Help unwanted

Plan for immigrant day-labor center in Old Aurora meets wall of opposition

By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Monday, May 12, 2008

George Kochaniec Jr. / The Rocky

Immigrants barter for a job with the operator of a passing truck on Dayton Street near East Colfax Avenue last week in Aurora. Merchants have complained that laborers drink, harass women walking to the post office and relieve themselves on buildings.

By dawn, up to 100 Latino immigrants have gathered on corners along Colfax Avenue and Dayton Street in the heart of Old Aurora.

They wait there for a contractor or homeowner to pick them up and give them work for the day.

Some get lucky, but most stay behind, often loitering in City Park or nearby parking lots.

Merchants complain that the laborers drink, harass women walking to the post office and relieve themselves on buildings.

"The other day I had to physically pick up a guy passed out drunk in front of my store," said Angelo Arguello, co-owner of Colfax Pawn. "They're trashing the hell out of the area. The city needs to do something to get control of this situation before someone gets hurt."

'Can't just push them out'

Denver's El Centro Humanitarian Center for Workers wants to open a day-labor center for them in the shadows of Old Aurora.

El Centro's backers said it is the perfect way to get the laborers off the streets and into a safe environment where they're not exploited by employers.

"Aurora is coming from the simple philosophy that these people are illegal and we don't want them here," said Minsun Ji, executive director of El Centro. "But poor people are a part of the community, and you can't just push them out."

The plan is drawing criticism, in part because a renaissance of sorts is taking place in Old Aurora's East End Art District.

Critics of the day-labor center contend it would undermine the city's vision for the area.

"We're not saying don't bring it to Aurora," Councilwoman Deborah Wallace said. "I just don't want any day laborers near schools. I don't want any such operation near my art district. We want to give business here the opportunity to thrive."

In recent years, the city and developers have spent millions of dollars to revive the once-depressed area. Along Colfax, there's Florence Square, a mix of upscale apartments, retail shops and art galleries.

Across the way sits the state- of-the-art Martin Luther King Jr. Library and community center.

Around the bend along Dayton is the Shadow Theatre, the latest addition to the city's art district.

El Centro is considering two potential sites: 1575 Elmira St., in the art district, and 1465 Boston St., three blocks from the district but surrounded by homes and an elementary school.

The city wants the center to be at least seven blocks north of Colfax and Dayton.

But El Centro supporters argue that to be successful, the center must be close to Old Aurora and the Colfax bus lines, which laborers rely on for transportation.

Legality questioned

City officials and El Centro representatives tried to hammer out a compromise during a recent closed-door meeting but made little progress.

"What (El Centro is) asking the city to do is sanction illegal activity," Wallace said. "We need to keep in mind that if most of these workers weren't here illegally, they would be seeking jobs through normal channels."

Former City Councilwoman Nadine Caldwell echoed that sentiment.

"We don't feel like this is going to make our community a more desirable place to live," said the longtime Old Aurora resident.

But others in the art district support the concept.

"It's obviously a service that is needed," said Jeff Ball, president of the East End Artists Association. "It's important we don't act out of fear. In my experience, nothing good comes out of fear."

Many in Old Aurora complain that the city is doing little to solve the problem.

Fearing civil-rights lawsuits, the city has taken a hands-off approach unless the laborers are caught breaking laws, city officials said.

"It is difficult for us to do our job because we're accused of being racist and profiling," said Aurora police officer Tim Huffman, a neighborhood resource officer.

Ordinances proposed

Last month, Wallace wrote to U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., to urge increased immigration enforcement near Dayton and Colfax.

El Centro's supporters fired back, saying it's the workers who need protection from unscrupulous employers who are shorting them pay.

El Centro's legal staff files lawsuits annually to recover pay owed to laborers, Ji said, and a good portion of cases are from Aurora.

Meanwhile, Wallace has proposed two ordinances: One would encourage employers to pay fair wages, and the other would ban day-labor centers within 1,500 feet of each other. There are two temporary employment agencies in Old Aurora now.

Ji said the latter proposal is unconstitutional.

"The city is trying to make it illegal to even pick up day laborers off the street," she said. "There could be some civil liberties violations here."

Wallace responded: "They're trying to force the city to give them a building for a day-labor center," she said. "They have a nice setup in Denver, but Denver and Aurora are two different places.

