Albertville's illegal immigration problem solvable through law enforcement, Kansas lawyer says

By David Brewer, The Huntsville Times
March 22, 2010, 7:56PM



ALBERTVILLE, AL - A Kansas lawyer who served as former U.S. Attorney General John Kris Kobach David Brewer/The Huntsville Times Kris Kobach Ashcroft's chief adviser on immigration law said Albertville's problem with illegal immigrants can be solved through law enforcement.

"Illegal immigration is not an unsolvable problem," Kris Kobach told a crowd of lawyers, educators, judges and other local elected officials here today. "But it takes political will."

Local officials invited Kobach to speak because of his experience in representing cities and states whose education systems and other public services have been overburdened by an increase in illegal immigrants.

Albertville Mayor Lindsey Lyons said about 8,000 of his city's 24,000 residents are Hispanic and that several are illegal immigrants. He and other city officials said the illegal immigrants are placing a burden on its schools, hospital and courts.

Kobach said there are about 40,000 illegal immigrants employed in Alabama and more than 228,000 legal residents who cannot find work.

The deportation of illegal immigrants is one of the best tools for creating jobs, he said.

Kobach said one of the best ways for getting illegal immigrants deported is to "ratchet up the level of (law) enforcement.

Many illegal immigrants and their families would leave the country on their own if employers would refuse to hire them, he said.

Kobach said Arizona noticed a $48 million surplus in the first quarter of 2008 after employers were required to use an E-Verify system for determining the legal status of immigrants working for them.

"Attrition through enforcement," he said. "It's a very simple principle."


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