Immigration Man

By: Paul F. CuadrosA photograph of John Lasseville shaking hands with President George Bush greets visitors to the Chicago office of Private Immigration Agency Inc., 4142 W. 26th St. But for immigrants seeking help, the photo of the two smiling men says it all. It reminds them that the federal government has extraordinary power over their lives, and blurs the distinction between the government and this private corporation.

Most of the Cuban-born entrepreneur's professional life has been tied to politics. He was one of the wave of immigrants who came to the United States shortly before Fidel Castro seized power in 1959. In 1966, he founded PIA.

In 1981, he formed Lasseville and Associates, which studies Hispanic voting patterns in Miami. He worked on the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections. In 1983, Lasseville successfully predicted Mayor Maurice Ferre's win over Cuban American Xavier Suarez in their close mayoral race. The Miami Herald called him "El brujo de la politica"-"The wizard of politics."

But Lasseville's biggest coup came in 1984, when he predicted the victory of Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte for the Spanish International TV Network. He left the network in 1985, but kept his hand in politics. Between 1981 and 198 Lasseville and his wife, Aracely, contributed $12,000 to Democratic Rep. Dante Fascell of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In 1987, when the Immigration and Naturalization Service certified PIA for amnesty program, the Lasseville family, including son Edward and daughter Leslie, gave $6,500 to Fascell, $3,000 to Bush and $1,000 to Democratic Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli of Kentucky, who chairs an immigration subcommittee.

And from 1989 to July of this year, they gave $7,000 to Fascell; $1,900 to Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida; and $1,000 to Bush. In March Lasseville donated $500 to Ald. Luis Gutierrez (26th) who is bidding to become Chicago's first Hispanic congressman. Gutierrez' campaign manager, Doug Scofield said that after learning more about Lasseville he will return the contribution.

Lasseville referred all questions to his attorney, Anton R. Valukas.