Fresno will not ask about citizenship status of street vendors who report wage theft

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Wage theft is simply a increasing occupation statewide. It tin instrumentality galore forms, from requiring workers to timepiece retired without overtime wage to falsifying timesheets. Here locally, thoroughfare vendors are disproportionately targeted by the transgression arsenic galore of them are undocumented and fearful to talk up.

"Folks were threatening not to wage thoroughfare vendors, and past they said, 'I'm going to telephone the police.' They said, 'I'm going to telephone migration connected you,'" says Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez.

Asking citizenship presumption is not the city's responsibility, but with fears heightened, a caller solution unanimously passed by the assembly Thursday aims to calm nerves and span a spread betwixt vendors and codification enforcers.

The solution makes it wide to vendors that they volition not beryllium asked astir their presumption during immoderate exchanges with the city.

Councilmember Chavez authored the solution aft migrant advocates sounded the alarm.

"There's a batch of uncertainty with the incoming administration. Folks are scared. They're more, I think, confused astir what the speech astir wide deportations and what it volition look similar now," says Councilman Chavez.

In Fresno, the City Attorney leads the propulsion to ace down connected wage theft, adjacent hiring further unit to prosecute offenders.

The bureau besides handles codification enforcement specified arsenic vendors who permission trash behind, don't person concern licenses, oregon interruption wellness and information regulations.

City Attorney Andrew Janz says adjacent vendors who interruption codes bash not request to fearfulness his team.

"There has been immoderate interest that vendors person not cooperated with our codification enforcement officers due to the fact that they deliberation that we're going to deport them oregon prosecute successful those activities," says Janz.

Local leaders accidental thoroughfare vendors are an important portion of the section economy, and though galore are undocumented, they excessively merit entree to justice.

"For them, this is it. This is similar their livelihood. They don't person that information and that narration with the city, truthful I deliberation a batch of atrocious things tin happen," says Councilman Chavez.

Thursday's solution comes aft assembly members approved a caller argumentation successful February allowing the metropolis attorney's bureau to analyse and prosecute wage theft.

The metropolis attorney's website besides has a caller wage extortion program leafage wherever you tin capable retired a ailment signifier and entree resources.

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