Thread: Illegal immigrants occupy Mass. lawmakers

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/ ... 922287.htm

Posted on Wed, Jun. 28, 2006

Illegal immigrants occupy Mass. lawmakers

GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press

BOSTON - Nearly 2,000 miles from the Mexican border, and the very first questions at a recent debate for governor of Massachusetts were not about gay marriage, or taxes or a wind farm off Cape Cod, but illegal immigrants.

What, the moderator wanted to know, did the Democrats think of a proposal to have the state police arrest illegal immigrants? And should Massachusetts, a state with no international border, have been more aggressive in cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants?

With illegal immigrants finding work all over the land - on farms and in factories, and as construction workers, laborers, gardeners and housekeepers - the issue has seeped into many of the 36 gubernatorial races across the country this year, with some potent effects already.

In Nebraska, Tom Osborne, the legendary Cornhuskers football coach and three-term congressman, supported legislation that would have allowed the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition rates. He was defeated in the May 9 Republican primary by Gov. Dave Heineman, who vetoed the measure.

In Tennessee, Jim Bryson, another GOP gubernatorial candidate, said that if elected, he would establish a state office of immigration that would report directly to the governor. He also proposed having the Tennessee Highway Patrol enforce immigration laws.

In Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, locked in a tough re-election fight, has taken a beating from Republicans for vetoing a bill that would have required all recipients of state benefits to show proof of U.S. citizenship. He said the measure could have also denied benefits to legal citizens.

"I don't know that there are too many communities that aren't touched by immigrants or at least very recent arrivals," said John Comer, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Concern has spread from the border to the heartland and beyond because of economics, Comer said.

"I think the notion that's troubling is that a large immigrant pool willing to work for a relatively small amount of money results in a lowering of the wage structure for the rest of working men and women," the professor said.

Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., a state that has seen epic immigration battles in recent years, said national security also factors into the debate.

"A lot of people reason that if the border is insecure, our homeland security is at risk," Pitney said.

Nationally, congressional Democrats and Republicans have been locked in a debate over whether to grand some form of amnesty to the more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. President Bush has split with some of his fellow Republicans, supporting their call for a tightened border with Mexico while simultaneously proposing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican laying the groundwork for a potential 2008 White House campaign, brought the debate to the Bay State when he said he would seek federal approval so state troopers could arrest suspected illegal immigrants they encounter during the course of their normal duties, such as traffic stops.

"It's one more thing you can do to make this a less attractive place for illegal aliens to come to work," said Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman.

The proposal triggered a protest outside Romney's office, and divided the Democratic candidates for governor.

In Oregon, Republican candidate Ron Saxton has called for the withholding of state services, education and driver's licenses from illegal immigrants. One of his radio ads says: "Illegal aliens cost Oregon taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year" for health care and education.

In Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, a former GOP congressman and federal Homeland Security official now running for governor, said prisons should verify the immigration status of all inmates before release. He also supports authorizing state police to enforce immigration laws, and requiring all state agencies, contractors and subcontractors to verify the immigration status of all new employees.

"There are still too many who say that immigration is a federal matter only, and that states have no role in enforcing our laws," he said. "That's an old way of thinking, and one that simply isn't acceptable anymore."

"There are still too many who say that immigration is a federal matter only, and that states have no role in enforcing our laws," he said. "That's an old way of thinking, and one that simply isn't acceptable anymore."

AMEN!! It's about time they started waking up!!

Since the federal government refuses to provide adequate interior inforcement to protect U.S. citizens - it is up to the local and state governments to do the job.

Meanwhile the mayor mumbles menino has refused Mitt Romneys offer of State Police assistance in our crime ridden neighborhoods because he does not want them bothering the illegal aliens and he does want the Boston Police force to keep wracking in that overtime.