Twenty-two states are now in the process of drafting or seeking to pass legislation similar to Arizona’s law against illegal immigration. This is occurring despite the fact that the Obama administration has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona law and a federal judge has ruled against portions of that law – a ruling that is now being appealed.
Next month, two Rhode Island state lawmakers, a Democrat and a Republican, will travel to Arizona to speak with Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, local sheriffs, and other officials about how to better craft their own bipartisan immigration bill for Rhode Island, which already has been enforcing some federal immigration laws.
Meanwhile, 11 Republican state lawmakers from Colorado traveled to Arizona this week to meet with officials there on how to craft legislation for the Mile High state.
In addition, Alabama House Republicans announced this week that they would seek to “push an illegal immigration bill similar to the recently approved Arizona law.” This law would “create a new criminal trespass statute that allows local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants for simply setting foot in Alabama,” said Alabama’s House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard.
In Florida, proposed legislation against illegal immigration has been retooled to address some concerns raised by a federal judge who blocked the proposed bill, though it would still allow Florida state police to enforce immigration law.
In all, there are 22 states considering copycat legislation from the Arizona law against illegal immigration, according to the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), a group that advocates for stricter immigration enforcement.
Arizona’s law mirrors federal law. It requires local law enforcement officers during a lawful stop to determine the immigration status of an individual by asking the person to show identification that residents are already required to carry by law; and it authorizes law enforcement to securely transfer verified illegal aliens to federal custody.
The law prohibits racial profiling and gives state residents the right to sue local agencies for not complying with the state law.
In the lawsuit challenging the Arizona law, the Obama administration said the United States should not have a “patchwork” of 50 different immigration laws. In late July, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled against most of the major elements of the Arizona law, halting their implementation. That ruling is now in the appeals process.
“We do not expand on federal law,” Florida state Rep. William Snyder, the sponsor of the bill in his state, told CNSNews.com. “We do not change penalties. The goal is not to create a new immigration framework at the state level.”
Snyder, the chairman of the Florida House Criminal Justice Committee, said his staff attorneys have taken the decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton into consideration in re-crafting their bill for the next state legislative session.
Snyder said the office of state Attorney General Bill McCollum has reviewed the legislation, as have committee attorneys, and they believe it will withstand a potential legal challenge from the Obama administration.
McCollum, a GOP candidate for governor, supports the legislation. However, Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-Independent candidate for U.S. Senate, opposes the proposal.
“We will continue to work with the language,” Snyder said.
In Rhode Island, a bill that was introduced late in the session last year, and thus never reached a vote, is expected to be reintroduced in the 2011 session. Its two lead co-sponsors hope to have a bipartisan bill that will withstand a legal challenge after they meet with Arizona officials.
“It exactly mirrors the Arizona law,” Rhode Island state Rep. Peter Palumbo, a Democrat, told CNSNews.com. “We will tweak the bill.”
Palumbo will be going to Arizona with Rhode Island state Rep. Joseph Trillo, a Republican.
Their legislation would essentially codify an existing executive order signed in 2008 by Gov. Donald Carcieri, a Republican, mandating immigration checks on all new state workers and ordering state police to assist federal immigration officials.
This is Carcieri’s final year in office, so Palumbo said it is important to put the force of law behind what has already been Rhode Island policy. State troopers report illegal immigrants they encounter for speeding and other offenses to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.
Because of the executive order in 2008, corruption was discovered in the Department of Motor Vehicles, with drivers licenses being sold to illegal aliens, Palumbo said.
In New Jersey, state Rep. Allison Little McHose, a Republican, introduced a series of proposals that focused primarily on requiring employers to verify the legality of workers, and preventing state benefits from going to illegal aliens.
“New Jersey continues to be a sanctuary state for illegals because they know they can come to the state and receive many free benefits, like medical care,” McHose said in a statement. “The benefits may be free for those receiving them, but not the rest of the public because these costs are borne by the taxpayers.”
Other states with proposals that mirror the Arizona law are Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
“We are very pleased to announce 22 states are now following Arizona’s lead to pass versions of a law that has the support of 60 percent to 81 percent of Americans according to polls,” said ALIPAC President William Gheen in a statement. “State and federal candidates are rushing to display their support for Arizona’s law and immigration enforcement. We will not stop until all American states are protected from this invasion as mandated by the Constitution of the United States.”
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Which part of illegal do you lib-retards not understand…
If you drink and drive thats illegal, if your caught you go to jail…duh….
Why should we have to pay for their education, healthcare and crime… drugs, prostitution, gang bangers, cartels, we have enough of our own criminals..
My attitude is arrest them and make them build the damn wall on the border then kick their butts right over it
Just like every single country, America has the right and DUTY to protect its citizens and society.
I’m so glad people are waking up. At last!
I read somewhere that because Obama is suing Brewer, she can force him to prove his identity and his citizenship…
Maybe he should keep at this. I hope she forces him to prove that, because that could be the ticket to get rid of him.
The Arizona law does not Mirror the Federal Law. The federal government is right fight the state of Arizona or any state that seeks misuse the Federal Law as it is stated. The Governor of Arizona should be arrested for what she has done. As fair as she claim this law is going to be; the level of discrimination that is currently going on in Arizona is too high and to put it simply would allow basis police officers to use it to carry out their own prejudice. But as always things like this will continue with all the talk for Land of Freedom & Dreams that we sell to people the simple truth is it’s a LIE… While I agree that something should be done the states must follow the lead of the Federal Government and local law enforcement officers are simply not qualified to act as immigrant agents. In Arizona they automatically distinct a illegal alien to be a Mexican when an illegal alien could very well be a black man dressed like a thug, or a white man that even speaks with an americann accent but could be from Italy, or Germany the officers would go by site. Arrest the Governor of Arizona she will create a racial nest which will only backfire when Americans – real Americans I mean are being stopped and questioned like illegal immgrants because of how they look or appear.
What if all Americans – white and blacks unite and take back America and kill all those catholic spic bastards and nuke Mexico into the stone age! hoah!
Dude, 9/11 was genocide. We are not genocidal maniacs.
Just send the illegals back.
:!: well i say let the immigrants work!!. aint america is the land of dreams… what dream if americans dnt allow them.. they come to EU for a reason. work hard, make a better future with their seven kis..lol they have mad kids but thts her (v) and tht his (p)… not our problem :-|
If the USA knows what is good for them they shall urgently get rid of the illegal immigrants !!!! Look at the problems here in South Africa. Ok here they are called NATIONAL FOREIGNERS ! Wow we give them FREE medial care and schooling. Our economy is crippled by this. SO TAKE CARE LOOK AND LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.
But with the law enforcers actually busy enforcing the law won’t it mean the Donut franchises are in trouble?
Yep and you can bet they will blame it on Bush.