Several of the 50 people who came to the hearing at Tustin's Clifton C. Miller Community Center suggested the state should penalize businesses for employing illegal immigrants, or help businesses check employees' citizenship and give them legal aid if they get into trouble for it.
Bill Doddridge, a Tustin resident and chief executive of the Jewelry Exchange store chain, told DeVore and other GOP legislators that businesses can get squeezed from both sides when immigration issues arise.
He said the federal government told him in 2002 some of his employees' Social Security numbers were invalid, and he continued to get the notices after asking employees to correct the numbers. When he began verifying the numbers, some workers quit.
As an employer, Doddridge said, he could be subject to federal fines once he knew he might be employing illegal immigrants, but if he laid off the workers, he could be sued for discrimination.
The audience, which included members of the Minuteman Project and the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, applauded Doddridge and several other panelists and was especially supportive of Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor.
Mansoor has gained notoriety for spearheading his city's plan to train police to check the immigration status of felony suspects.
"I believe that if the federal government and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] are serious about keeping us safe, then they need to give us the tools to do it," he said.
Audience members also suggested cutting off state-funded benefits for illegal immigrants — DeVore called them an "attractive nuisance" — and changing the state housing code section addressing overcrowding.
Rosie Avila, a Santa Ana school board member who lost a GOP primary bid for a congressional seat in June, approved of the suggestions.
She expects the immigration issue to influence voters at the November polls, she said.
