http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/app ... 80340/1009

Immigration may be a major issue for Legislature

By Bob Johnson
The Associated Press


The influx of Hispanic immigrants into Alabama communities is expected to be a major issue in the upcoming session of the Alabama Legislature, with a number of measures 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 6 at the start of the 2007 session. Republicans and Democrats both made the issue a priority during last year's 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 said 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. He said 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.

"We want to ask that if anyone is doing business with the state that they sign an affidavit saying they are not doing it with illegal immigrants," Riley said.

But a Montgomery attorney who specializes in immigration law, Boyd Campbell, said there is not currently an accurate way for employers to make sure that workers are in the United States illegally. He also said a "get tough" policy on hiring immigrants could harm farmers and other employers who depend on immigrant workers.

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

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

The bill to prevent companies that hire illegal immigrants from doing business with the state would be similar to a proposal by U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-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. She said she is concerned that all the talk about getting tough on immigrants paints a bad image of people who she said 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 said. "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 said she is also worried that efforts targeting immigrants are mostly aimed at Hispanics.

"It seems when people talk about immigrants they are talking about Hispanics. I haven't read in the newspaper about the problems caused by people coming from Asia or other parts of the world. It looks like it's something personal," Minotta said.

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.

"Our area is really flooded with immigrants at this time," said Rep. Mickey Hammon, R-Decatur, who said he plans to introduce a package of immigration bills, similar to legislation he sponsored last session.

Hammon said the first new immigrants were attracted to the area because of the type of work available, and once they became established they were followed by others seeking the same opportunities. He said he expects immigration to be a big issue this year, because it's the first session after an election year for lawmakers.

"They went home and talked to their constituents and found out this is a big issue," Hammon said.

Newly elected Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he ran for election partly on the issue of strengthening immigration laws. He said he hopes to work with Riley on passing a strong immigration package of bills.

Orr said one major problem caused by the influx of immigrants is that it has created "a second economy" in many areas, where employers pay workers cash under the table without offering any benefits or even paying taxes.

Another north Alabama legislator, Senate President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove, said finding meaningful solutions at the state level is difficult. He said he looked at several ideas last year -- including a higher income tax for immigrant workers or making them pay a worker fee.

"But all of that is unconstitutional," Mitchem said.

In Birmingham, Rev. Lawton Higgs, a United Methodist minister who is pastor emeritus of the Church of the Reconciler, spends much of his time working with immigrants and said he feels much of the legislative initiative is misplaced.

"It concerns me a lot. We tend to have the attitude that punishment is going to solve the problem," Higgs said. He said government officials should instead be working to make it easier for immigrants who are already in this country to become legal.

"One of problems is all the barriers that keep people from benefiting from a legal immigration policy. I know people here who have been on a waiting list for years," Higgs said. "We need a thoughtful process where people, if they desire, can become citizens and be a legal part of our communities."