Town again invites controversy

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Friday, Dec. 8, 2006 | 7:09 a.m.

Michael Miraglia, the Pahrump Town Board member who introduced the now widely known ordinance that made English the language for all town business, wants to require illegal immigrants to register with the local government within 24 hours of arriving in town.

Known as the "Undocumented Foreign National Registration Ordinance," it was written by a Pahrump resident, but Miraglia sponsored it and is expected to read it into the record at Tuesday's board meeting.

The ordinance would charge undocumented immigrants $200 for registering at the Pahrump Town Office and require them to disclose aliases and names of relatives residing in Nevada and surrender all forged or counterfeited documents.

Allen Lichtenstein, the attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, warned that the ordinance, as written, would not only be challenged by the ACLU, but most likely the federal government. The proposed ordinance is unconstitutional, he said, and "the federal government has pre-empted the field in the area of registration of foreign nationals. This is not even an area the town can get into."

Tuesday's meeting will be Miraglia's last, as he has reached the end of his term.

After several months of controversy and widespread media coverage of Miraglia's first ordinance, the "English Language and Patriot Reaffirmation Ordinance," the exiting politician answered the suggestion that he was going out with a bang by understating, "I guess so."

That first ordinance placed Pahrump among about 50 localities nationwide that have passed or are considering similar measures.

The proposed ordinance would have to be read into the record at two consecutive meetings and could be voted on at a third meeting. Meetings are held biweekly.

Ronald Johnson, vice chairman of the board, is expected to fill in as chairman for Tuesday's meeting, and therefore has the power to put off reading the ordinance until a future meeting.

"If we get down to a point where I'm not feeling comfortable with the material ... if I feel it needs further study ... I may pass it on," Johnson said Thursday.

Johnson and two other board members are also at the end of their terms, meaning that the proposed ordinance may wind up being voted on by the five-member board with four new members.

Lichtenstein fears that the very act of introducing the ordinance would bring more division and confusion to the town.

"The result of this is: Forget about the law, and let's play to fears and prejudices," Lichtenstein said.

Miraglia said he didn't welcome such possible consequences as hate crimes, but sees the issue of illegal immigration as more pressing.

"People shouldn't be called names - but criminals shouldn't be walking the streets, either," he said.