Audio clip
Ken Ellinger
As Congress talks about possible immigration reform, states continue to struggle with handling the issue on their own.
“Clearly what the situation cries out for is action at the national level,” said Ken Ellinger, associate professor of political science at Dalton State College.
State legislators recognize that a comprehensive immigration solution can’t come from the state level, he said, but they are passing laws as a result of their frustration with the federal government. Lack of consensus among members of Congress has stalled efforts to pass federal legislation.
In the first quarter of 2009, state legislatures in all 50 states introduced 1,040 bills and resolutions relating to immigrants and immigration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
From January through March, Tennessee has introduced 64 immigration-related bills and resolutions and Georgia brought forth 24, according to the group.
Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said the organization is tracking 35 to 40 immigration-related bills.
A bill that recently passed both the House and Senate in Tennessee creates a Class A misdemeanor offense for a person to knowingly provide, transfer or submit false identification to any other person for the purposes of employment. Another bill that also passed both chambers established the “We Want To Learn English Initiative,” which requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Department of Education to establish and administer a grant program to provide resources for immigrants and refugees in Tennessee to learn English.
And today, the Senate will consider a bill — SB 1141 — that requires jailers across Tennessee to determine the legal status of every person arrested and contact the Department of Homeland Security if they believe the person is in the country illegally.
“Over the last couple of years, our state legislators have actually worked very hard to better understand these issues and make sure we weren’t passing misguided legislation that has unintended consequences for everybody,” said Mr. Fotopulos.
“The biggest danger is the bill up (today) which, instead of complementing federal immigration enforcement, it actually conflicts with President Obama’s Secure Communities Initiative by requiring local jailers to inspect immigration documents without any training, funding or infrastructure support,” he added.
In Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed three bills in May, one which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. Georgia is still awaiting word on whether it will pass muster with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Another new Georgia law prohibits sanctuary policies — basically any regulations, rules or policies which prevent local officials or employees from reporting a person’s immigration status.
This week, about 200 organizations, including the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, the Coalition of Latino Leaders in Dalton and the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, launched the Reform Immigration For America campaign to push for the passing of a comprehensive immigration legislation.
Additionally, the White House will hold a bipartisan meeting Monday between a group of senators and representatives and President Obama to discuss comprehensive immigration reform.
Experts and lawmakers agree, however, that states are not as focused on immigration this year because of the economy.
“For some reason ... it seemed to be on constituents’ and legislators’ minds (a lot more) a year ago and (now) we’ve had a number of other issues we need to be worrying about,” said Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga. “In an age of 9.9 percent unemployment, we need to be thinking about how to get people jobs and that’s really what should consume us.”
But the bad economy also has an effect on immigration, said Dr. Richard Wilson, political science professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. When jobs are not around, not as many immigrants — legal or illegal — want to come here, he said.
“We are currently on a cycle where the economic downturn has made entering the United States for economic purposes less attractive,” he said. “That may take some of the pressure off the highly emotional side of the issue and then perhaps we can take a look at the entire situation more rationally.”
Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton, who said he has voted for all the immigrant-related legislation in Georgia, would like to see stricter immigration laws.
“I think the states, certainly Georgia, and I think Tennessee, for that matter, would like to have stricter laws,” he said, “and yet it has such a federal program on it that we are not able to enact and enforce the laws at the state level to counteract (the illegal immigration problem).”
Despite continued talks on immigration reform, Dr. Ellinger said states will continue to address the issue because the federal government isn’t.
“Until the feds actually act, I’m not sure it’s going to have any effect at the state level,” he said. “Every state that perceives that it has an illegal immigrant problem is going to continue to play politics with immigration, and we’ll just keep having a patchwork of state laws where the states are totally inconsistent with each other.”
For years "immigration reform" was the phrase used by those wishing to see immigration REDUCED, LEGAL and CONTROLLED, e.g. Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform, FAIR. Now the Open Borders trespassers after stealing into our country have stolen our language!
"Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." - Adam Smith, economist and ethicist
Everything you need to know about immigration and what to do about it humorously told.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBw1nUlf38I
(Roy Beck and NumbersUSA are the "gumball" heroes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
The morons who are promised to protect all Americans, are really pandering to minorities and the business executives, who want the cheapest workers they can find--without any extras including health care. A very upgraded E-verify application that any literate computer person can use, can begin the attrition of clearing our nation of illegal foreigners. Since the 1960's they have brought unrestrained criminals, subversives, who have no motive drive-by shooting to prove a point. From wherever they have come, they have tried to force on the American people a nasty form of multiculturalism and fundamentalist religions which attributes to increasing violence. A few officers of the law such as Sheriff Ariapo, have enforced immigration laws on a county level, to be purposely restrained by corrupt politicians such as the new Homeland security chief Napolitano. She is like so many elected officials who make grand entrances, promising to enforce the laws and while admonishing anybody who does. She and her thrall have incapacitated Sheriff Joe in the past, to do his job along with Arizona's governor. All these spineless characters need to be shown the exit, when they appear for re-election?
We have been forced by federal law to accommodate them with translators in the court system, voting and other measures, when those who came here legally would have been versed in the English language. Americans citizens have been subjected to growing overpopulation, which our politicians seemingly remain quiet about? The pollution in the cities, traffic blockages is an ever growing chaos. We must understand that illegal immigration is causing massive economic setbacks fo our nations own homeless and impoverished. California being the perfect pawn by their governor and Sacramento officials who must cut services, because of the $47 billion budget shortfall. The worst offenders are the liberal press who do not denounce the causes that can be attributed to illegal immigration. There non-democratic principles have allowed the proliferation of Sanctuary States and cities.
The only way for AMERICANS to get any action is to verbally explode on the Senate and Congressional lawmakers is by phoning their aides direct. A million voices or more will make both the states and Washington politicians to realize, their career jobs are on the line. Their greatest ability is to distract American taxpayers with meaningless issues, that only effects minority groups. Illegal Immigration effects everybody, your taxes, your jobs, your language, your culture, your moral integrity, your religion. YOU CAN MAKE AN IMMENSE DIFFERENCE? Senate & Representative for your contact at: (202) 224-3121: THESE PEOPLE ARE YOUR PUBLIC SERVANTS AND SWORE AN OATH TO YOU?. Demand E-Verify today. SAY NO TO AMNESTY!
WE DON"T NEED NEW IMMIGRATION REFORM--WE JUST NEED THE 1986 SIMPSON/MAZZOLI BILL ENFORCED!
MILLIONS OF PUBLIC IRATE VOICES, CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?
The British Office of National Statistics, immigrants send home about £4 billion a year in remittances back to their home countries. When this is added to the previously estimated cost of immigration to Britain of £8.8 billion, the grand total of £12.8 billion is reached. Which is about $18 billion US Dollars. The British Islands can be placed in California three and half times. So what is illegal immigration costing the US taxpayers compared to the United Kingdom? The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says the flow of remittances to Latin America has doubled in the past four years, to an estimated $55 billion this year--and that's just Latin America? Obviously the US government keeps it undisclosed.
But if you add up the demands of foreign nationals for free health care, education, food stamps, low income housing and so much more, that is guaranteed by forced federal mandates and state give-aways We must demand E-Verify that is permanent and not at the mercy of poisoned political influence. E-Verify should not be just for new employees, but everybody who has been with the company for even ten years or more. Unless the bloggers hadn't commented on the Internet, most communities would have remained in the media's perpetual darkness about E-Verify.
The Obama administration has been instrumental in trying to kill E-Verify, with an assortment of excuses. Most of the majority Democratic liberals have played games with American workers lives, even to weaken it and allowing at least 300 thousand foreign nationals to gain employment from contractors under the Stimulus bill. US Chamber of Commerce, ACLU, La Raza and other anti-American, anti-sovereignty groups have massive nefarious influence on our Washington. The open border free traders legislators who are continually eroding away our constitutional rights. It's disgusting that the free trade cartels are using their political insiders such as Sen. Harry Reid, Speaker of the house Pelosi and many more to allow the free movement of uneducated, uncivilized, poor to infiltrate every community in our lands. It is an unforgivable offense to push for an AMNESTY or as they like to call it Immigration reform, when over ten million Americans are jobless.
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