Few immigrants in town, but concern aplenty

SANDWICH -- This quintessential Cape Cod town, with its pristine historic Main Street, and its gardens lined with day lilies, would seem an unlikely arena for battle in the pitched national debate over immigration. Locals say they don't see all that many immigrants in Sandwich.

Still, at a recent meeting, Selectman Douglas Dexter made a departure from the board's usual town issues , such as pushing for more local aid or policing unruly teenagers on the beaches, to sound an alarm.

``It is very clear that our country is now in the midst of one of the greatest threats to its existence in our history," he said. ``There are millions of criminal aliens invading our cities and towns and destroying the social services and legal systems of our communities."

To respond to that threat, he proposed the town be declared ``not a sanctuary for illegal aliens," and that the bylaws be amended to impose a $1,000 fine on a business for every undocumented immigrant in its employ. It was unanimously approved by selectmen.

With officials frustrated at the pace of immigration reform in Washington, communities around Massachusetts are taking it upon themselves to enact ordinances and resolutions to make their cities more or less welcoming for undocumented immigrants.

But what is striking in Sandwich is that the resolution is being advanced even with few immigrants in the town.

The resolution must be approved at a Town Meeting this fall and is likely to conflict with federal immigration law.

The proposal has been met with puzzlement from local residents, who question why town officials are involving themselves in the issue, when there are more pressing matters in Sandwich, such as how the town is going to fix up old school buildings. Elsewhere on the Cape, people ask whether Sandwich town fathers have overlooked a reality on much of the Cape -- the economy is running in part on immigrant labor.

Some Hyannis residents say the proposal reflects the more conservative bent of Sandwich, which one Hyannis business owner termed ``snootier" than many places on the Cape.

Some locals on Main Street last week said this town of 22,000 should not try to solve the nation's immigration problem.

``We have far too many things to pay for in this town besides that," said Heidi Arnold , proprietor of McDonald's Sandwich Crafters, when asked about Dexter's initiative. ``They should straighten out our budget. And we've got an awful lot of buildings falling down. I don't see a lot of immigrants in town."

While Sandwich's immigrants account for just 3 percent of the town's population, the Cape overall has grown reliant on immigrant labor over the last decade, as cities and towns have expanded and the population has aged. The year-round workforce of 100,000 swells to 125,000 during the summer season, which now runs from spring vacation to Columbus Day, said Wendy Northcross , CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. About 6,000 of those workers are foreign-born and employed under temporary guest-worker visas, she said.

Business owners say thousands of undocumented immigrants are employed in the restaurants and home improvement businesses, particularly in areas like Hyannis, which has attracted many Brazilian immigrants.

``If you passed a law like that in Hyannis, there would be nobody working here," said Gail Peterson , owner of Carreiro Florist in Hyannis. ``Without foreign help, the Cape doesn't function."

Randy Hunt , a CPA and chairman of the town's Board of Selectmen, said he sees the effect of undocumented immigrants in his work. His clients include business owners from all over the Cape who say they cannot compete with those who employ undocumented immigrants, because their lower overheads mean they can outbid them for jobs.

``It's in every town," he said.

Hunt said he was stung by accusations that the Board of Selectmen, composed of five white Republican men, is xenophobic: Dexter was careful to target only undocumented immigrants, and his motion includes a message of welcome for those who came to the country legally. Hunt also said that, given the reality that enforcing immigration laws is a federal responsibility, the motion was ``more of a symbolic gesture, to say, `Hey, federal government, we're impatient with your inaction, and we'd like to see something done.' "

Still, some Sandwich residents appear to have little tolerance for even a symbolic gesture.

``I don't see illegal immigrants here," said Jim Arnold , a locksmith. ``They're barking up the wrong tree."

``From what I understand, the law will have no validity," said Jonathan Shaw , 68, who lives on Main Street in a house that has been in his family since it was built in 1857. ``I'm not aware of any problem with undocumented immigrants in Sandwich. The vast immigration to this country has been of concern to me as a citizen of this country, but not as a citizen of Sandwich."

Although a Massachusetts law says it is unlawful for an employer to knowingly hire any undocumented immigrant, some immigration specialists say that law was superseded by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 , which makes imposing sanctions on employers a federal responsibility.

Visiting a friend at Town Hall, Phyllis McCawley marveled that cities and towns are involving themselves in the federal issue of immigration at all.

``I never saw it as a problem in town, and I'm sort of ancient," said the 81-year-old. ``I thought it strange that Cambridge declared itself a sanctuary city. It's a whole new world opening up."

At the Dan'l Webster Inn & Spa, owner Steve Catania has hired guest workers from Jamaica and Nepal for kitchen and housekeeping work for the season. He says he is careful not to hire undocumented immigrants, but that he knows others do. He said he thought Dexter and the other selectmen are trying to get a discussion going on the issue, ``to get people talking."

Immigrant advocates accused the selectmen of grandstanding.

Bennett Jaffee , an immigration attorney with South Coastal Counties Legal Services, said Dexter's statements were ``inflammatory and inaccurate and bear no relation to reality."

``It's a misplaced use of resources," he said of the proposal. ``And it's probably unconstitutional anyway."

In Hyannis, where immigrants from Central and South America were walking and working on bustling Main Street last week, business owners were more concerned about the Sandwich proposal.

``We have no way of knowing if the papers are good," said Felis Barreiro , owner of Alberto's Ristorante. ``The people I hire have documents. But I don't want to be the police. They look real."

Federal law does not require employers to verify the authenticity of documents from foreign-born employees. But they can participate in a voluntary program to check the validity of their Social Security numbers.

``I doubt we'll have that law here [in Hyannis]," said Heather Macheras , an immigrant from England who owns the Seaside Selections gift shop. ``I'm sure most employers are extra careful when they're hiring, but we need all the help we can get, and I'm sure the temptation is to turn a blind eye to get through the season."

Some Hyannis business owners said the law is being considered in Sandwich because people there are ``a little snootier," said Peterson, the florist.

``But those are the same people who will moan and groan because they have nobody to wait on them," she said.