Civil Rights Panel Refuses to Back Bid to Repeal Employer Sanctions

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights refused Thursday to throw its support behind a movement for repeal of employer sanctions and agreed instead to appoint a task force to study the matter.

Leaders of Latino groups had threatened before Thursday’s meeting to withdraw from the coalition if its executive committee failed to join their efforts to overturn the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The law provides penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens.

Officials representing the National Council of La Raza declined to comment. Officials of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund--also represented on the board of the 183-member civil rights coalition--were unavailable for comment.

Kenneth Young, executive assistant to the president of the AFL-CIO and a participant at the meeting, said that organized labor and Latino organizations expressed “differences” over sanctions during the meeting.

The conference operates by consensus, so that a single executive board member may block action. Young declined to say which or how many members expressed reservations about supporting repeal of the immigration act.

Young added that despite their disappointment at the meeting’s outcome, the Latino officials did not indicate any plans to retaliate.

“They didn’t threaten to leave the conference,” Young said. “I don’t think they will and I hope they don’t.”

Ralph Neas, executive director of the conference, said in a statement issued after the executive committee meeting: “Discrimination resulting from the implementation of IRCA (the immigration law) is totally unacceptable.

“Congress must act promptly to address this unconscionable situation. Today, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights established a legislative task force to review options to eliminate employer sanctions discrimination.”