'Empty' exhibit gets mixed reaction at ECC
ELGIN -- A display intended by one local group to show the "human cost" of illegal immigration, got a mixed reaction from students at Elgin Community College on Thursday.
The display, called "Empty Shoes, Empty Hearts," was presented in ECC's Jobe Lounge by the Association for Legal Americans, an anti-illegal immigration organization that has called on federal, state and city leaders to implement tougher enforcement measures for illegal aliens.
(Shauna Bittle/Staff Photographer)
Seventeen placards were aligned, each showing the picture of people killed as a result of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Below each placard was a pair of shoes for each of the 25 individuals featured.
A number of stories told of victims who were killed violently and others who died in drunken-driving-related crashes.
The display's concept was derived from the anti-war exhibit, "Eyes Wide Open," a memorial featuring empty combat boots symbolizing U.S. soldiers who have been killed in Iraq.
AFLA Co-Director Doug Heaton said he decided to present "Empty Shoes" at the school to introduce young people to a more personal side of the illegal immigration issue that often has been overlooked.
"It's just an awareness factor for college students that they need to understand that there is a human cost," he said. "These are people they can relate to -- college-age citizens whose lives were taken by the acts of illegal aliens.
"I think that is a message they don't hear very often."
Students expressed dismay over the victims' stories, but said it did little to affect their original views on the subject.
"I didn't have any thoughts about it," said 19-year-old ECC freshman Danielle Moore of West Dundee. "I don't think this really changes anything."
Others did not agree with the display's attempt to connect victims of crime with the larger issue of illegal immigrants.
"It's terrible what they've done," Josue Sorto, of Elgin, said. "But most of them are drunk driving cases, which happens regardless of the illegal immigration issue."
Daniel Williams, 29, of Chicago, said he was in favor of tougher enforcement measures that increases the number of deportees. "I think if an illegal immigrant does a crime they should be deported back to their country," he said.
Courtney Hamill, a 21-year-old international relations and journalism major from Streamwood, felt the display's presence at the school was a positive way to get students to think about the subject.
"I'm not sure if I agree with the message," Hamill said. "But I think that the students are mature enough to handle things they might not agree with and be able to articulate their own opinions about it."
She described her own view as somewhere in the "middle," but felt it was up to the federal government to offer solutions that address what to do with the 12 million people estimated to live in the U.S. illegally.
"Our government needs to work on making it easier for people to become legalized, and I think it would take from a lot of the issues people have with immigration," she said. "I think we need immigration. Immigrants do a lot for our country, and it's just a matter of making it an easier process and a friendlier process for them to become legalized."
The display is scheduled for viewing again today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Jobe Lounge, inside ECC's Instruction Center building.