Safe Harbor No More : INS Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants Divides Catalina

For hundreds of illegal immigrants, tiny Santa Catalina Island has been a tranquil sanctuary from the crime and confusion of America’s big cities--a place to work, raise a family and hope one day to own a home.

But not even here, 22 miles off Los Angeles’ coast, can Californians escape the raging debate over illegal immigration--and this time it has nothing to do with the passage of Proposition 187.

At the urging of Catalina’s municipal officials, immigration authorities have begun a yearlong crackdown on businesses that employ illegal immigrants. The crackdown--part of a strategy the INS has used elsewhere for years--is intended to force illegal immigrants to leave Catalina out of economic necessity. However, some on the island of less than 3,500 argue that illegal immigrants are critical to the island’s economy because many toil long hours in low-paying jobs that citizens often refuse. Others oppose the crackdown because they have developed strong friendships with the immigrants.

After Avalon Mayor Ralph J. Morrow Jr. announced plans for the crackdown last month, a handful of angry residents pelted his home with eggs and limes. Then, dozens canceled their subscriptions with Morrow’s cable company.

Many immigrants are predictably nervous.

“I don’t know what will happen to me,” said Jose, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has scraped out a peaceful living on Catalina for three years, each day going to the island’s seaside restaurants to scrub dishes among the tourists, margaritas and tired renditions of Jimmy Buffet songs. He declined to give his last name, saying he fears deportation.

Island officials estimate that several hundred illegal immigrants live there, and although residents say some come from Europe, most are from Latin America. Of the island’s residents, 40% are Latino.

“This is going to split up families and create a lot of hardships,” said Avalon barber Lolo Saldano. “These people work hard and pay taxes.”

“In this community, we don’t just know our employees,” said one manager. “The people who work for you become family.”

But others insist that immigration laws must be enforced. They say it is unfair that Avalon businesses employing illegal immigrants have an advantage over law-abiding employers who must pay minimum wage. And some complain about the immigrants’ cultural differences.

“The problem here is they all speak Spanish,” said former Avalon City Councilman George Scott. “It’s like little Mexico here.”

Others allege that groups of male illegal immigrants harass women strolling through town.

“Some of the ladies in town have come to me and said they’re afraid to walk down the street,” Morrow said. “We don’t want anyone to feel they’re not safe and cozy in Avalon. We have to make doggone sure the condition that we have here remains.”

Because of high housing costs, many illegal immigrants live in cramped hotel rooms or tiny apartments, sleeping in shifts. And some camp out in the hills behind Avalon.

In the past, INS officials dealt with the issue by conducting occasional raids on the island, but the sweeps had little effect, officials say.

Last month, several INS agents met with more than a hundred employers and members of a city committee to discuss the latest approach. Based on tips from locals, agents review the hiring records at businesses, then order employers to determine whether questionable workers are on the island legally and fire ones who aren’t.

If employers do not comply, agents will obtain a search warrant and arrest the illegal immigrants. If a business knowingly employed illegal immigrants, the employer can be fined up to $2,000 for the first offense and more for the next.

That is tough news for many on the island.

“Many of these illegal immigrants are great people,” said Raul Alvarez, who came to Catalina illegally from Mexico eight years ago to find work, has obtained legal residency and now owns his own business. At first, Alvarez slept in the hills with only a blanket and a strip of cardboard. Shivering on cold spring mornings, he hiked down to public showers near the beach before searching for work.

One night he fled his camp after wild pigs stomped across his legs. “You think God is punishing you,” he said.

Alvarez eventually found work washing dishes in restaurants, where many owners vehemently oppose the crackdown.

“I don’t want to know who is legal,” one restaurant owner said. “It’s tough enough just getting someone to show up for work on time.”

All seven members of a Hispanic Relations Committee, organized by the council in June to improve ties with Latinos, oppose the crackdown, said Norbert Reyes, the committee chairman, who owns two gift shops in Avalon.

To enforce the law, INS agents will visit the island at least once a week. Officials plan to spend time in City Hall to answer residents’ questions about immigration laws, and to make their presence felt on the island for another year.

In spring, when businesses begin hiring for the summer tourist season, they are likely to get inundated with phony citizenship documents, officials say, and the INS wants to ensure that employers do not hire more illegal immigrants. “We want to be there,” said John Brechtel of the INS. “They will be getting fake documents and we don’t want to go back to square one.”