Pa., N.J. join flood of bills on immigrants

By Amy Worden
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/special/ ... rants.html

HARRISBURG - The Republican leadership of the state Senate wants to make tougher illegal immigration laws a priority when the General Assembly returns to work next month.
Their commitment to this legislation comes at a time when a record number of immigration-related bills are moving through state legislatures around the country. This heightened activity was triggered by the failure of Congress to pass immigration legislation.

In Harrisburg, Senate bills are being teed up to cut costs associated with undocumented immigrants and remove those who commit crimes, while Republicans in the House, where they are in the minority, are touting a revamped package of get-tough immigration bills from last session.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, where the execution-style slayings of three college students in a Newark schoolyard prompted widespread outrage, several lawmakers have announced plans to introduce immigration enforcement bills when the legislature reconvenes this year. One of the lead suspects in the schoolyard shootings is an undocumented man from Peru with a criminal record.

"We will see activity on this issue in the fall," said Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler) the legislature's leading proponent of stronger immigration laws. He has resurrected a package of bills that failed to get out of committee last year.

Now, for what may be the first time in at least a decade, the state Senate is weighing in on the immigration issue.

President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and other Senate Republicans have introduced bills making it more difficult for illegal immigrants to receive public benefits, penalizing employers who hire them, and requiring law enforcement officers to report to federal authorities when illegal immigrants are charged with a crime.

"It's very clear to me through budget negotiations that if we don't get arms around expenditures in those areas, we're not going to address rising costs in the state budget," said Scarnati, who is sponsoring the benefits-restriction bill.

Scarnati said some studies suggest state costs for benefits, health care and education for illegal immigrants could be as high as $250 million, but national experts say there are no reliable national or state-by-state estimates.

The Department of Public Welfare, which maintains all applicants for most state benefits already must prove residency and citizenship, said the state paid $14 million to provide emergency health care for illegal immigrants in 2005. School officials are barred from asking a student's citizenship status, so no cost or population estimates are available.The only service provided to undocumented immigrants in New Jersey is the treatment of pregnant women at a cost of $3.8 million annually, said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services. Additional health care may be provided through the state's $750 million charity care allocation, but the recipient's immigration status is not recorded, officials said.

There are between 125,000 and 175,000 illegal immigrants in Pennsylvania compared with between 350,000 to 425,000 in New Jersey, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Since January, 1,404 bills related to immigrants and immigration have been introduced among the 50 state legislatures - almost three times the number introduced in 2006, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In that same period, 170 bills became law in 41 states, about triple the number enacted in 2006.

Experts attribute the exponential rise in state immigration bills to the gridlock in Congress.

"When the immigration bill died on the Senate floor, the states were left with the costs and consequences of immigration," said Sheri Steisel, an immigration expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Steisel said states are taking different approaches to the immigration problem, but the trend among enacted bills is toward more restrictions and greater enforcement.

Next week in Pennsylvania, Sen. Jane Orie (R., Allegheny) will introduce a bill - inspired by the Newark shootings - requiring local law enforcement agencies to notify federal officials when an arrestee is determined to be here illegally.

"We cannot protect public safety if we do not ensure that criminals are not coming through our borders," she said in a statement.

Larry Frankel, legislative director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said the latest push for anti-immigration bills is being fueled by lawmakers who are avoiding more serious issues such as health care and education.

"It's the politics of distraction," said Frankel.

He said the bills would unfairly target anyone applying for benefits and build on an inaccurate stereotype that illegal immigrants are more likely to commit crimes.

Last week, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram moved to crack down on crimes committed by illegal immigrants by ordering local police to notify federal authorities when those believed to be in the country illegally are arrested for serious crimes. A bill to codify that order is scheduled to be introduced in the legislature in the fall.

Gov. Rendell, who last year signed a bill prohibiting contractors from hiring illegal immigrants, has not read the most recent immigration bills, but is concerned about any legislation that may discriminate against minority groups, said his spokesman Chuck Ardo.

"He believes that immigration laws should be enforced," Ardo said. "But he is concerned that certain people will be targeted without due cause."