Workers welcomed as long as they’re legal

Mesa resident Jerry Gillespie eats Mexican food almost every day and says he enjoys Mexican culture — yet he thinks a wall should be erected along the border.

The 55-year-old has traveled to Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador. He speaks Spanish, and he said he believes Hispanics have had a positive influence on Mesa, which has seen its Hispanic population grow faster than any other East Valley city.

But even though a large influx of Hispanic immigrants does not upset him, the fact that many enter the country illegally does. In fact, Gillespie just fired his landscaper over suspicions that the landscaper hires illegal immigrants.

“I’m for following the path that is already there for becoming citizens,” Gillespie said. “Millions of people have followed that path and they’ve gotten here fine. It doesn’t have anything to do with race.”

His views seem to reflect the collective opinion of Mesa residents, according to a Tribune poll.

Most believe Hispanics have had a positive impact on the city in general and in their neighborhood.

Of 401 registered Mesa voters polled, 206, or 51.4 percent, said they believe Hispanics have had a positive impact on Mesa’s culture. Eighty respondents, or 19.9 percent, said they believe Hispanics have negatively influenced Mesa’s culture. Another 115 people, or 28.7 percent, refused to answer or said Hispanics have had a neutral impact.

In all, 93 percent also agree that foreign workers should be allowed to work in the U.S. as long as they do so legally.

“The United States was built on immigrants,” said 35-year-old Barbara Carroll, a poll participant. “Nobody here except the Native Americans are original. Everyone else is an immigrant.”

But while the poll seemed to suggest acceptance of the Hispanic culture, it also showed that most respondents feel strongly about cracking down on illegal immigration.

Fifty-five percent support granting local agencies, such as Mesa police, the authority to conduct random document checks. In addition, respondents overwhelmingly said they support tougher sanctions against employers who hire illegal immigrants.

“The federal (officials) can be everywhere, but the locals have their regular city forces,” said 80-year-old Melvin Jones, a poll participant. “They should be able to protect our community.”

While Mesa voters generally agreed there should be more enforcement along the border, a majority opposed building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The poll was conducted for the Tribune by Behavior Research Center on April 27 and 28. The margin of error is plus or minus five percentage points. It asked questions on everything from immigration to the upcoming property tax vote.

The questions were asked in response to the ongoing national debate about illegal immigration. With several new laws being proposed both at the national and state level to address illegal immigration, hundreds of thousands of Latinos have taken to the streets in pro-immigration marches and national boycotts against American companies.

“What I take away from this is that the operative word is ‘legal,’ ” said Jim Haynes, president and CEO of the Behavior Research Center.

“From an overall standpoint, I’d say the voters of Mesa don’t have a problem with legal immigration from south of the border. They believe the culture of the community has been enhanced by the influx of Hispanics.”

Haynes pointed out that the poll results seem to suggest more of an openness to change than perhaps what might be expected.

“When you think of the stereotype of Mesa being the cradle of conservatism around here, I see much more lenient attitudes toward immigration and toward Hispanics, especially as long as it’s legal,” he said.

But some of the poll results also seem to suggest voters are torn on the issue.

When asked whether the Hispanic community has had a positive or negative impact on the overall quality of life, voters were evenly split.

One-third say Hispanics have had a positive impact on quality of life in the city, while another one-third said Hispanics have had a negative impact on the quality life.

The remaining respondents either did not know the impact or thought the Hispanic presence has had a neutral effect on the quality of life.

Haynes said he thought the poll results reflect an overall “befuddlement” that most people feel toward immigration.

Others who live in the city don’t think the results suggest an openness toward Latinos.

Napoleón Pisaño, a Mesa resident and a member of both the Mesa Association

of Hispanic Citizens and the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, said he found the results to be somewhat contradictory and condescending.

While residents claim to embrace the culture, they also seem to agree with granting police the authority to check for documentation.

Such a thing would essentially lead to racial profiling, he said.

“I think that leads toward a police state,” Pisaño said. “I don’t want to be questioned when I go downtown . . . . and I know I would be profiled because I am dark-skinned and I look like a Mexican.”