Burbank Hiring Site Draws Ire

They are also preparing for protests.

The City Council took the unusual step of requiring Home Depot to construct the hiring hall as a condition of building the store, sparking a contentious public debate with some accusing the council of catering to illegal immigrants. The store and the center are scheduled to open Thursday.

Protesters plan to attend the council's meeting tonight, when the panel is expected to approve a one-year agreement with Catholic Charities to run the hiring hall. Demonstrators also plan a rally for Saturday at the new center.

"The end result is a loss of jobs that rightfully belong to American citizens, because of cheap labor and corrupt employers," said Barbara Coe, chairwoman of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform.

City officials said that when Home Depot applied for a building permit, they anticipated day laborers would gather in front of the store waiting for construction jobs.

To avoid tensions with neighbors, the council decided to make Home Depot responsible for building a hiring site, hoping it would provide a safe and orderly way for the laborers to get jobs.

"We've been proactive and I think we are doing the right thing," said Burbank City Manager Mary Alvord.

The city of Los Angeles is considering an ordinance that would require all large home improvement stores to build hiring sites for laborers. But if Congress approves a pending immigration bill next month, cities would be prohibited from imposing such requirements on businesses.

The bill could also require centers to verify the legal status of laborers, a provision that some immigrant rights groups fear could shut down hiring sites.

Day laborer sites around the nation have been at the core of the debate over illegal immigration. For months, immigration reform groups have been holding protests at centers, arguing that cities that fund hiring sites are breaking the law by matching undocumented immigrants with employers.

Demonstrators staged a "National Day of Protest" on Saturday targeting cities that fund centers and employers who hire laborers. In addition to Glendale, Southland protests took place in Rancho Cucamonga, Laguna Beach and Lake Forest.