Thread: (ILLEGAL) Immigrant growth sparks (State) proposals

http://www.alipac.us/article345.html


N.C. jumps into debate over how to limit illegal immigration
5/16/2005
JIM MORRILL AND DÃ?NICA COTO
Charlotte News & Observer
Topics: Laws, crimes, illegal aliens, immigrants, Republican, Demcorat

Fueled by a surge of Latino (illegal) immigrants, the national battle over illegal immigration has erupted in North Carolina against a backdrop of national security, growing labor needs and pinched budgets.

Like many states, North Carolina is weighing measures that would limit the access of undocumented (illegal) immigrants to driver's licenses and public dollars. Another controversial bill would make it easier for them to go to college.

The issues have sparked what one legislator calls a "venomous" response. And a group that wants to restrict illegal immigrants announced Friday that seven N.C. lawmakers have withdrawn their support of a bill to make such immigrants eligible for in-state college tuition.

"It's such a polarizing debate," says Ann Morse, director of the Immigrant Policy Project of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We have such an ambivalence in our country over immigration. We're a nation of immigrants ... (but) we see the face of America is changing."

A study released last month by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center put the number of illegal immigrants of all nationalities in North Carolina at 300,000, a figure equivalent to the combined populations of Greensboro and Wilmington. Only seven states have more.

The study found that 80 percent of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants are Latino, with most from Mexico. North Carolina's Latino population grew nearly 400 percent during the 1990s to 379,000, according to the U.S. Census. South Carolina's Hispanic population was 95,000. The Pew study found between 20,000 and 35,000 illegal aliens in that state.

"Americans shouldn't forget that they owe this country's greatness to the pilgrims of the past, the pilgrims of the present and the pilgrims of the future," says Gastonia resident Ernesto Parajón. He says immigrants, whatever their status, want to be part of society.

To others, however, illegal immigrants are just that.

"If you come to America not abiding by our laws, that is a criminal act," says Sen. Hugh Webster, an Alamance County Republican who introduced a bill to deny illegal immigrants public aid.

Similar debates are raging across the country. Utah just adopted a law that denies driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. Arizona voters in November passed an initiative denying illegal immigrants public services. And last year, Kansas became the eighth state to offer undocumented students in-state tuition. The flurry of immigrant-related measures is due in part to the absence of a new federal immigration policy. Congress last adopted guidelines in 1986, long before the current wave of immigrants.

"A lot of people in the states are turning to state legislatures more and more because they can see that federal policy has really failed," says immigration expert James Gimpel, a professor of government at the University of Maryland. "... It has created an incredible burden on state and local government."

Other potential problems

Latino advocates say they've never seen so many proposals at one time, and worry that if approved, they'll drive illegal immigrants to desperate measures.Felipe Kofman runs an immigrant service business in Gastonia. When the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles stopped accepting certain documents in 2004, he saw how people reacted. Some immigrants, he says, bought fake licenses for around $1,000 or obtained a learner's permit and didn't buy insurance.

Another man, who gave only his first name, Narciso, wonders why N.C. officials would make it harder to get a driver's license.

"They deny us any possibility of life here," says Narciso, an illegal immigrant. "Without a driver's license, we can't drive. Without a driver's license, we can't work. ... We come here to build up, not destroy."

Advocates of more restrictive licensing point to national security. Getting a driver's license -- a standard form of identification -- is easier in North Carolina than most other states, they say. Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, introduced a license bill that mirrors a similar effort by congressional Republicans.

"The state of North Carolina has been lax in that (security) obligation," he says. "There's a growing sense of frustration among our people about what's happening with our border security. ... The federal government has not done as good a job as it should be doing controlling our borders."

Limited college space

Another contentious measure would give illegal immigrants in-state college tuition. At UNC Charlotte, for example, that would mean a savings of $5,000 or 75 percent.

Critics say the bill would give college seats to illegal immigrants at the expense of citizens.

"This bill takes away the educational futures for our children while rewarding illegal families and the parents (who) decided to break our laws," says Bill Gheen, president of the Raleigh-based Americans for Legal Immigration.

