04-09-2009, 06:54 AM
Immigration at Issue in Suburban Chicago Race
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By LORI ROTENBERK
Published: April 8, 2009
CHICAGO â The mayor-elect of a North Shore suburb said Wednesday that he would drop many restrictions against illegal immigrants imposed by his predecessor.
âThe current mayor was not open to listening to what the community really needed,â said Robert Sabonjian, who on Tuesday defeated the incumbent mayor of Waukegan, Richard H. Hyde, a Democrat. âThe community was put in fear by the ordinances put in place.â
Among the regulations Mr. Hyde, 81, imposed in his two terms in office was one that allowed the police to arrest people exclusively on immigration charges, most often charges of being in the United States illegally.
Before the election, a grass-roots Hispanic organization in Waukegan, a blue-collar community of about 91,000 residents, canvassed the town, urging Hispanic residents to support Mr. Sabonjian, an independent who won 52 percent of the vote to Mr. Hydeâs 43 percent.
The group, the New Waukegan, estimated that 31 percent of the roughly 7,000 votes cast were by Hispanic voters. The population is about 50 percent Hispanic.
A restaurant owner, Jose Zavala, said he formed the group to help make the city more welcoming to immigrants. Its main goal, Mr. Zavala said, is the eventual election of a Hispanic mayor.
Mr. Hyde said on Wednesday that he was âupset for 30 secondsâ over his loss to Mr. Sabonjian, whose father was also once mayor of Waukegan. âThe people spoke, and I listened,â Mr. Hyde said, adding that many voters questioned whether, at 81, he was up to the job. âThey also claimed that I am anti-Hispanic and that I imposed rules to send immigrants back to their homes,â he said, âand that is incorrect.â
The executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in Chicago, Joshua Hoyt, said the election âchanged a political dynamic of the City of Waukegan for generations to come.â
âMayor Hyde was a national symbol of a strategy to scapegoat immigrants and harass them, using the local police,â Mr. Hoyt said, âand that is why he lost.â
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/09waukegan.html?ref=us">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/09 ... tml?ref=us</a><!-- m -->
Article Tools Sponsored By
By LORI ROTENBERK
Published: April 8, 2009
CHICAGO â The mayor-elect of a North Shore suburb said Wednesday that he would drop many restrictions against illegal immigrants imposed by his predecessor.
âThe current mayor was not open to listening to what the community really needed,â said Robert Sabonjian, who on Tuesday defeated the incumbent mayor of Waukegan, Richard H. Hyde, a Democrat. âThe community was put in fear by the ordinances put in place.â
Among the regulations Mr. Hyde, 81, imposed in his two terms in office was one that allowed the police to arrest people exclusively on immigration charges, most often charges of being in the United States illegally.
Before the election, a grass-roots Hispanic organization in Waukegan, a blue-collar community of about 91,000 residents, canvassed the town, urging Hispanic residents to support Mr. Sabonjian, an independent who won 52 percent of the vote to Mr. Hydeâs 43 percent.
The group, the New Waukegan, estimated that 31 percent of the roughly 7,000 votes cast were by Hispanic voters. The population is about 50 percent Hispanic.
A restaurant owner, Jose Zavala, said he formed the group to help make the city more welcoming to immigrants. Its main goal, Mr. Zavala said, is the eventual election of a Hispanic mayor.
Mr. Hyde said on Wednesday that he was âupset for 30 secondsâ over his loss to Mr. Sabonjian, whose father was also once mayor of Waukegan. âThe people spoke, and I listened,â Mr. Hyde said, adding that many voters questioned whether, at 81, he was up to the job. âThey also claimed that I am anti-Hispanic and that I imposed rules to send immigrants back to their homes,â he said, âand that is incorrect.â
The executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in Chicago, Joshua Hoyt, said the election âchanged a political dynamic of the City of Waukegan for generations to come.â
âMayor Hyde was a national symbol of a strategy to scapegoat immigrants and harass them, using the local police,â Mr. Hoyt said, âand that is why he lost.â
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