Groups join to fight illegal immigration

The alliance is a sign of the growing network these groups are forming in the wake of several high profile battles over immigration issues around the metropolitan area.

‘‘Obviously the illegal immigration issue is not just one that affects one locality. It affects a number of localities around the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area,” said Greg Letiecq, executive director of Save the Old Dominion, an umbrella organization for anti-illegal immigration groups in Virginia with about 3,000 members.

Much of Save the Old Dominion’s focus has been on Prince William County, Va., where county supervisors last year passed a resolution to curb illegal immigrants’ access to public services and use local police to enforce immigration laws.

‘‘We understand that this could create some challenges for folks in Fairfax or Loudoun County or even Montgomery County, which is seen as a more welcoming place for illegal immigrants,” Letiecq said.

The alliance marks an effort to establish a higher profile for the organizations, which are seeking to educate the public about the consequences of government policies that pay for day laborer centers and extend other public benefits to illegal immigrants, said Letiecq, of Manassas, Va.

Organizers hope to ‘‘look at more traditional public policy” advocacy through news conferences and by publishing policy position papers, he said. The alliance is getting support from Judicial Watch, a conservative Washington government watchdog organization.

The alliance will help coordinate efforts to stop illegal immigration, said Brad Botwin, director of Help Save Maryland, a group opposing illegal immigration.

‘‘We’d obviously like to have what’s happening in Prince William County, Va., happening here rather than this Band-Aid process [that] Montgomery County has instead of trying to address this problem directly,” said Botwin, of Derwood.

Kim Propeack, a lobbyist for immigrant advocacy group Casa of Maryland, is skeptical about the alliance’s goals.

‘‘They’re already communicating regionally and nationally and coordinating regionally and nationally,” Propeack said. ‘‘I don’t see how a launch of a regional coalition makes much of a difference.”

High-profile issues such as the Prince William County decision and Montgomery County’s decision to open a day laborer center on Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville have galvanized opposition groups in recent months.

It has also resulted in what Propeack called ‘‘the continuing degradation in the level of civility and tone” during hearings on immigration-related bills in Annapolis during the 2008 General Assembly, which concluded last week.

Among the bills heard in Annapolis was legislation aimed at barring counties and municipalities from passing laws giving legal sanctuary to illegal immigrants and bills to require proof of legal presence in order to get a driver’s license or state identification card.

Advocates on both sides of the issue agree that the hearings were highly charged with emotion.

‘‘The disrespect that was shown to constituents by the delegates was just appalling,” said Matt Seubert, a member of Help Save Maryland from Germantown.

Members of Help Save Maryland accused Del. Victor R. Ramirez of ‘‘race baiting” by asking questions about whether he looked like someone who could be taken off the streets under bills aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. Ramirez (D-Dist. 47) of Mount Rainier was born in El Salvador.

Race has, at times, become the issue, he said.

Different views ‘‘are the American way,” he said. ‘‘But there has come times when the dialogue has become, in my opinion, very, very angry and hateful toward Hispanics. It’s more than just an issue. It’s driven by fears, xenophobia.”

Proponents of the enforcement measures screamed and cursed at legislators, Propeack said.

‘‘I think that some of the nationally coordinated promotion by anti-immigrant special interest groups has sort of released what I would identify as a lunatic fringe,” she said.

Members of Help Save Maryland say they are not against immigrants, just illegal immigration.

‘‘I finally think that public officials both nationally and here in Maryland are being held accountable for their policies,” Seubert said. ‘‘It’s just nonsensical. ... At a time when wages are down and people are out of work the last thing we need are illegal aliens taking jobs from Americans.”

In March, such feelings boiled over for one member of Help Save Maryland. Walter C. Abbott, a 44-year-old construction worker from Parkville who had testified on several immigration-related bills before the legislature, posted a threatening e-mail to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Web site.

In a six-page letter that included his name and address, Abbott said he lost his drywall business because illegal immigrants were doing the work in the Baltimore area for half the cost. He accused O’Malley (D) of supporting illegal immigration.

He also wrote, that ‘‘If I would ever get close enough to you I would like to wrap my hands around your neck and choke the life out of you, you piece of [expletive] American sellout.”

Within hours state police were at his home. They arrested and charged Abbott with threatening a public official. He has been on home detention since March 21.

Abbott said he has sent letters and made calls to many state elected officials, but never got more than a form letter in response.

‘‘Mainly I was venting my frustrations and also I was hoping [O’Malley] would meet with me,” said Abbott, who said he threatened to choke O’Malley only because he believed he would never get close enough to do so.

One of the bills Abbott testified in favor of would allow citizens to file a complaint seeking suspension, removal or impeachment of a state official who acted in a way that violated federal immigration laws.

‘‘[O’Malley] just thinks he’s above the law and doesn’t have to obey the Constitution,” he said.

Help Save Maryland members are circulating an e-mail calling on supporters to give to a defense fund for Abbott, saying that his First Amendment rights were being violated because he was not a credible threat to O’Malley.

‘‘Is he the poster boy for the group? No,” Botwin said of Abbott. ‘‘Is the poster boy for the whole cause? No. But he’s just a man who’s getting desperate.”

Immigration issues that show no sign of going away saw little resolved for either side of the debate in Annapolis this year.

The proof of legal residency, sanctuary ban and impeachment bills all received unfavorable reports from the House Judiciary Committee.

Immigration advocates also failed to get $1 million in funding for an initiative that would establish citizenship support centers around the state to offer courses and legal assistance to immigrants seeking to become citizens.

Casa representatives met with officials in O’Malley’s office this week to discuss how state agencies could ‘‘move forward with components of the initiative,” Propeack said.

Casa is also exploring ways to get in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants without legislation.

‘‘We very much believe that Board of Regents, for example, could be changing their tuition policy right now. So we look forward to having that conversation with them.”

Bills that would have prevented the state university system’s Board of Regents from offering in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants died in committee.

Casa scored a victory in receiving $1 million from the state to renovate the McCormick-Goodhart Mansion in Langley Park for the Casa Multicultural Center. The center will provide space for several nonprofit organizations providing educational, work force and leadership development and other services to immigrants and ethnic minorities when it opens next year.

The 2009 agenda for anti-illegal immigrant groups will look a lot like their 2008 priorities.

‘‘No. 1 has got to be the driver’s license issue,” Botwin said. ‘‘We are sticking out like a sore thumb.”

Maryland is one of seven states that do not require licensed drivers to prove their legal status. O’Malley has pledged that Maryland will comply with the federal Real ID law that requires proof of legal residency to get a driver’s license. But the state has been granted an extension until 2010 to comply with the law.

The state is dealing with immigration issues ‘‘across the board,” Ramirez said. ‘‘Because one way or another we’re just kind of piece-mealing and putting Band-Aids on the issues where the federal government hasn’t shown any leadership.”