Editorials

There is no question that there are illegal immigrants in our midst. And there is no question that in some communities illegals put a strain on health care and other social services. And there is no question that some public figures and groups have seized this as a political issue and are milking it for all it is worth.

The controversy is often described as a struggle between cultural conservatives who believe the immigrants bring in habits of action that undermine traditional American standards and values, business conservatives who need immigrant labor and are seeking a way to give illegals some sort of documented worker status. Then there are the liberals who want to welcome the newly arrived and keep them from being exploited by the bosses who hire them. But it is more complex than that.

Huntsville got a taste of this complexity recently when a city councilman proposed an ordinance that would punish landlords that rent to illegals and employers who put them to work. A group called the Conservative Christians of Alabama sent out a call to its members to show up at the meeting and “intimidate” members of the council into supporting the legislation.

Well, to its credit, the council was not intimidated. Instead, the sponsor of the ordinance moved to have it tabled and a committee was set up to study the issue and see what could be done.

The committee, if it does work well, will discover that federal law is going to make it difficult for a local governing body to do much about immigration employment and housing.

Instead it will discover, as other communities have discovered, that there are laws on the books to help solve such problems if problems really exist. They only have to be enforced.

And therein lies the rub.

Most cities have housing codes that do not target specific groups but instead regulate the behavior of renters and the upkeep of property. This year our state passed a landlord-tenant law that defines the rights and responsibilities of both.

In addition, in 1997 the Legislature passed a bill that required employers to report Social Security numbers for the people working for them.

And then there are federal rules and regulations aplenty that address the issues being raised.

Unfortunately, state and federal law enforcement is stretched thin and until the people doing all the protesting are willing to pay the taxes to hire the police and agents to enforce the laws, all the intimidation in the world won't make much difference.

So what you have is a political football, and a lot of people trying to kick it.