"We're not going to continue to allow (laborers) to freely stand around blocking people trying to walk on the sidewalks or swarming a truck in oncoming traffic," she added. "Somebody is going to get hurt, and then we'll be criticized for not doing more to prevent problems.

"We're standing firm."

washingtonam@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5086

The facility in Denver

El Centro Humanitarian Center for Workers

* Opened: 2002

* Where: former car wash on California Street and Park Avenue West in Five Points.

$500,000 primarily from foundations is the annual budget.

* Description: One of 39 day-labor centers in the country that matches immigrants with employers and requires employers to leave contact information and pay at least $10 an hour.

* The nonprofit center also offers computer and English classes and job training.

• May 13, 2008

  6:24 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  Mexican President Felipe Calderon thinks to make a joke of the fact that he has friends and relatives here in the USA illegally. But the fact is he and his country have nothing to offer anyone, so everyone is trying to leave. That makes him and his country the joke. He can laugh all he wants at us Americans, but in reality, it is the lack of success and the failure of the mexican government that has his people flocking to the United States of America.

  If this President had any pride at all, he would be doing what he could for his people, making them proud to be Mexicans IN MEXICO, but NO, instead he is saying that Americans should pass immigration amnesty for HIS people, making them Americans, NOT Mexicans. Who is the joke really on Mr. Calderon? I’d say it is on you…

  No pride for his country, no pride in his people, nothing to offer anyone, what else is there but mass exodus? What a pathetic excuse for a president!

• May 13, 2008

  6:25 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  Arizona authorities on Sunday found 53 illegal immigrants in a Phoenix home being held against their will by suspected smugglers demanding more money for their release.
  http://www.azcentral.com/news articles/2008/05/11/20080511drophouse-ON.html

• May 13, 2008

  6:28 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — A suspected illegal immigrant has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who later gave birth in eastern Idaho.
  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,3...

• May 13, 2008

  6:30 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  According to Phoenix police, 42-year-old Rudolfo Benito Alvarez-Rubio and 22-year-old Omar Andres Jimenez were found driving a stolen car hours after the pastor reported it stolen.
  http://www.azcentral.com/news/article...

• May 13, 2008

  6:31 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  Hundreds arrested in Iowa immigration raid,"many of the plant workers are Hispanic, mostly from Mexico and Guatemala"
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2...

  Yea, its a start keep up the good work! nICE!

• May 13, 2008

  6:40 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  Nothing to see here folks this is just apart of their proud culture and rich rich heritage. Ours is not to judge. All cultures are equal. Lets just continue to sit back and bask in the glow knowing diversity has been honored.LOL

• May 13, 2008

  7:42 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  roger44 writes:

  Bottom line, if they are illegal, get them out.

• May 13, 2008

  8:18 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  HumanBeans writes:

  (((((((((((((( W A R N I N G ))))))))))))))
  Don't EVER get hit by an ILLEGAL Alien!
  When an ILLEGAL ALIEN crashes into you, a whole new WORLD of PROBLEMS opens up:

  1). He has NO Drivers License
  2). He has NO Tags on the truck - often not even his truck
  3). He has NO Insurance
  4). He has NO ID on him - Identity is unknown, or can't be verified
  5). He speaks NO English, so conversation is IMPOSSIBLE
  6). He often RUNS away, so you have NO idea who hit you
  7). If injured, Hospital DEMANDS your Insurance Provider, while ILLEGALS flash an AHCCCS card
  8). Doctors DEMAND your co-pay up front, ILLEGALS don't have a co-pay - it's FREE
  9). Eventually, you EAT the deductible and your "uninsured motorist" premium increases.

• May 13, 2008

  9:18 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  imatco writes:

  Help me understand "One of 39 day-labor centers in the country that matches immigrants with employers and requires employers to leave contact information and pay at least $10 an hour".
  Federal wage is 5.85 - so if your illegal you get an advocate for better pay? DON'T employ anyone without a government issued ID, SS card, birth certs, marriage license - all this should match!

