Migrant debate splits Arizona

Hiring sanctions have kept state in spotlight

The Arizona Republic
May. 11, 2008 12:00 AM

Arizona has remained at the center of the nation's battle over illegal immigration this year, and especially during the past few weeks.

Lawmakers have proposed the state's own guest-worker program and have enacted changes in the landmark employer-sanctions law approved last year. Arizonans have marched to the Capitol in support of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's tough and often controversial approach to the enforcement of immigration laws, and many have demonstrated against his methods.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has pursued ballot measures that would break new ground in immigration reform. Here are some of the most notable events at the State Capitol related to immigration this year.

Today: The Citizens Walk for Human Dignity, a 10-day trip through the desert to call for more humane treatment of immigrants, is scheduled to end at the Capitol. The trek began in Tucson.

May 7: Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law a bill making it a felony to sell, broker or lease property that the owner or agent knows will be used as a drophouse. The law defines a drophouse as property used to facilitate the intentional smuggling of people for profit or commercial purposes. Drophouses are usually vacant properties where smugglers stash immigrants while awaiting payment.

May 6: Trying to prod the Legislature into action, Pearce rallied immigration hardliners to underscore support for his referendum, which, if approved by tlegislators and Arizona voters, would prevent local governments from stopping their police agencies from enforcing immigration law. Napolitano had vetoed a similar measure, and Pearce is pushing an initiative to achieve like goals.

May 2: Arizona Congressman John Shadegg said he supports a state-run guest-worker program for Arizona. The Legislature is considering Senate Bill 1508, which would allow Arizona employers who could prove they have a labor shortage to hire workers through Mexico for up to a two-year stay in Arizona. If approved, the measure would require federal approval.

May 1: Napolitano approved a series of changes to the state's law against the hiring of illegal immigrants. Among changes enacted as part of House Bill 2745, which took effect immediately because of its emergency clause, the state's employer-sanctions law now extends its reach toward employers who pay their workers "under the table" in cash. Those employers must comply with the state's tax-withholding and worker-compensation laws or face fines as high as $5,000.

May 1: Dueling rallies at the Capitol. Leaders of the League of United Latin American Citizens take part in a rally denouncing Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration policies. Meanwhile, anti-illegal-immigration activists defend the sheriff and push for the recall of Arpaio's biggest critic, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

April 28: Leaders of two initiatives that would change the state's employer-sanctions law said they would continue collecting signatures even though lawmakers approved a bill designed in part to keep the measures off the November ballot.

April 7: Two national civil-rights groups brought a class-action lawsuit in federal court challenging Proposition 100, the state law that denies bail to illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes.

March 21: A group of community activists marched through downtown Phoenix, using Good Friday to spread their message. The demonstration, called the "Via Crucis," or "Way of the Cross," was a re-enactment of Jesus' journey to death on the cross from the perspective of the immigrant, whose plight carried him through the streets of Phoenix and ended at the State Capitol. The group's objectives included putting a moratorium on the immigration raids being made by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and terminating anti-immigration laws.

Feb. 4: U.S. District Judge Neil Wake upheld Arizona's employer-sanctions law, saying it does not overstep the federal government's authority to regulate illegal immigration.

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