Gheen says seven lawmakers have withdrawn as co-sponsors. One, Rep. Louis Pate, R-Wayne, says he saw "the possibility of (it) being bad policy," while acknowledging that he heard "some pretty strong language from people on the talk radio programs."

Supporters of the bill, including former Gov. Jim Hunt, say it's good public policy to give immigrants, regardless of status, an opportunity to better themselves and contribute to the state's economy. And Andrea Bazán-Manson, executive director of El Pueblo, a Raleigh-based Latino organization, calls the opposition "disheartening."

"It's a chance for (students) to feed their brain and study," she says. "It's unbelievable to me that (that) would be such a threat to a few folks."

She says bill sponsors are getting calls from people saying they're un-American for even considering the idea. People also have dropped off fliers in legislators' offices saying they won't be re-elected if they support the bill, she says.

The issue of undocumented residents, like the entire national immigration debate, has split people in both parties.

"If the feds do not change any laws or do not deport them, they're here. So now it's ours to deal with," says Rep. Jeff Barnhart, a Cabarrus County Republican and co-sponsor of the tuition bill. "We can't just bury our heads in the sand and say, `Let's put them on a boat and send them back.' "

The Impact in the Carolinas

Of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, 300,000 live in North Carolina and between 20,000 and 35,000 live in South Carolina. Only 7 states have more illegal immigrants than N.C.

Proposals Affecting Immigrants

Several bills involving illegal immigrants have been introduced in the N.C. General Assembly. Here are three.

DRIVER'S LICENSES

THE PROPOSAL: Senate Bill 419, like several others, would require anyone getting an N.C. driver's license to show proof of citizenship or lawful residency. It would no longer accept Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, an alternative to Social Security numbers for noncitizens. Critics say ITINs are prone to fraud.SUPPORTERS SAY: North Carolina is one of only 10 states that don't require proof of legal residency for a license. They also say state laws make it easy to get fraudulent licenses. All of that is a growing concern in an era of terrorism. "There's a danger that a North Carolina-issued driver's license won't be accepted by the federal government or by other states as evidence of identification," says bill sponsor Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham.

OPPONENTS SAY: Denying them driver's licenses won't keep undocumented workers off the road. What it will do: Keep them from having to pass a driver's test. "In Charlotte, you can't get anywhere without a car, so he or she is going to drive regardless," says Angeles Ortega-Moore, director of the Latin American Coalition. "That creates a danger for everybody else. We don't know whether they can drive. We know for sure they haven't taken a test and they have no car insurance. So somebody does hit you, you're stuck with the bill."

COLLEGE TUITION

THE PROPOSAL: House Bill 1183 would make illegal immigrants eligible for in-state college tuition.

SUPPORTERS SAY: Education is the key to help make immigrants, legal or not, contributors to the state's economy -- and help them avoid becoming a drain on public resources. They say children shouldn't suffer just because their parents brought them here illegally. "How many generations do we punish?" says Rep. Jeff Barnhart, R-Cabarrus, a co-sponsor.

OPPONENTS SAY: The bill represents another example of taxpayers subsidizing illegal immigrants. And by making it easier for undocumented students to go to college, it would mean fewer places for other students. "What would you like to say to the hundreds of North Carolinians who won't be going to college if this bill passes?" says Bill Gheen, president of the Raleigh-based Americans for Legal Immigration. "Can you picture what our problems will look like when the papers of Central and South America report that illegal aliens can receive in-state tuition in North Carolina?"

SOCIAL SERVICES

THE PROPOSAL: Senate Bill 976 ("The Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act") and a similar House bill would require immigrants to prove their legal residency to get welfare. It also would make an employer who "willfully employs" an indigent illegal immigrant responsible for the costs of any publicly provided medical treatment.

SUPPORTERS SAY: The logic is simple -- only citizens and legal residents have a right to public benefits. The sponsor, Sen. Hugh Webster, R-Alamance, says employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers should pick up the costs of indigents they employ . "I got some news for these employers," he says. "It's a federal crime to employ these illegals."

