EDITORIAL: New approach needed for hiring site in Huntington Station

The impending closing of the hiring site for day laborers in Huntington Station now makes official what has long been obvious: It wasn't working, and we need another approach. Lack of national action on immigration had a lot to do with it.

The town announced this week that it won't renew its contract with the Family Service League when it expires on June 30. The announcement felt a bit sudden, but there had been discussions for many months of the site's declining numbers of workers. Contractors are wary of it, fearing prosecution if the people they hire there turn out to be undocumented. So, much of the hiring at the site has been by homeowners. Congress must make it possible for guest workers and employers to connect legally, curbing the underground cash economy.

Locally, the site has, unfairly, become a symbol of a problem it's not causing: crime. Police don't see any link between it and crime in Huntington Station. The town has publicly pointed that out, but the erroneous perception persists.

The Hagedorn Foundation, one of the site's private funders, has been willing to expand its contribution. But money is not the answer. What seems to be needed locally is an indoor facility that will provide employment services to immigrants and others. The town should keep looking for the right site. Otherwise, the closing of this site will mean more day workers looking for jobs on the streets.

It's a sad end to a well-intentioned, decade-long effort. hN