Hispanics discuss Prop. 200

Hispanic leaders said Friday a combination of economic fears and lack of information resulted in at least one out of every four Hispanics voting for Proposition 200.

Rep. Ben Miranda, DPhoenix, said people "vote their pocketbooks.’’ He said many Hispanics believe those who cross the border illegally are willing to work for less, depressing wages for everyone else.

On the other side of the economic coin, Miranda said people see illegal immigrants as "a drain on public services,’’ including crowding schools.

Alfredo Gutierrez, chairman of the Statue of Liberty Coalition, which fought the initiative, said Hispanics voted for the initiative because they have "the same frustrations as the majority community.’’ Gutierrez said people in lowwage jobs are particularly afraid that illegal entrants are going to put them out of work.

"There’s this economic competition that’s very real,’’ he said.

"You have a building that’s being cleaned by citizens and legal residents, and a ruthless contractor comes in and underbids because they’re going to use undocumenteds, and they’re going to work them 10 hours a day,’’ Gutierrez explained. He said the contractor can get away with that because employees fear that a complaint will lead to a call to immigration authorities.

Janet Murguia, executive director of the National Council of La Raza, said "there’s no data’’ to support the belief that those not here legally depress wages or take jobs from legal residents. "As long as there’s a need for a labor force that’s going to fill very difficult and challenging jobs . . . we’re never going to know the answer to that question.’’

But she said there is frustration with illegal immigration and a belief that Proposition 200, which deals with residency requirements for "public services’’ and identification to register and vote, actually would do something about illegal immigration.

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, D-District 5 of Phoenix, agreed, saying some people believed Proposition 200 would lead to a guest worker program.

Gutierrez also said it is wrong to see the Hispanic community as automatically sympathizing with border crossers. He said there are deep cultural and even language differences.

Anita Luera, a vice president at Valle del Sol, a social service agency, said that on the surface, things like requiring identification to vote make sense to many people. But what voters did not understand is that these rules will be enforced by "everyday bureaucrats’’ who might let their own biases lead them to single out all Hispanics for special scrutiny.