Allan Mansoor, mayor of Costa Mesa, is known for his tough stance on illegal
immigration. (Creative Commons)

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor proposed Wednesday that the city crackdown on illegal immigrant workers and drivers.

"I'm here to state that Costa Mesa is
not a sanctuary city and is in fact a rule-of-law city," Mansoor said in
regard to immigration policy at a press conference in the city council
chambers. However, "we have complete respect and support for legal immigration
and welcome all who come here legally," he said.

The mayor is known for his tough stance on immigration since his
proposal to train city police officers in federal immigration law enforcement
in 2005.

Specifically, Mansoor suggests fixing the "loopholes" that exist in
the local, state and federal laws that allow illegal immigrants to remain
in the country after they have been contacted by police.

He wants to fix problems he sees in security such as banks accepting
the metricula consular, a form of ID provided by the Mexican Consulate to both
legal and illegal immigrants from Mexico, as an acceptable form of
identification.

Mansoor proposed requiring all businesses contracting with Costa Mesa
or applying for a city license to verify their employees' legal statuses
through E-Verify, a program hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
where employers may go online to verify a copy of a prospective employee's
Employment Eligibility Verification form.

Not all support his proposed changes.

"If he
proposes what I call racist laws, it's going to mobilize people. I think if he
wants to implement this in Costa Mesa, it's going to backfire," Naui
Ocelotl Huitzilopochtli of the day laborer advocacy group Colectivo Tonantzin, said to
the OC Register. "I just think it's a publicity stunt because he's running
for assembly."

Although he holds a bid for a state assembly seat in November and
Arizona recently passed the strictest immigration law in the nation, Mansoor
maintains these have no influence on his recent discussion of Costa Mesa
immigration policy.