http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/s ... 528413.htm

Posted on Tue, Jan. 23, 2007



Kan. legislators looking at ways to deal with illegal immigrants

CARL MANNING
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. - Over time many Kansans have become increasingly frustrated at the federal government's inability to control the nation's borders as illegal immigrants, especially from Mexico, cross over and fan out across the country.

That frustration from voters led many legislators this year to offer proposals dealing with immigration issues, including making English the state's official language and cracking down on employers who hire illegal workers. But some lawmakers acknowledge there's only so much they can do because it's largely a federal issue.

"Immigration was the No. 1 issue in my district," House Majority Leader Ray Merrick said. "The frustration is the federal government isn't doing anything and the voters want us to do something."

Melinda Lewis, policy and research director for El Centro Inc., a Hispanic advocacy group in the Kansas City area, agreed Tuesday the frustration factor is there.

"We have a broken immigration system. In immigration, if you're not frustrated, you're not paying attention," Lewis said as she directed some 100 people brought to the Statehouse by El Centro to talk to legislators.

"We're trying to bring members of the Legislature to the point of common knowledge. There's a lot of misinformation about newcomers to the state," she said.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the state's population of 2.6 million, doubling in number from 1990 to 2000. Census Bureau estimates for 2005 put Hispanics at 8.4 percent of the population.

Last year, 84 bills about immigration were enacted in 32 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The NCSL ranks immigration as the No. 1 policy issue among the nation's legislators this year.

Immigration issues gained momentum, particularly among Republicans who control the Legislature, after the Sept. 11 attacks, said Bob Beatty, Washburn University political scientist.

"Once it became linked to security, it's an issue to didn't go away. The mixture of security and law and order made it a bedrock issue for many Republicans," he said.

In Kansas, House leaders want to make English the state's official language, following the lead of some two dozen other states. Among other things, the proposal says no state or local government agency shall be required to issue written materials in any other language except English.

"We've made it too easy for people not to learn the English language," said Merrick, R-Stilwell. "There's no incentive to learn English. If you're going to live here, you need to learn the language."

Maria Torres, of Salina, one of the El Centro group, said she opposes the legislation.

"It's kind of silly when we are a land of immigrants," Torres said. "We should welcome the immigrants as well as their beliefs and the language they speak."

The official language idea also has detractors among legislators.

"If you want to affirm that English is the obvious language of Kansas, that ranks right up there with naming the Western Meadowlark the state bird. If you want to forbid bilingual, that's just silly," said Sen. Pete Brungardt, who heads a task force studying immigration issues.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley noted the state's first Legislature in 1861 ordered 2,500 copies of the governor's address printed, including 500 copies in German.

"Even then, we recognized that English only wasn't the appropriate policy," said Hensley, D-Topeka.

He said the key issue is employment, noting the state already has a law banning the hiring of illegal immigrants but with a small penalty.

"We need to crack down on unscrupulous employers who decide to employ illegal immigrants," Hensley said. "The employment of illegal immigrants is the root cause we need to address."

No one has introduced a bill to deal with employment. Lewis noted that federal law restricts what states can do about employers hiring illegal immigrants, although legislators still could ban such employers from receiving state contracts.

While agreeing that states are limited, Brungardt, R-Salina, said: "That hasn't stopped some states from enacting laws."

When it comes to employer sanctions, legislators find themselves walking a fine political line, Beatty said.

"You can have measures to make life more difficult for illegal aliens, like English only, but really the heart of the matter is companies that hire them," he said. "Then you have to come up with a solution that won't drive away business, and nobody wants to do that."

There are also plans to require Kansans to present photo identification when they register to vote or go to the polls and require proof of citizenship for those wanting state services such as health care.

But some lawmakers are concerned about unintended consequences.

"We already prohibit undocumented immigrants from these benefits," Lewis said. "It's going to hurt the citizens who can't find their documents."