Jan 31, 2008 1:51 pm US/Eastern
Suffolk Proposes Crackdown On Illegal Immigrants
HAUPPAUGE (AP) ―
An advocate for Long Island's immigrant community decried a proposal Thursday that would require construction companies to prove their employees are legally eligible to work in the United States.
The proposal is the latest effort by the Suffolk County Legislature to address local concerns about the influx of undocumented workers -- many from Mexico and Central America -- in the past decade or so.
County Executive Steve Levy, an advocate for a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants, estimates that of the county's 1.5 million population, 40,000 are illegal aliens.
First-term legislator Brian Beedenbender, who was an aide to Levy, is proposing a measure that would require the county's 15,000 licensed contractors -- home builders, electricians, plumbers and others -- to document their workers' legal status. Violators would lose their licenses under the proposal, which is subject to a series of public hearings before the Legislature votes.
Suffolk is the first county in the state to consider such a proposal, according to Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties.
Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, called the proposal a "step in the wrong direction" that would harm small business owners in the county.
"Our community's small business owners cannot afford to act as immigration agents," he said in a statement. "Forcing business owners to do the work that the federal government should be doing means more costs, projects take more time, and more delays."
The proposal follows legislation enacted in 2006 that requires any company with a contract doing business with Suffolk County government -- estimated to be about 6,000 businesses -- to verify their employees are in the United States legally.
Levy said only one business was cited for violating that law last year.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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