AL: Immigration Expected to be Major Issue

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Immigration Expected to be Major Issue in Legislature in 2007Last Edited: Sunday, 28 Jan 2007, 12:20 PM CST
Created: Sunday, 28 Jan 2007, 12:20 PM CST

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The influx of Hispanic immigrants into
Alabama communities is expected to be a major issue in the upcoming
session of the Alabama Legislature. A number of measures are being
drafted to curb it.

Republican Gov. Bob Riley said he expects to mention immigration
reform as one of his priorities when he gives his "State of the
State" speech on March Sixth at the start of the 2007 session.

Republicans and Democrats both made the issue a priority during
last year's Alabama election campaigns.

Immigrant law specialists voice caution on the issue and
Hispanic advocates say proposals have been unfair or misplaced.

But so far, bills being proposed by the governor and legislators
would: send to jail employers who knowingly hire illegal
immigrants, prevent illegal immigrants from receiving many state
services, and make it a crime for them to give false information to
register to vote.

Riley says he would also like to see the Legislature pass a
measure to prohibit companies that "knowingly hire illegal
aliens" from doing business with the state.

Riley says the proposal would require company officials to sign
an affidavit saying they don't have illegal aliens on their payroll
before being offered state contracts.

But a Montgomery attorney who specializes in immigration law,
Boyd Campbell, says there is not currently an accurate way for
employers to make sure that workers are in the United States
illegally.

Campbell also says a "get tough" policy on hiring immigrants
could harm farmers and other employers who depend on immigrant
workers.

He cites instances where peach farmers have needed hundreds of
workers on short notice to save their crops during freezing
weather.

Campbell says the Legislature needs to be very careful when it
starts penalizing employers for hiring illegal workers, adding:
"The system that is in place for a farmer to verify that a worker
is legal is very inadequate."

The bill to prevent companies that hire illegal immigrants from
doing business with the state would be similar to a proposal by U-S
Senator Jeff Sessions of Mobile that would prevent companies that
hire illegal immigrants from receiving government contracts.

Sessions' proposal was approved 94-0 last week as an amendment
to a bill raising the minimum wage.

Giovanna Minotta came to the United States from Colombia seven
years ago and operates an agency in Anniston called Be Latino that
offers various services to help immigrants adapt to life in a new
country.

Minotta says she is concerned that all the talk about getting
tough on immigrants paints a bad image of people who she says came
to this country with the best of intentions.

"Unfortunately the economy in Latin American countries is very
depressed, very poor and there are not the opportunities people can
find in this country," she says. "They come here looking for
opportunities to improve their lives. It's good for people to think
they can do something to improve their lives."

She says she is also worried that efforts targeting immigrants
are mostly aimed at Hispanics.

Much of the push for immigration legislation is coming from
legislators from north Alabama, where large numbers of immigrants
have come looking for jobs in construction, agriculture and the
poultry industry.

Rep. Mickey Hammon of Decatur says his part of the state is
"really flooded with immigrants at this time."

Hammon says he plans to introduce a package of immigration
bills, similar to legislation he sponsored last session.

Newly elected Sen. Arthur Orr, also of Decatur, says he ran for
election partly on the issue of strengthening immigration laws.

He says he hopes to work with Riley on passing a strong
immigration package of bills.

I wonder what part of "illegal aliens" don't these people seem to understand? They come here looking for a better life, well that's all and good, but just do it the correct way, and stop sneaking across the border expecting to get everything even american's can't get.

We don't owe the world a life!!!!!!!! There's a lot of american's losing jobs to these people coming in from all over the world to take our jobs, thus lowering our pay scale. Or worse yet, replacing US workers with people that'll do the same job for less. This is our country, not the worlds!

Let them change their own government, stop harassing american's into thinking we owe them anything. their own government does!! It's time our government stopped pandering to these people all in the name of future votes.