Herndon Postpones Day-Laborer Decision

The town appears evenly split between those who say a publicly supported center would be tantamount to endorsing illegal immigration and those who simply want officials to deal with the situation at the 7-Eleven, which they see as a nuisance.

Advocates for the day laborers say it is not their job to enforce immigration law. They say the workers are helping the local economy by taking low-paying jobs U.S.-born workers do not want.

The Planning Commission narrowly rejected the proposal at its early August meeting, but the vote was not binding. The Town Council appeared divided before last night's hearing, with Mayor Michael L. O'Reilly in favor of the site and Ann V. Null, a member who has actively fought efforts to support undocumented workers, opposed.

What began as a local battle moved to the national stage in recent weeks as part of the larger debate about illegal immigration. WMAL-AM radio broadcast more than a dozen shows on Herndon, including a call-in program with a Sacramento-based guest host 10 days ago that prompted so many calls to the Herndon Municipal Center that the town manager shut the switchboard for four days.

Television networks have featured segments on the debate, and national anti-immigration groups have made contact with local opponents of the worker center. Judicial Watch, a self-styled anti-corruption group, has threatened to sue the town if it spends public money on the site.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told the council last night that "support for this site is not an option" and compared the neighborhood around the 7-Eleven to a red-light district.

Other speakers challenged Herndon to treat all its residents with equal respect. "Don't allow this issue to be decided by false facts, half-truths and unfounded fears," town resident Bill Perry said. "If you build a community on hate, you will hate the community you build."

Elsewhere in the region, Arlington has set up a gathering spot for day laborers in Shirlington, and Montgomery County recently approved an employment center based in Wheaton that will run several sites through a nonprofit group.

Herndon, a former dairy farm community less than 20 miles from Washington, counts foreign-born residents as 38 percent of its population, according to the 2000 Census. The proportion of white residents dropped in the 1990s to 58 percent from 78 percent.

"There's an us-against-them feeling that is full-blown in Herndon right now," said Jose Vanegas of Sterling, a Colombian immigrant who has worked with the laborers. "People feel you're either for them or against them."