Thread: The Immigration Fight Heads to Pennsylvania

The Immigration Fight Heads to Pennsylvania

By Danielle Beach-Oswald

It appears as if Pennsylvania is the next state to enter into the fray of reforming their state's immigration laws. Last week, the State Government Committee approved the Professional Licensees Illegal Employment Act. If the bill becomes law, it would penalize anyone that hires undocumented workers by revoking their professional licenses from the Bureau of Occupational and Professional Affairs. This Bureau controls the professional licensing of over 30 licensing boards for various occupations including doctors, nurses, and funeral directors.

The Pennsylvania bill has wide support from Pennsylvania Republicans who believe that employers who hire illegal immigrants are not penalized at all. They believe that illegal immigrants are taking vital jobs in a time where the country is facing increasingly high unemployment rates. Opposition to the bill is widespread, with critics citing the bill’s continued failure to set out a clear policy of how it is going to be enforced.

This isn’t the only immigration bill in Pennsylvania. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is leading an effort of immigration overhaul in Pennsylvania through a series of bills known as “National Security Begins at Home.â€