CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Pahrump Town Board Michael member Michael Miraglia perseveres in his effort to have an ordinance approved that would make English the official language of the town. Advertisement

The so-called "English" or "immigration" ordinance has received its first formal reading by the Pahrump Town Board.

But it must still be read twice more before a final vote is taken. Board members have not indicated whether they support or oppose the measure.

Board member Michael Miraglia, who drafted the plan, asked that sections dealing with businesses' relations with illegal immigrants be excised.

He stressed, "I would like to make a note that this is for illegals and not immigrants. Immigrants come over here legally; illegals do not, and they break the law."

He also softened the penalty for violating those sections of the ordinance that still remain.

The ordinance would declare English the official language of Pahrump, meaning all official documents and regulations would have to be in English; it also includes provisions for flying the American flag.

Prior to Miraglia's changes, Ordinance 54, as it is officially known, also would forbid businesses to close in support of illegal immigrants.

The exact sections that Miraglia asked to be deleted from the ordinance are as follows:

Section 9, which would forbid businesses to hire illegal or undocumented immigrants and said the owner of a business has a responsibility to ensure that employees are able to conduct business in English. Also included was a list of specific types of documentation that employers could accept from potential employees.

Section 10, which would forbid anyone to loan or give money to an illegal immigrant, and would forbid employers from accepting foreign forms of identification from potential employees, such as Mexico's "matricular consular." It also required employers to conduct a full background check and Social Security verification of potential employees "to limit fraud or identity theft."

He also asked that Section 11, which forbid employers or businesses to close in support of any foreign person, flag, or country, be removed.

Miraglia also softened the penalty for violating the parts of the ordinance that still remained. The original punishment was fines up to $500 a day, plus 30 days of jail and/or community service. Miraglia changed the penalty to just $50 in addition to 30 hours of jail and/or community service.

The ordinance once again generated a slew of public comment at the beginning of meeting, from both concerned citizens and public officials.

Bill Uffelman, president and CEO of the Nevada Bankers Association, stood before the board and said, "I am here on behalf of the financial institutions in your community who are particularly concerned about provisions nine and 10 of the proposed ordinance."

Uffelman reminded the board that the Patriot Act, the FDIC, and other regulatory bodies all have provisions in place that deal with the issue of illegal immigrants.

He pointed out that while there are no federal banking institutions in Pahrump, "they have offices here that in fact do business with people who may have opened up an account somewhere else. So this proposed ordinance certainly has extra-territorial implications that run afoul of (federal) laws and regulations."

Lisa Chapman, the director of No to Abuse and a member of the Nevada Council for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, discussed how the ordinance would affect illegal immigrants who were the victims of domestic violence, an issue that had not been mentioned previously.

Chapman told the board that a recent study found that 48 percent of Latino women reported that domestic violence increased after they came to the United States, and that batterers often used immigration and legal status to threaten, and intimidate their victims.

"Batterers often fail to file paperwork on behalf of their spouses, withdraw petitions, or threaten to call immigration," explained Chapman. "This proposed ordinance will criminalize any effort made to help battered women by once again keeping these victims silent and suffering in their homes."

Chapman also said that the ordinance would make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to ever become legal citizens.

"Immigration law provides processes for some battered women, victims of crime, and victims of human trafficking to petition for legal status," said Chapman. "This ordinance will criminalize the efforts of individuals to provide this legal service."

Other concerned citizens voiced support for the ordinance, reflecting the divided feelings in the community.

Bill Dawson proudly proclaimed that he has been a resident of Pahrump for 55 years and staunchly supported the ordinance.

"Mr. Miraglia, I'd like to firmly compliment you on having the guts to stand up and make a proposal like you have," said Dawson.

He said illegal aliens were felons, and that people were asking to give felons rights.

"If we're going to do this, we have to allow all the people in the penal institution to be released so they can get their rights," continued Dawson. "Now this politically correct is going too far, as far as I'm concerned."

Vicky Parker, on the other hand, addressed the board on the issue for a second time, bluntly saying, "I ask you, Mr. Miraglia, to pull that ordinance tonight. Table it."