ORANGE The City Council voted 4-0 on Tuesday to back two resolutions supporting Arizona's hotly debated immigration-reform bill.
The council's decisions to declare Orange a Rule of Law city and to officially support the residents and businesses of Arizona in their efforts stem the flow of illegal immigrants followed two hours of impassioned but civil debate among public speakers.
Raymond Herrera, 60, founder of We The People, waves an Arizona flag outside Orange City Hall in support of a city resolution that backs Arizona's stance to curb illegal immigration.
Supporters said it was necessary to show where Orange stands on an important national issue and to show support for the people of Arizona, while opponents called the action offensive, divisive and a waste of time since the resolution will not change how Orange handles immigration issues.
"I would really like for our City Council to memorialize that we not only support the good folks of Arizona but that we also support that they are doing something about illegal immigration," said Councilman Jon Dumitru, who introduced the two measures partly because illegal immigration has contributed to the city's budget deficit.
In Arizona, the law, when it takes effect in July, calls for officers, when practicable, to ask about a person's legal status when there is reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.
Dumitru, whose father emigrated to the U.S. from the former Yugoslavia, said it's not an issue of race.
"I don't care about where you come from, I only care if you are here legally," he said. "Illegal immigration is a slap in the face to all those who have come here legally."
Orange backs Arizona's immigration stance | arizona, orange, city - News - The Orange County Register
The council's decisions to declare Orange a Rule of Law city and to officially support the residents and businesses of Arizona in their efforts stem the flow of illegal immigrants followed two hours of impassioned but civil debate among public speakers.
Raymond Herrera, 60, founder of We The People, waves an Arizona flag outside Orange City Hall in support of a city resolution that backs Arizona's stance to curb illegal immigration.
Supporters said it was necessary to show where Orange stands on an important national issue and to show support for the people of Arizona, while opponents called the action offensive, divisive and a waste of time since the resolution will not change how Orange handles immigration issues.
"I would really like for our City Council to memorialize that we not only support the good folks of Arizona but that we also support that they are doing something about illegal immigration," said Councilman Jon Dumitru, who introduced the two measures partly because illegal immigration has contributed to the city's budget deficit.
In Arizona, the law, when it takes effect in July, calls for officers, when practicable, to ask about a person's legal status when there is reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally.
Dumitru, whose father emigrated to the U.S. from the former Yugoslavia, said it's not an issue of race.
"I don't care about where you come from, I only care if you are here legally," he said. "Illegal immigration is a slap in the face to all those who have come here legally."
Orange backs Arizona's immigration stance | arizona, orange, city - News - The Orange County Register
