Thread: Legislation targets illegal immigrants

03/06/2007
Legislation targets illegal immigrants
By: Jim Baron , Times staff writer


PROVIDENCE - A package of bills that would make English the official state language, bar illegal immigrants from public housing and their children from public schools and require proof of legal immigration status to apply for a driver's license and proof of citizenship to be placed on a voting list has been introduced by Cumberland Rep. Richard Singleton.
"These proposals are not draconian," Singleton told The Times Tuesday, but he conceded, "perhaps they will be viewed that way."
"It is about time we had a government with common sense," the second-term Republican said.
Singleton said the response to his proposals has been "overwhelming. People have been saying it's about time a politician had the guts to stand up and say these things and put them in writing."
The measures are necessary, Singleton explained, for the state "to protect ourselves in the future" from problems such as deteriorating schools, escalating cost of government and a divided culture."
One of the most important pieces of legislation in the package, he said, is the one mandating that any documents generated by any state department or agency be solely in the English language.
"This bill sets the stage for the rest of the legislation I'm proposing," Singleton noted in a press release. "I'm concerned about the serious language issue that's developing in our country. If this continues, we'll soon be living in a society with two languages and cultures, and that is very dangerous for our American culture, our system of government and our economy."
A second bill would require that all public school students K-12 be taught in English.
Singleton said he is aware that his bill to deny a public school education to children of illegal aliens flies in the face of federal law and previous court opinions. It was meant to.
"I want the bill passed and I want to go to court to revisit that decision," he said. "It is a disgraceful decision. If a family shows up here illegally with five children, we have to pay for these kids. I want to know why. Who said so? I want to revisit it. How are we going to change it if we don't pass this?"
Other pieces of Singleton's legislative bundle include bills to:
n require state and local police to cooperate with the federal government on immigration matters, allowing police officers who have probable cause to believe that an arrestee is an illegal immigrant to report him or her to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office. Singleton said that would end the "trend of nobody wanting to ask questions or offend someone" who is thought to be in the state illegally."
n require that anyone who receives health benefits must be a U.S. citizen or have legal resident status.
n make it a felony to smuggle individuals into Rhode Island in exchange for money or any other thing of value.
n make it a felony for any state or municipal employee to knowingly assist in the procurement of any state benefits to anyone illegally living in Rhode Island.
n disqualify individuals who are neither American citizens nor legal permanent residents from receiving unemployment benefits.
n deny bail to any illegal alien detained or arrested on a charge of a felony within the state.
n prohibit the employment of illegal aliens and allowing the Attorney General to issue a cease and desist order.
n prohibit state agencies and political subdivisions from contracting for personal services with firms that employ illegal aliens.
Noting that Singleton's press release said the intent of the bills is to "curb illegal immigration," Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, said, "this package of legislation has more to do with showing animosity to people who look and speak differently from many of us than it does with illegal immigration. The bill he considers the lynchpin - English as the official language - has nothing to do with illegal immigration. It can only encourage discrimination against individuals on the basis of language.
Brown says he believes the bills are "aimed more at gaining political points than addressing illegal immigration."
Noting the previous Supreme Court decisions requiring children of illegals to be educated, Brown said, "when a legislator puts in a bill knowing it is blatantly unconstitutional, that is not what should be touted in a press release."
"A lot of these bills seem to be undemocratic and unfair," asserted Ramon Martinez, executive director of Progreso Latino. "A lot of these are based on fear and fear-driven unsound practice."
"There is a sense that it is unfair, there is a sense that it is immoral, but it is also impractical," Martinez said. "There are a lot of unintended consequences. It will be costly for businesses that have to comply."
House Majority Leader Gordon Fox said in a written statement: "I will review Representative Singleton's legislation, but I am going to look at it with a critical eye. There has been no evidence presented to me that shows that illegal immigrants are causing a strain on our state's economy."



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©The Pawtucket Times 2007

Rhode Island! Way to go!!!!!! Even a little state can do it!

Dixie