PVCC Puma Press: October 2004

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	Photo by Scott Martin
	Migrant workers in Palomino, mostly illegal aliens, gather daily at Macehaulli Work Center looking for day labor and money.
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The following is part one of three-part series focused on the controversy surrounding the Macehualli Work Center. The next two parts will be in-depth looks at both sides of this divisive issue. Part two will focus on the views of people who oppose the work center, while part three will focus on the views of those who support it.

“Nobody cares about these people,” says Salvador Reza, looking around at the crowd of people gathered together. Some play chess or checkers, while others talk amongst themselves. All look up hopefully every time a pickup truck or van appears in the circular driveway. “Nobody pays attention until they overrun a business or drag down property values. But they are human beings and I’m on their side.”

“These people” are the hundred-plus “jornaleros,” or day laborers, who gather each day at the Macehualli Work Center, 16801 N. 25th St., Phoenix. Reza spends much of his day overseeing the center that he helped create. He has experienced the life of an immigrant first hand. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Reza and his family moved to Texas when his father was granted a work permit.

Since graduating from the University of California at San Diego, Reza has worked for immigrant advocacy groups. Reza also coordinates the Tonatierra Community Development Institute and teaches English as a Second Language classes in his spare time. He sees no difference between those who come here legally, as he did, and those who are here illegally.

Before the work center opened these same day laborers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, swarmed the parking lots of area businesses every morning near the intersection of Cave Creek and Bell Roads. Their hope: securing a day’s pay by housecleaning, landscaping or doing anything else that was available. In the process, they scared away would-be customers and created a dangerous environment in the neighborhood and to the workers. Reza’s work center has improved these conditions, but at the same time has created a political firestorm of opposing views and heated emotions.
The day labor center opened Feb. 1, 2003, after the Phoenix City Council approved $120,000 in funding for building the center and leasing the land. The stated purpose was to give workers and employers a safe place to negotiate with one another. The funding of the center with taxpayers’ dollars drew the most criticism, resulting in a community petition to recall Phoenix Councilwoman Peggy Neely, who helped lead the campaign for public funding. This summer, the center went completely private and is now self-maintained through concession sales and the charity of organizations like Tonatierra.

At one Phoenix zoning hearing, some 40 residents and business owners near the center attended and 32 signed up to speak against it. At issue was the wisdom of using public funds to openly support the hiring of illegal aliens. With the public funding gone, those opposing the center point to the fact that a number of day laborers still gather on the streets instead of at the center.

They feel that the work center gives illegal immigrants a reason to come to Phoenix, and they wonder why government is not deporting illegal immigrants instead of allowing for a place for them to seek work. Some proponents of the center say that opponents are purely racist.

Kathy McKee, founder of Protect Arizona NOW, disagrees. “If the hiring hall were for illegal Canadians, Britons or Asians, we would oppose it just as strongly. Not just because it’s illegal, but also because it’s part of the nuisance Phoenix has created that entices illegal aliens up here.”

McKee failed to stop the work center or Councilwoman Neely, but has succeeded in getting Proposition 200 on the November ballot. Prop 200, called the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, will require local and state employees to verify the citizenship of welfare applicants.

Meanwhile, the work center appears to have improved the community around it. Crime has dropped by nearly 10-percent in the first year of operation and local businesses are generally supportive. Still, the issue is far from resolved. With polls showing high support for Proposition 200, it is clear that many voters feel illegal immigration is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Illegal-immigration is an issue that is coming to a head this election, as voters seem poised to demand some sort of reasonable government policy. Salvador Reza understands this fully.

“Some (in opposition) are racists, but others have legitimate concerns,” he says. “But immigrants will always come here. It is our duty to allow them to live a decent life.”
It remains to be seen if Maricopa County voters will agree.