People in Carpentersville are angry. The town has become polarized on the issue of illegal immigration. The illegal immigration issue is broad and difficult to solve at the local level. Yet, two recently re-elected Village Board members, Judy Sigwalt and Paul Humpfer and a majority of the Board, are determined to solve the problem regardless of the cost in legal fees or human emotion.

Their proposal is to fine employers and landlords who hire or rent to illegal immigrants. They desire the elimination of the use of Spanish in Village documents. Their goal seems to be to drive Hispanics from Carpentersville. Their proposals do not address many of the problems caused by the changing demographics in Carpentersville and the reason for much of the community concern. The issues that need to be solved are the assimilation of a large number of immigrants (Carpentersville in now 40% Hispanic, predominantly located on the east side of town) and the management of an aging housing stock that is occupied predominately by Hispanics who are climbing the economic ladder of the American dream.

Residents get concerned when their neighbor’s house falls into disrepair or has more occupants than the size of the home warrants. These issues can be mitigated with strategic enforcement of code violations and the enforcement or creation of zoning laws that limit these effects. Americans have never needed to be afraid of immigrants, but their effect on property values is a bogey man that can be removed by leadership from the local governments. Development of neighborhood groups, education, and code enforcement would be a big step in that direction.

Assimilation has always required learning English, yet the Village Board has done nothing to champion the implementation of ESL (English as a Second language) programs making it easily available. Creating a network of volunteers and paid instructors and coordination with facilities at churches or schools would go a long way toward creating a culture of community inclusion and would result in significant progress toward a common Village language, English. Expensive one might say, but not necessarily. Would we rather spend thousands of dollars in litigation defending Hazelton, Pennsylvania type ordinances or that same amount on ESL programs?

Trustees Sigwalt and Humpfer have created a polarized atmosphere where all Hispanics are alleged to be illegal. Employers like me who opposed their approach are accused of hiring illegal workers for their own gain. As Hispanics leave town, empty homes will result, job openings will be created, and school populations will decline. Then what? The best case is that those jobs will be filled, those homes will be rented, their children will go to school and the problems will be unchanged. The current result is that many stores on the East side of Carpentersville are vacant and homes are not selling. Property values are declining. Local governments trying to solve the problem of illegal immigration should not follow Carpentersville’s example.

Tom Roeser is President of OTTO Engineering. OTTO is the largest employer in Carpentersville. 40 % of their 500 employees are Hispanic. OTTO provides free ESL training on site. OTTO has purchased 30 homes that they have renovated and rent to employees at reduced rent in exchange for the employees keeping the neighborhood clean