GREELEY, Colo. -- A controversial forum planned for Tuesday night in Greeley appears to be advancing ethnic tensions.

The meeting, organized by the Weld County District Attorney, is called "Illegal Immigration: The Untold Stories." It will detail the burden that crimes committed by illegal immigrants are putting on the community.

Hispanic leaders are calling the event racist, overly dramatic and just the latest attack on the Mexican and Latino communities in Weld County. Latinos Unidos and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said that while they sympathize with victims of crime, society must not blame an entire community for the acts of a few.

They plan to protest Tuesday night at the forum, scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Island Grove Regional Park. They say officials should not link immigrants with crime in Weld County, and the event will only spread racism and hate and further divide the community.

District Attorney Ken Buck said he wants to show why a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office is needed in Weld County and why law enforcement agencies need more help in fighting crimes carried out by illegal immigrants. He said the crimes of illegal immigrants not only impact the legal system in Weld County but also the citizens in the communities.

Buck said the discussion is designed to put a human face on the problem. Buck's critics claim he's beating a dead horse.

"If I'm beating a dead horse, they wouldn't be upset about the issue. They wouldn't be complaining about it. Obviously, they don't feel it's a dead horse," Buck said.

The meeting Tuesday night will include presentations by Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, who will talk about overcrowding in the jail; Mike Prill of the Greeley Police Department's gang unit and assistant U.S. Attorney Cliff Stricklin.

Also, five victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants will tell their stories of either identity theft or drunken-driving accidents, according to the Weld County District Attorney's Office.

One of the victims set to talk is Sandy Ross. Ross was hit head-on by an illegal immigrant in a stolen car.

"It was Labor Day weekend Sept. 2 of 2005, and we're still reeling," said Ross.

She has deep scars on her left leg, a plate on her right arm and no range of motion in her right foot.

She and her son suffered major injuries in the crash and she lost her apartment trying to pay bills related to the crash.

The drunken driver who hit her -- Armando Rodriguez a.k.a. Julio Jaramillo -- is serving an eight-year sentence for vehicular assault while under the influence.

It was his fifth DUI charge in 10 years.

But he won't pay restitution because he will be deported as soon as he completes his sentence.

"They don't pay restitution and they get deported. And we're left with a lot and so are the American people. I mean, who's paying my disability?" Ross said.

Buck has been arguing to bring an ICE office to Greeley. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security report in April stated that Greeley needed an immigration sub-office and ICE may relocate an existing sub-office in Brush to Greeley.

The ICE office is expected in Greeley by the end of the year.

It's been about 10 months since ICE raided the Swift meatpacking plant in Greeley and other states and arrested 1,282 workers. Of those, several in Weld County were charged with identity theft.

Ricardo Romero, who grew up in Weld County, said the only way to control the illegal immigration problem is to help the economy in Mexico so there's less of a desire to come to the United States.

"People see all this. They see the lifestyle of the U.S. on TV and everybody wants a lifestyle like that," Romero said.

Watch 7NEWS at 10 p.m. for more on this story.