Connie Ramos of Frederick is unhappy that county officials want to crack down on illegal immigration by proposing a slate of legislation targeting businesses and housing.

Ramos, a volunteer in the Head Start program at Hillcrest Elementary School in Frederick, said the package of legislation Frederick County commissioners are proposing is discriminatory and unfair to the Hispanic community.

“I think it’s crap,” she said. “How can they discriminate like that? Restaurants can’t discriminate, how can commissioners? I definitely see this as discrimination. I’m actually Native American, and Native Americans were here [America] first, but because my features look Hispanic, they could come up to me and say I’m an illegal immigrant. But I’m not.”

Commissioners’ President Blaine R. Young (R) announced a sweeping package of legislation targeting illegal immigrants at the board’s meeting Nov. 3, a week after the Frederick Police Department named El Salvadoran Jose Reyes Mejia-Varela, 21, as the suspect in the 2009 killing of Jacinta “Patty” Ayala, his coworker at a Burger King in Frederick.

Mejia-Varela was convicted of armed robbery two years ago and deported, but he re-entered the country and was arrested by federal agents. According to Nicole A. Navas, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Mejia-Varela is in prison awaiting a Nov. 28 sentencing on a charge of "illegal re-entry of a removed alien."

After police announced the charge against Mejia-Varela, Young said commissioners realized the county needs to do more to protect its residents and their way of life.

The proposals target various aspects of life in Frederick County. While one could force local businesses to use a federal database (E-Verify) to check the immigration status of their employees, another could prohibit apartment rental agencies from allowing illegal immigrants to live in their properties. Commissioners are also considering eliminating day-labor sites and prohibiting the solicitation of employment in traffic. They also want to establish English as the official language of the county.

The proposals are not specific because commissioners are not sure they can enforce them, Young said.

Young and his colleagues have asked County Attorney John Mathias to review the proposals within the next month, research legal ramifications, and make recommendations for implementation.

In the meantime, the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce met Tuesday morning to discuss the proposals.

“Like everyone else, we’re interested to hear what the county attorney has to say about the legal ramifications of the commissioner’s proposals,” said Ric Adams, president and CEO of the chamber, in an e-mail. “E-Verify is a free, accessible online system, and we encourage businesses to use this tool when hiring. The chamber has no position on the other items on the BOCC’s (Board of County Commissioners’s) list of proposals. We hope that local, state and federal governments can work together to develop policies that protect the health and safety of everyone involved.”

Denise Jacoby, executive officer of the Frederick County Builders Association, said Monday they have no interest in discussing the ramifications of the legislation on their industry, which is known for hiring a large pool of immigrants to do the general labor work. “It’s not of interest to us,” Jacoby said. “We have a lot of other issues.”

Angela Spencer, chairwoman of the Frederick County Human Relations Commission, said her board will meet this week to discuss the proposals. “We would like to have more information,” Spencer said. “So I will be presenting this to the executive committee for additional feedback or concerns.”

Hayden B. Duke, the former chairman of the commission who teaches citizenship classes for Centro Hispano in Frederick, said he has yet to review the proposals, but he believes strongly that English should be the official language of the county.

“My students learn English and I believe everyone should speak English,” he said. “The English classes are packed. The path to citizenship involves reading, writing and speaking English.”

Duke said he is proud of his students and the hard work they do to gain citizenship through the legal channels. “They probably know more than a great portion of people that were born here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Young said though he has heard little comment on the proposals, he is prepared for any scrutiny his Yellow Cab Company and the Taxi Fiesta division, may garner.

Young and his partner, Jerry Wood, use 100 part- and full-time drivers for Yellow Cab of Frederick. Another five or six Spanish speaking drivers use the four orange Fiesta cabs.

Young said all his drivers are in the country legally. “Cab drivers have to prove they are in the country legally,” he said. “For you to get a taxi cab permit, you have to be in the country legally or you can’t drive a cab.”

Yellow Cab drivers must prove they are in the country legally when they obtain a driving permit from the city of Frederick, Young said. Drivers who transport passengers to and from airports must prove they are in the country legally when they obtain a permit from the Maryland Public Service Commission.

sgreenfield@gazette.net