OPPONENTS SAY: Many immigrants, legal or not, pay taxes and help the economy. "We see undocumented workers paying taxes and contributing to the community," says David Mills, executive director of the liberal Common Sense Foundation. "And we think they deserve the same rewards that other taxpayers get."

http://www.alipac.us/article345.html

"If the feds do not change any laws or do not deport them, they're here. So now it's ours to deal with," says Rep. Jeff Barnhart, a Cabarrus County Republican and co-sponsor of the tuition bill. "We can't just bury our heads in the sand and say, `Let's put them on a boat and send them back.' "

Why can't you send them back? It might cut down on the flow if they knew that there were consequences.

"There's a danger that a North Carolina-issued driver's license won't be accepted by the federal government or by other states as evidence of identification," says bill sponsor Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham.

And they shouldn't be until you clean up your act.

Many immigrants, legal or not, pay taxes and help the economy. "We see undocumented workers paying taxes and contributing to the community," says David Mills, executive director of the liberal Common Sense Foundation. "And we think they deserve the same rewards that other taxpayers get."

You think wrong. They deserve, and should get, transportation to their home country. They are NOT citizens.

Ban all immigration from Latin America;we didn't think twice about stopping the immigration in the past by Chinese and Filipinos,both groups are far less obtrusive and commited to success the old fashioned way.The Chinese litteraly "united" the US by their railroad work yet weren't even offered free rides.And you can't possibly find anyone more geared toward American patriotism than Filipinos.My own father who was born in the Phillipines put in 30 years in the military during the Viet Nam era to show his allegiance to our country.How often do we find this from the new immigrants?

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Another man, who gave only his first name, Narciso, wonders why N.C. officials would make it harder to get a driver's license.

"They deny us any possibility of life here," says Narciso, an illegal immigrant. "Without a driver's license, we can't drive. Without a driver's license, we can't work. ... We come here to build up, not destroy."

Violating the laws of this country does not help to build it up but rather makes it weaker.

The only thing that stops them from driving is getting caught;and then not always.

Illegal aliens JUST come here to work!
posted 04/06, by get_involved (viewed 184 times) |

http://www.e-thepeople.org/article/3...?viewtype=best

1. A story in the Los Angeles times (June, 2002) stated that 40% of all workers in L.A. County (L.A. County has 10 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. (Build??) This was because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.

2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.

4. Over 2/3's of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

5. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.

6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles county are living in garages.

7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

9. 21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish speaking.

10. In L.A.County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million speak Spanish (10.2 million people in L.A.County).

(All 7 from the Los Angeles Times)

Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 25% are on welfare. (Build??)
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Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.

The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year,[Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].

The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE $55,200, [Center for Immigration Studies, 2001].

http://www.numbersusa.com/action/inde...
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Oklahoma Bill Making Hiring of Illegal Aliens an Unfair Labor Practice Addresses a Serious Threat to the American Middle Class
Tuesday January 25, 1:10 pm ET

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050125/dctu036_1.html

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A bill introduced in the Oklahoma legislature by State Senator Tom Adelson would address the single greatest threat to American workers: the systematic and widespread employment of illegal aliens. While the federal government refuses to take action against employers who undercut opportunities and wages for American workers, Sen. Adelson's Oklahoma Fair Employment Act (Senate Bill 510), would impose state penalties against such employers and allow citizens and legal U.S. residents to take action against them.
A report by the Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns earlier this month revealed that the pervasive employment of illegal aliens is a direct threat to middle class workers in the United States. According to the report, between 4 and 6 million U.S. jobs have shifted from the legal work force to the underground since 1990 as employers have systematically replaced American workers with lower wage illegal aliens.

Shaw:

Thank you for posting this info. I will use much of it in my next Gheen Report to the NC Media and Legislature. Hope you are feeling well. It's good to see you on the board friend.

W

those stats are pretty much across the board here in California's med-large cities.