Escondido tries to rid itself of illegal immigrants

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City officials in Escondido, Calif., refuse to give up, and their approach is an example of how authorities are using the method of ‘attrition’: making life as difficult as possible for undocumented immigrants in the hope that they’ll self-deport back home.

Two years ago, the city passed an ordinance to punish landlords for renting to illegal immigrants. But it rescinded the rental restriction after a legal challenge was filed and bills began to mount.

Now Escondido is trying a new approach to combat what it calls the ‘public nuisances’ of illegal immigration, citing residents for code violations such as garage conversions, graffiti and junk cars.

The city is also debating a new ordinance that would restrict overnight street parking without a permit. In addition, it is drafting a policy that would prohibit drivers from picking up day laborers along some streets.

‘We learned from the rental ordinance,’ Councilman Sam Abed said. ‘We changed our focus to quality-of-life issues.’

Read the report by Anna Gorman of the L.A. Times here...