INS Aide Faults Critical Report on Reform Law

A spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service Wednesday disputed findings of a new Orange County report that alleges immigration reform law has had a negative impact in the county.

John Belluardo, director of congressional and public affairs for the western region of the INS, predicted that the new report will likely be used as a tool to “further the agenda of those who want the agency to cease its law enforcement activities.”

“It seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy from people who are anti-INS,” Belluardo said. He acknowledged that he had only read news accounts of the report and had not seen the actual document, which was released Wednesday.

The report--the first comprehensive local assessment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986--was sponsored by the Orange County Human Relations Commission and the Hispanic Development Council.

Among its major findings are that immigration reform has not stemmed the flow of illegal aliens into the county and that the undocumented community will continue to grow.

The report also contends that immigration reform has created a new class of exploited workers and that INS “sweeps,” or raids to round up undocumented workers, have alienated the immigrant community.

Belluardo said that while immigration reform has not completely eliminated the problem, the numbers of illegal immigrants who attempt to cross U.S borders has been greatly reduced.

He also said there is broad community support for INS sweeps and referred to opponents of the raids as a “small group of activists” who are adept at publicizing their cause.

Report Defended

Lilia Powell, vice chairwoman of the Hispanic Development Council, defended the report’s conclusions and said they were not intended as a critique of the INS.

Powell also said that the contents of the report--the outgrowth of testimony taken at a public hearing on immigration reform last November--reflects a broad range of community opinion.

“When he uses the word activist , he is talking about everyone who testified at that hearing--service providers, community leaders, public officials and even a chief of police,” Powell said. “Not all of that testimony was negative or griping about problems. . . . I would hope that he would come in with an open mind and look at the report as a good read.”

Powell said copies of the report will be sent to community groups, school and health officials, public agencies and area representatives with the hope that it will provide better understanding and fairer implementation of immigration reform law.