Illegal Immigration Control

League of Women Voters^®
of Escondido

The Escondido City Council is considering measures to control illegal immigration. A measure requiring Escondido landlords to verify the immigrant status of tenants was passed by a divided council in 2006 and made national headlines. The measure was later invalidated by court action. The Council has followed this action by considering other measures which are aimed at immigrants: day laborer restrictions and overnight parking.

Escondido Ordinances to Control Illegal Immigration. Detail Stories. Opinion.

Escondido Ordinances to Control Illegal Immigration

The national debate on immigration has had a distinct local aspect in the City of Escondido. A significant portion of the Escondido population, perhaps as much as 30%, is composed of recent immigrants, the majority of whom are undocumented. This reality, when combined with the national debate on the subject, has sharply divided the city.
The majority of non-Hispanics living in Escondido appear to be resentful of the degree to which recent immigrants necessitate public services, increase crime, deflate property values and contribute toward lower-performing schools.
Local Hispanics, many of whom have been in California for generations, together with many other non-Hispanics, regard the attitudes described above to be essentially racist and contrary to the modern American tolerance for diversity. While acknowledging the failures of immigration policy at the national level, they nonetheless note that the majority of Escondido immigrants are hard working, family-oriented people, and that their work efforts contribute to the overall well being of the community.
The divergence of these attitudes are reflected two measures considered by the Escondido City Council. A measure requiring Escondido landlords to verify the immigrant status of tenants was passed by a divided council in 2006 and made national headlines. The measure was later invalidated by court action. The Council has followed this action by considering other measures which are aimed at immigrants: day laborer restrictions and overnight parking.

Detail Stories

Mar 2008 Escondido council deadlocks on scaled-back parking law - North County Times
Feb 2008 Escondido upbeat about possible day-labor restrictions - North County Times
Feb 2008 Schwarzenegger wants to keep National Guard at the border - North County Times
Feb 2008 Escondido criminal illegal immigrant sweep the first of its kind - North County Times
Dec 2007 Gallo proposes ordinance targeting day laborers - North County Times
Dec 2007 Immigration 2007: Congress' failure to act did not end immigration debate - North County Times
Dec 2007 Escondido simplifies overnight parking draft - North County Times
Nov 2007 Bilbray bill proposes stricter immigration enforcement - North County Times
Sep 2007 Report estimates county's illegal immigrant cost at $256 million in 2006 - North County Times
Aug 2007 cities get at illegal immigrants through cars - USA Today
Aug 2007 Critics, council disagree on parking-ordinance motive - North County Times
May 2007 Escondido's plans to restrict overnight parking criticized, defended - North County Times
Mar 2007 Escondido police chief against immigration officers at checkpoints - North County Times
Mar 2007 Escondido councilman upset over 'divisive' art exhibit on illegal immigration - North County Times
Mar 2007 Escondido council supports residential parking restrictions - North County Times
Jan 2007 Foreign language speakers on the rise locally, nationally - North County Times
Dec 2006 Escondido scuttles rental law - North County Times
Nov 2006 Judge blocks Escondido's rental law - North County Times
Oct 2006 Bilbray supports Escondido rental ban - North County Times
Aug 2006 Escondido votes to draft ban on renting to illegal immigrants - North County Times

Opinion

Dec 2007 Ordinance to ban day laborers is another ruse in local immigration wars - North County Times
Sep 2007 Bilbray-Horn: Feds must foot bill for illegal immigration - North County Times
Aug 2006 Letters to the Editor - North County Times
Jul 2006 Letters to the editor - North County Times
Jul 2006 Editorial - Escondido saved from itself - North County Times

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: July 8, 2008 22:46 PDT.