Three days after Councilmember Marc LeVine (D-Freehold) made a public apology for having called Hispanics promiscuous, and after the withdrawal of a proposal that would have left Freehold's undocumented immigrants unable to rent apartments, the immigrants in this New Jersey town feel that they have scored a goal, but they claim there is still a long road ahead.

Immigrants say this is just the start in their demand that authorities recognize Hispanics' contributions to the city. They do not want to end up like their neighbors Riverside, where an ordinance against landlords renting to residents without papers resulted in several immigrants packing their bags and leaving.

“Before Monday, the Mayor [Michael Wilson] insisted he intended to push us out of town, and now the air is filled with apologies and promises. But it's better we don't trust them, because as long as we haven't gotten our papers, anything can happen to us,” said Mexican laborer Manuel González, 59.

Another Mexican laborer, David Sánchez, 23, said that although he has no choice but to believe things will get better in Freehold, he fears that, after a while, the mayor or some other politician will come out with another anti-immigrant measure that will again rob them of their peace of mind.

“It worries me that last Monday, when we had such a big demonstration, only Councilman [Mark] LeVine came out to face us, and the mayor remained silent,” said the young man. Sánchez is afraid he might get caught in one of the round-ups carried out in New Jersey, and be separated from his children, who are two years and eight months old.

Activist Lázaro Cárdenas said that the withdrawal of the proposal to rent only to legal residents is the greatest triumph the undocumented immigrants of Freehold have had. He claims that the mayor and other members of the town's Council promised to seek closer relations with the local Hispanic population, estimated at 35 percent.

“Like President Reagan said, you've got to give them the benefit of the doubt. It seems that attitudes have changed, so now is the time to press our demands and to continue looking at other laws, like the high fines to apartment owners for violations that landlords may pass on to their tenants,” said Cárdenas, who affirmed that local government representatives and members of community groups would meet again on Tuesday.

Mayor Michael Wilson said that negative statements have been made which do not reflect local thinking, and that one of his intentions is to work to improve the quality of life for all Freehold residents.

Hispanics in Freehold, New Jersey

* Freehold is a part of Monmouth in New Jersey, with some 11,000 residents.

* According to the Census, 28.07 percent of Freehold residents are Hispanic, the majority of them Mexican, Dominican and Central American. It is estimated that 71.02 percent of residents are white.

* Unofficial sources indicate that in recent years there has been an influx of undocumented immigrants, estimated at 5,000, but community organizations say that number is exaggerated, since many [of the new residents] have legal status