Hispanic Activists To Hold Candlelight Vigil

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Hispanic activists will hold a candlelight vigil in Grape Day Park Tuesday on the eve of an Escondido City Council vote on a proposal to prohibit landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

The 7 p.m. vigil, organized by El Grupo Sin Nombre, a pro-immigrant civil rights coalition, will be followed by a demonstration Wednesday evening at City Hall, just before the vote, the North County Times reported.

El Grupo Sin Nombre, or the Group without a Name, opposes the proposed law, which it says has divided Escondido's neighborhoods, the Times reported.

Bill Flores, a retired assistant sheriff and the group's spokesman, said that "it's appropriate that all families that are against and could be affected by this ordinance join us in a silent vigil," the newspaper reported.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of the San Diego Minutemen, said members of his group and other anti-illegal immigration activists who support the proposal before the City Council plan to gather outside City Hall to celebrate the "historic vote," the Times reported.

Under the proposed ordinance, landlords would be required to submit documentation of their tenants' immigration status to the city, which would then pass the information along to the federal government for verification, the Times reported.

Landlords whose tenants are not legal residents would have five days to remove the renters or face penalties, including a suspension of their business license and misdemeanor charges for repeat offenders.

City officials say the ordinance is consistent with federal law that prohibits harboring illegal immigrants and say the proposed enforcement measures are completely defensible to any legal challenges, according to the Times.

Escondido Police Department Lt. David Mankin said the EPD is preparing for the demonstrations for and against the ban, and doesn't expect any problems, the Times reported.