came to say pretty much this. It's ironic that the one social issue that unites the two parties is perpetuating a social underclass and keeping nations south for the border impoverished.

 

[Makki]

So how do they get paid legally without a social security number, do these positions not pay a dime?

 

[skullmuffins]

So how do they get paid legally without a social security number, do these positions not pay a dime?

Volunteer positions.

Pineda emphasized that the two undocumented commission members would not get paid, as that would be a violation of federal law. They also won't have any power in determining city policy and will serve only advisory roles.

He said according to a city ordinance, "Zatarain and Medina are eligible to serve on the city commissions as long as it is solely volunteer work and both individuals do not receive financial benefits from the city."

 

[FyreWulff]

So how do they get paid legally without a social security number, do these positions not pay a dime?

You can get an EIN as a citizen or non citizen. They're in volunteer positions, though.

 

[GK86]

Good for the city. And good for the two men that were appointed. I hope they succeed in their new positions.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

I support streamlining the immigration process but I don't support an open border policy. So I can't say I support this.

 

[Alucrid]

Have one of the critics step up in the volunteer positions, of course they'd probably refuse or be completely incompetent.

 

[FtsH]

Reads like a good example of respecting people for their contribution/ability rather than their race/origin/family etc...

 

[Gallbaro]

Volunteer positions.

White man exploiting the brown man's labor.

 

[kame-sennin]

Good. It seems that both of them are doing more with their lives than most 'citizens' and just happened to be born on the wrong side of an invisible line.

It's rare that a first post nails it that hard.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Good for them.

 

[numble]

Being elected isn't relevant, it's an officially sanctioned advisory arm of the city government. The city is then, in official affect, facilitating and encouraging the two illegal immigrants to remain in the United States. 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (iv)

Allowing people to volunteer for free on city commissions is not employment. There is no labor contract with a volunteer appointment. That's like saying a university who allows students on student visas to be on a student government/volunteer position is in violation of that law, since students on student visas are also unauthorized aliens with respect to employment. There is no 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (iv) by the way. As a lawyer, I really hate when the enforcement arms get the law wrong, both in interpreting and citation.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

This quotes hilarious.

"We're sending the wrong message: You can be illegal and you can come and work for the city," she said.

Yeah no duh fuckwad, it's called the American Dream. Holy shit some people heads are far up their ass.

 

[ezrarh]

This entire country was built on the backs of immigrants and slave labor so this doesn't really bother me.

 

[kame-sennin]

The fact that they came into this country Illegally is breaking the law...http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1325

Of course breaking the law doesnt matter to people these days because stupid social justice.

I honestly dont understand how people want change, yet they do not go through the legitimate channels to evoke change. They rather break laws thus making everyone look worse, that fight for legal change the correct way.

We had another law on the books that said it was illegal for certain persons to travel across the southern boarder without documentation. But some stupid social justice warriors (who were actual warriors) refused to go through the legitimate channels.

Of course I'm talking about the escaped slave law, which was even more immoral than our current immigration policy. The appropriate channels would have resulted in thousands of blacks being returned to intolerable conditions and decades of contentious negotiations before this country arrived at the obvious moral choice. Then, as now, the law breakers were both more moral and more practical than the defenders of the status quo who advocated the use of legitimate channels (read: the channels governed by those who benefit from the injustice you're trying to fight). Their illegal, sometimes violent, actions saved thousands. So, you're going to have to forgive people who don't want to fight for change "the correct way".

Em, they're basically refugees.

Escaping from a humanitarian crisis the United States created. The current surge of refugees are primarily made up of Hondurans. This is the result of a military coup that took place in 2009, supported by the U.S. government and the Obama administration. The current president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, is embezzling money out of the national health care system, creating a humanitarian crisis. In spite of this, the U.S. continues to funnel money to Hernandez, most of which goes to his military - the strong-arm forces he uses to abolish democratic restrictions on his power.

So again, we really have no fucking moral authority to condemn people who are fleeing for their lives, often from situations we created.

 

[Sub_Level]

I don't support this on paper, but in practice it's completely understandable given there has been no comprehensive nationwide immigration reform.

They need to be documented asap, but that asap may take a long time so in the meantime good for them.

 

[BajiBoxer]

I don't really see how mass undocumented immigration from latin america is a human rights issue.

You must not pay much attention to our history and current events south of the border.

 

[BajiBoxer]

Being elected isn't relevant, it's an officially sanctioned advisory arm of the city government. The city is then, in official affect, facilitating and encouraging the two illegal immigrants to remain in the United States. 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a) (iv)

Just read that law. Nothing there prohibits him from volunteer work, and you are stating a personal interpretation rather than a straightforward reading of the law.

 

[BajiBoxer]

I don't support this on paper, but in practice it's completely understandable given there has been no comprehensive nationwide immigration reform.

They need to be documented asap, but that asap may take a long time so in the meantime good for them.

I agree. Also, if they were to be removed we have something called due process. With the extremely large number of undocumented immigrants, I would think a couple intelligent guys doing good volunteer work to the benefit of our country would be towards the back of the list of immigrants who could be deported. An expensive court battle wouldn't be worth it.

 

[kunonabi]

I don't really know how it works in the US, but I had assumed known illegal immigrants would be deported?

only if you're not Mexican/South American apparently. They get to stay since it helps with votes for the democratic party.

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Of course breaking the law doesnt matter to people these days because stupid social justice.

I honestly dont understand how people want change, yet they do not go through the legitimate channels to evoke change. They rather break laws thus making everyone look worse, that fight for legal change the correct way.

Yeah, they should just wait for tomorrow's massive immigration reform law to be passed and go through the legitimate channels. Some people are just impatient, I guess.

 

[LaNaranja]

only if you're not Mexican/South American apparently. They get to stay since it helps with votes for the democratic party.

lol

 

[FyreWulff]

Conservatives:

"Fuck communists!.. by the way, papers please"