Backlash in the heartland
The young woman climbed into a van with a man she had paid $6,500 to take her out of El Salvador and smuggle her into the United States.
Destination? Columbus, where her brothers settled a few years ago to work.
Maria's journey began just after immigration reform imploded in Congress.
She crossed undetected in July 2007 and quickly learned that her new way of life is full of contradictions.
She and others working here illegally can pay into Social Security but can't collect benefits if they are disabled, retire or die.
They can collect workers' compensation benefits if they are injured on the job but can't legally work.
They can play the lottery but can't collect jackpots.
They can open a bank account but can't take out a home mortgage without valid identification.
They can buy a car and register it but can't have a driver's license.
"I knew it would be that way before I came," Maria said. "But one comes with the hope that she can find a way to enter the world of opportunities."
After a year in Columbus, the 25-year-old immigrant has yet to settle comfortably. She knows little English, has no savings and isn't sure whom to trust if she's in trouble.
"There are some things that you don't even ask, because you're afraid," she said.
Maria asked The Dispatch not to use her full name or identify her employer for fear of retribution. Like other Latinos living in Ohio illegally - as many as 145,000 - she worries that any encounter with a stranger could lead to deportation.
Consider what has happened in the past year:
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has increased the number of agents in Ohio from eight to more than 40.
Across the country, more than 60 local law-enforcement agencies, including the Butler County sheriff's office north of Cincinnati, have received special training from ICE to enforce federal immigration laws. Before 2007, only eight agencies were certified.
Someone anonymously called the television show America's Most Wanted and claimed that a notorious Latino criminal lived in a South Side house. The tip led to a raid and deportations. None of the Latinos were on a most-wanted list. Police suspect a neighbor pulled the stunt.
Federal agents deported Maria's brother this year after he was picked up for driving drunk in central Ohio.
Advocates for stricter enforcement applaud the new climate.
"They've had their way for so long. Now there's some growing opposition," said Steve Salvi, a northeastern Ohio paralegal who runs a Web site on the ills of illegal immigration. "They need to respect our laws."
Advocates for immigrants' rights, however, aren't clapping.
"This encourages racial profiling," said Virginia Martinez, attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "It's part of that 'Let's get ''em' attitude. Many of the people here don't have a criminal record. They're here without papers, and that's it."
Immigrants find themselves in the political crosshairs in a new fight over their presence - this time, involving proposed state laws.
One Ohio bill calls for making English the official state language. Another seeks to give local police power to investigate immigration violations.
The most far-reaching bill, sponsored by state Rep. Courtney E. Combs, calls for all people - including U.S. citizens - looking for a job, rental house, college education or routine medical checkup to prove they live here legally.
Among other things, the bill seeks to penalize employers who hire illegal workers, bar poor teenagers without visas from tax-funded benefits such as routine medical care, and jail people who house or transport immigrants living here illegally.
Gov. Ted Strickland, a former U.S. representative, worries about the consequences of a patchwork of state laws aimed at driving away immigrants.
"This is an issue that cries out for a federal solution so there can be consistency," Strickland said. "We can't have 50 different sets of laws."
To date, lawmakers have paid little attention to Combs' bill, but last spring, other immigration bills suddenly were put on the path to law.
"This focus is misdirected," said Ezra C. Escudero, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, a state office that advises the legislature and governor on issues affecting the Latino community. "Ohio faces too many other challenges. Why do we want to scare so many people away?"
Combs disagrees. "We need to recognize illegal immigration is a problem. The longer it goes, the worse it gets. We're just getting overrun," the Butler County Republican said.
The fates of Combs, Escudero and the immigrant, Maria, now are intertwined in the larger political battle, which could affect daily life for all Ohioans.
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Topic: Tougher enforcement turns up heat on illegal immigrants! (Read 1368 times)