ATLANTA (By Bill Hendrick,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution) August 15, 2007 — Hispanic leaders praised
the Cobb County Commission on Tuesday for quashing a proposal that would have
restricted the hiring of day laborers, but they said there's still work to be
done to prevent discrimination against Spanish-speaking immigrants.
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the
Georgia Association of Hispanic Elected Officials, said a perception of
anti-Hispanic sentiment in Cobb is hurting relations between Hispanics and
residents of the county.
He called on the commission to pass a
resolution urging the federal government to find "a rational solution to our
failed immigration policy."
He also said Cobb and other metro governments
should not "step in" and attempt to pass regulations of their own when the issue
is a federal one that should be handled by Congress.
Attorney Elise Shore of the Mexican American
Legal Defense and Educational Fund also praised the commission for "an act of
political courage," but said it may need to make more "unpopular" decisions in
the future.
The proposal would have levied fines up to
$1,000 on employers who picked up workers on four-lane roads within 150 feet of
a traffic signal. It was a watered down version of an earlier proposal that
would have virtually banned day laborers from seeking work.
Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens said
the proposal was scrapped because of fears it might be ruled illegal later. He
said county officials will wait for rulings in other courts around the country
on similar issues.
Jamie Hernan, an attorney for Hernan Taylor &
Lee, said the commission's decision was the right one constitutionally and
demonstrated that "it is not open season on immigrants."
But not everyone was completely happy with Cobb
County's actions.
"I'm grateful they were open to trying to
understand" the position of immigrants, said Teodoro Maus, former Mexican
counsel in Atlanta and now a U.S. citizen.
"But they did it not because they were trying
to be nice. They did it because we were going to sue them, and, most probably,
win that suit," he said in an interview. "We were prepared to go to court."
He said Hispanic organizations are now "ready
to go to court" to fight Cobb County's rule that limits the number of people who
can live in a household. Under the rule, each adult living in a house must have
390 square feet of space.
For example, no more than four adults could
live in a 1,600-square-foot home, without getting county permission.
