Thread: Democrats in no rush to heed GOP immigration call

**Note, my comments are in black bold lettering, in response to the way too stupid comments from the officials in blue lettering!

Democrats in no rush to heed GOP immigration call

Thursday, January 25, 2007
JANIE HAR
The Oregonian

SALEM -- After all the campaign rhetoric last fall, Republicans in the Oregon Legislature have introduced bills this month targeting illegal immigrants while Democrats say it's not on their urgent to-do list.

Democratic leaders who control both chambers say they plan to address the issue, but say they are busy on other initiatives such as children's health care and alternative energy.

Immigration also hasn't been an out-of-the-gate priority for Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who promised in his campaign to crack down on businesses that hire undocumented workers.

Yet Oregon lawmakers acknowledge it's a topic they can't ignore, given the national debate over an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country -- and promises made by both Republicans and Democrats.

Republicans have introduced several bills, including proposals to make English the official language of Oregon and to deny welfare to people who can't prove they're here legally. It's unclear whether Democrats will allow votes on these bills in the House or the Senate.

"We just need to have a hard-core discussion and say, are we or are we not going to make a run at these things, and if we are, how are we going to do it?" said Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem.

Courtney and House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, say they're studying similar legislation in Colorado and Arizona, though they wouldn't cite specific proposals. Colorado has passed legislation withholding pay from employees who can't verify their identification, and punishing employers who don't verify their workers' status.

At the very least this session, lawmakers need to bring Oregon in line with a new federal regulation requiring drivers to prove legal status to get a license. Without that, driver's licenses would no longer be good for federal identification purposes, such as boarding commercial airliners.

Legislators also are mulling possible bills to punish human smugglers, track emergency room costs of undocumented immigrants, and give local police power to root out people in the country illegally.

Rep. Donna Nelson, R-McMinnville, is pushing House Bill 2459. Co-sponsored by seven other Republican legislators, it would declare English the state's official language. It gives state agencies permission to provide information and services only in English, although it wouldn't trump federal regulations that require bilingual education and equal access to voting.

Nelson doesn't oppose other languages, saying her children speak Spanish, Swedish and French. "But we have one common language that binds us together as a family."

"This isn't a punitive issue here," said another sponsor, Rep. Kevin Cameron, R-Salem. "This is to encourage people to speak English and to learn English."

It's doubtful the bill will clear the House. Merkley said it appears designed to get "people very emotionally worked up while not addressing a real problem."

If it doesn't move, sponsors say they will launch a petition to get it on next year's ballot.

Merkley said Democratic leaders will start talking seriously in a few months about ways to tackle a situation that's largely the fault of the federal government.

Democrats took control of the House last fall, boosted partly by candidates who campaigned hard on illegal immigration. It's too soon to say whether any of their ideas will go anywhere.

Freshman Rep. Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, said he's still committed to a plan to deport illegal immigrants convicted of drunken driving. But the Democratic caucus hasn't settled on specifics yet, he said.

Likewise, Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, also said he wants to find a way to fine employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, but he needs to run it past others.

"Just because you have an idea doesn't mean you have (legislative counsel) draw it up," Clem said.

Sean Cruz, an aide to independent state Sen. Avel Gordly of Portland, worries that legislators will hash out agendas in secret caucus meetings without input from immigrants.

(Fisrt place, this is not about immigrants, it is about ILLEGAL aliens, whole different group of people.)

"There's plenty of well-meaning people, good people, but they're not Latino, and this is what this is all about," he said.

(Sure it is always about the Latino people as far as the OBLer's are concerned, that in itself is a racist attitude)

The current climate also means legislation considered friendly to immigrants will have a tough go. For example, Courtney doesn't know whether there's enough interest this time around for a bill he pushed in 2003 that would grant in-state tuition to undocumented students who have graduated from Oregon high schools.

Rep. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, said she and Rep. Linda Flores, R-Clackamas, have about a dozen bills related to immigration they're waiting to introduce. Thatcher is waiting to see whether Democrats live up to their campaign promises.

"I heard a lot of, well, I'll just say rhetoric, a lot of grandstanding on the issue," she said.

"So far, I haven't seen anything come from them. And like I said, the ball's in their court. It really is."

Janie Har: 503-221-8213; janiehar@news.oregonian.com

Hopefully the run and mill democrat is watching what is happening! More illegals means more taxes and less social benefits for citizens.

It also means our lobbying has a chance, if we are alert to things being snuck through as in the lame duck session.