Tennessee, Georgia work on strict immigration laws

It shouldn't come as a surprise if next year If Tennessee and Georgia draft their own versions of the Arizona legislation considered the most restrictive immigration law in the country, several state lawmakers said.

"I pray that we will have the votes to do something meaningful next year that will address the illegal immigration problem," said state Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga. "I would like to see more stringent penalties for those who hire the illegal (immigrants), those who rent to them, those who provide haven cities or ministries for them."

In Georgia, Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, announced he will co-author legislation that will provide for greater enforcement of federal illegal immigration laws.

"Those who are residing illegally are breaking the law and utilizing resources that should be for those who obtain legal residency," Sen. Mullis said in a news release. "Businesses, local governments and our university system must comply with federal and state illegal immigration laws to relieve wasteful spending and get legal residents and Georgians back to work."

The Arizona law makes it a state crime to be in the country without authorization and allows police to check the papers of people they stop or arrest.

Last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Arizona challenging the immigration law, but that's not deterring local lawmakers from supporting stricter laws locally.

"Shame on the Department of Justice and the Obama administration for suing one of our states for doing nothing but protecting their borders, shame on, shame on," said Rep. Floyd. "I hope more states in this country will have the fortitude to pass the same law and let Obama sue the rest of us."

Tennessee lawmakers this year passed bills allowing employers to require workers or applicants to speak English in some cases and to require law officers to check the immigration status of people who are arrested. They also passed a resolution supporting Arizona's law.

GEORGIA LED THE WAY

In 2006, Georgia passed what then was considered to be among the toughest immigration enforcement laws, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act.

The law made it tougher for illegal immigrants to access health care, higher education and public benefits. It also required the verification of legal status for those applying for state and local benefits and for those who work for a business doing government work.

Lawmakers this year put more teeth in the bill, D.A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a group opposed to illegal immigration, has said.

Immigration continues to be a wedge issue in politics, according to Elias Feghali, spokesman for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

"Immigrants, especially in Tennessee, are a minority. ... A significant percentage of them cannot vote yet, so essentially politicians are unaccountable to them and so it's very easy to scapegoat immigrants," he said. "It's very easy to draft legislation that targets immigrants."

But he added that a lot of the bills his organization considered to be anti-immigrant were defeated. That includes a bill to require English-only driver's license exams that has been introduced annually since 2005.

Ever since Arizona passed the law, immigration reform has returned to the forefront of the debate.

"Arizona made it a more political issue, a nationwide discussion. It led to a lot of activity in the Legislature over the last couple of months," said Tennessee Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga.

"I don't think the problem is going to be solved at federal level in next few months, and I would expect to see more bills next year in the Legislature," he added.

State Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, said several lawmakers plan to present a Tennessee House resolution supporting Arizona's law to that state's governor, Jan Brewer.

"(The resolution) didn't have any teeth to it, but it sends a message of our support and endorsement of what Arizona did," he said.

Sen. Berke, who voted for the two bills that passed this session, said he voted against the resolution.

"We certainly need to combat the problem of illegal immigration," he said. "We can do that, however, without racial profiling."

FEDERAL FAILURES

The Arizona law is "an excuse to justify hate and racism," said America Gruner, president of the Coalition of Latino Leaders in Dalton, Ga.

"And now it has become part of the political game for election purposes, since most of the candidates are promoting themselves using this issue," she said.

"We need to recognize that the immigration system as it is now, it's broken and it needs to be fixed, while the values of justice and dignity are respected, as well as basic human rights are honored."

What both sides of the debate agree on is that the federal government has failed to act.

"It's a federal government's responsibility to keep illegal immigrants out, and they apparently don't want to do that and don't want anyone else to keep illegal immigrants out," said retiring Georgia Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton.

Tennessee Reps. Cobb and Floyd both said they are not opposed to immigration, but they are against illegal immigration.

"I think that Tennessee welcomes legal immigration, and we don't intend to tolerate people (who are not legal citizens) coming in and taking advantage of our health system, our highways, our roads, our jobs," said Rep. Cobb.

While Sen. Berke agrees that illegal immigration is a problem, he is not sure state laws are the solution.

"Illegal immigration is a true national security issue. The federal government has failed us in dealing with it and they should be the primary source of fixing it," he said.
AT A GLANCE

HB 2685: Authorizes employers to require an employee to speak, or an applicant for employment to agree to speak, English while engaged in work, if it's based on business or safe workplace and the employer notifies employees of the requirement and the consequences of violating it. Gov. Bredesen signed the bill on June 23.

HB 670/SB 1141: Local jails are required to check whether arrestees brought to them are legally in the United States. Gov. Bredesen signed the bill on June 28.

HJR 1253: Tennessee legislators approved a resolution commending Arizona for SB1070. On June 22 it was returned by Gov. Bredesen without signature.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010 ... tion-laws/

Oh, how I wish Mexifornia would implement some sort of laws besides sanctuary cities. I feel like I am in Mexico. The other day some lady came up to me with a clip board and asked a question is Spanish. I asked her if I looked like I spoke Spanish and told her even if I did, I would not speak to her in Spanish cause I am In the USA. I really wish I had my country back. We are should NOT be a multicultural nation. We need immigrants who want to become citizens and assimilate. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your race or heritage, but you must embrace OUR culture and language.