By George P. Hassett

At Saturday’s Youth Peace Conference 17-year-old Tanisha Duchatelier stood on stage and did what 10 elected officials failed to do two years ago: argue passionately in favor of a resolution affirming the rights of all immigrants in the city.

Standing alone on stage, in front of more than 600 people Duchatelier, in a spoken word piece, called on city leaders to officially welcome foreign-born residents of Somerville. She said, ‚ÄúThis city was meant to be a sanctuary/For the people who make up our vast majority/So resolutions are passed to protect their liberties/So why must there be raids/To get rid of them in large quantities‚Äù and, ‚ÄúWho are we to discriminate/The people who helped build/This city/Just ’cause they don’t have/ Legal authority/ Although they make up one-third of our community.‚Äù

Duchatelier said her piece was inspired by the City of Hope resolution proposed by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and nine aldermen on May 11, 2006. On that night Ward One Alderman William Roche spoke at length against the measure because he said it seemed geared towards illegal immigrants. And, he said, welcoming illegal immigrants to Somerville was not something he could support.

To further his point, Roche invoked images of immigrants crossing the border into the U.S. and being ‚Äúgiven a map to Somerville that says, ‘go there and they will take care of you.’‚Äù

His argument apparently had at least some effect on other aldermen. If the resolution’s nine sponsors had simply voted in favor of it, the City of Hope resolution would have passed easily. Instead no vote was taken and the resolution was sent to committee, where it has languished in limbo ever since.

In an interview with The Somerville News this week, Roche said he believes aldermen backed off the issue because they were afraid of a possible backlash from the public if it was passed.

Curtatone said the tone of the discussion surrounding the resolution is one of the few regrets of his tenure as mayor. He said he should have done more to communicate the resolution’s intent and dispel misunderstandings of it.

On Saturday, Duchatelier, an American-born child of immigrant parents, added her voice to the debate. She said her spoken word performance was, in part, inspired by the struggles some undocumented students at Somerville High face as they try to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Most immigrants, regardless of their documentation status, “want an equal opportunity to provide homes and peace for their families,” she said.

Roche said his position on the issue has not changed. ‚ÄúI don’t think illegal immigrants who committed a crime by coming here illegally should be provided the exact same city services and benefits as people who played by the rules and came here legally.‚Äù