POSTED ON Tuesday, January 27, 2009 AT 04:31PM

Latest immigration measure faces uphill battle (again)


A White Swan man hopes the fourth time will be the charm in passing a statewide initiative to crack down on undocumented immigrants.

The odds, though, are not in his favor.

Wendell Hannigan, who filed his initiative earlier this month, wants a new state law requiring employers to verify a worker's legal status and for law enforcement to notify federal authorities when they arrest undocumented immigrants.

Under the initiative, those who obtain a driver's license and most public services would have to prove their legal status. Exempt would be emergency medical care.

Each year since 2006, anti-illegal immigrant groups have tried but failed to get their measures brought either before voters or before the Legislature. Hannigan will have to gather at least 300,000 signatures to safely make it on the ballot. His deadline is July 3, a mere five months away.

It's a daunting task. If Hannigan thinks he will get the business community to back him, think again. His initiative requires the use of the E-Verify system of determining a potential employee's citizenship, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has opposed and has even filed suit against the federal government to try to prevent expanding its use. The chamber has argued the system is too costly and that only Congress, not a federal agency like Homeland Security, can require mandatory compliance by those contracting with the government.

Hannigan may find a well-spring of support from groups like the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which is angered by the presence of illegal immigrants and the lack of stricter immigration laws. Yakima has a Minuteman chapter. But that doesn't translate into thousands of signatures. It certainly hasn't in the most recent effort.

In fact, Washington has tended to provide assistance for new immigrants to this state, especially children. Our public schools have long opened their doors to all students.

Furthermore, the anger over undocumented illegal immigrants has faded somewhat in recent months. First, security along our border with Mexico has improved. The U.S. Border Patrol has doubled in size, growing from 9,000 in 2001 to 18,000 last year. Recent well-publicized raids on meat-packing plants and other businesses across the nation have sent a message of greater enforcement.

Then there's the economy. For the first time in more than a decade, the number of undocumented immigrants has actually dropped due to the nation's recession.

Hannigan, a former Yakama tribal councilman, has already made a name for himself with his proposal, which would establish a guest-worker program requiring licenses or permits for nontribal citizens and non-U.S. citizens working on the Yakama reservation. The tribal council has already given its approval.

But undertaking a statewide signature-gathering drive is far different than getting a nod of approval from the tribal council. Hannigan has his work cut out.

We are not surprised, though, that this is the fourth attempt to crack down on undocumented immigrants. If Hannigan fails, don't be surprised to see another initiative spring to life the following year. The issue will continue to be raised until we finally get comprehensive immigration reform passed on the national level.

Sadly, with Congress focused on economic recovery plans, immigration reform has again dropped further down on the "to do" list.



* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Barbara Serrano, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.


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