• May 13, 2008

  9:25 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  happymike44 writes:

  Been hit by a uninsured motorist both one was a illegal immigrant and the other an old african american woman who told the police she would pay for damages.Yeah sure the cop let her drive away because she was a old woman.My insurance both times refused to pay for my losses even when I did have uninsured motorist.Then because I made the claim I got a bill from them my rate went up three times normal.I obeyed the law and had to pay for all my damages.Lucky me the other parties went to the hospital where their bills were paid for by us the taxpayers.Where was this fair to me.In one case I had to ride a bike to work for three months so I could save to buy a new car.By the way did I mention the cops laughed at me all the time.Then let both people go,why because how was I supposed to know that the photo copy of that was a fake.Dah I knew the minute I looked at it was a fake.So maybe if I had a box of donuts in the car it might have come out different.Also did I mention the nice old woman's family threatened me with death.If I had called her and harassed her it would have been a hate crime.Think it was fair,I think not.With a little bit of karma maybe she will get hit by a person like herself and get a bit of her own medicine.

• May 13, 2008

  10:14 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  airbornebigfoot writes:

  where are the ICE agents we taxpayers have to support?
  I thought enforcement of existing immigration laws were supposed
  to be their job?
  if a lousy reporter from the RMN can view this activity,
  where are the the I.C.E. agents?

• May 13, 2008

  10:17 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  LamboMan writes:

  Super, I can call it a day now that mike has enlightened us with yet another riveting chapter of his life.

• May 13, 2008

  10:40 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Mikey writes:

  Heck, forget ICE agents, if you want to help clean this up yourself just go get a truckload of them and drop by the local police station and start honking your horn. No arrests I'm sure, but it sure is fun watching them scatter.

• May 13, 2008

  11:54 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  redwhiteandBLUE writes:

  yes! Aurora must stand firm...It'll be a power struggle with El Centro and all the organizations that are for all the illegals.
  If you're not careful..five points will be another little Mexico and we'll lose our historic black heritage.
  Ethel's house of soul recently retired and I wouldn't be surprised if it's already a panderia or a taqeria! 5 points cannot let that happen. Keep it historical!

• May 13, 2008

  12:43 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  sheepherder writes:

  That is one reason I no longer will step foot in Aurora. The whole Colfax corridor is now hispanic, even the writing on the windows is in Espanol. They have taken the area over, and they can have it! Aurora is a hole, and getting worse by the day.

• May 13, 2008

  1:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  happymike44 writes:

  Hey Lamboman
  Wow I did not think anyone was paying me any attention.Thanks for noticing that what I try to put out is what happens in the average persons life.I just think these guy need to go back to mexico.Why because when I lived in so cal for awhile they used to mug the kids waiting for the bus.The parents went down one morning and beat the stuffing out of that scarecrow.Guess who was arrested and jailed.Not the illegals who had done the mugging that's for sure.Also would come out of the hills and break in and eat all the food and ust the hot tub to bathe in.That is why I left California.Guess when I move next time I will pick a smaller town a little north of denver.Send these people home and stop the invading mexican army while we still can.

• May 13, 2008

  5:29 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  lookingbelowthesurface writes:

  Thus far, the only thing these "commentors" have proven is that the media is a powerful tool used to propel racism (as shown in Humanbean's ridiculous attempt to make Mexican Americans look bad) should I attach five links about white men who have performed the same types of crimes?...If you would like me to I could. Every single American living in this country has a family member that at one time or another immigrated to this country, and believe it or not your ancestors where met with the same opposition that many so ignorantly put against Mexican/South American immigrants. We have rights in this country that apply to everyone who is here, no questions asked. By the way not all of the day laborers that the reporter is talking about are illegal...perhaps those who left comments before me should have read with a bit more attention to detail.

• May 13, 2008

  7:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  happymike44 writes:

  Lets stop coddling these criminals.I will tell you what needs to happen is to grab the illegals and I mean all of them put them on a plane and ship the back.The other thing is if in this country illegally seize their property.Then sell it to help pay for their use of all of our services.Seems the other thing we forgot how about using suspected terrorist to get rid of them.

• May 13, 2008

  7:47 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  happymike44 writes:

  Lets stop coddling these criminals.I will tell you what needs to happen is to grab the illegals and I mean all of them put them on a plane and ship the back.The other thing is if in this country illegally seize their property.Then sell it to help pay for their use of all of our services.Seems the other thing we forgot how about using suspected terrorist to get rid of them.