Thread: NC Immigration reforms stall as lawmakers gear up for final

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/n ... 094756.htm

Posted on Fri, Jul. 21, 2006

Immigration reforms stall as lawmakers gear up for final days

MIKE BAKER
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina lawmakers have given little attention this session to the state's estimated 400,000 undocumented workers, and their time to make any changes is running short.

Conservative advocates have lobbied the General Assembly in recent weeks for new laws to help identify illegal immigrants, criticizing legislators for considering only a few minor proposals. Of the dozen or so bills, none has passed, and two of the three remaining measures face a long road to approval as lawmakers race to leave Raleigh as early as next week.

One proposal would encourage law enforcement officials to take a photo of drivers who fail to produce identification. Supporters have said unlicensed drivers frequently give false names and information to officers.

Driving without a license is an infraction, and the photos would be attached in court files with that violation. That way, if the driver gave a false name, the actual person could prove in court that they weren't behind the wheel when the infraction occurred, said bill sponsor Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth. Ideally, police would then be able to track down the true culprit.

Rep. Ronnie Sutton, who headed the committee hearing the bill, noted that it would significantly target the state's population of immigrants, some of whom don't have driver's licenses or other photo identification.

"You're going to have a lot of Hispanics getting their picture taken," said Sutton, D-Robeson.

Because of lingering concerns about profiling, the bill has been on and off the House calendar, amended and weakened.

Officials of El Pueblo, a Raleigh-based advocacy group for Hispanics, and the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union declined to comment about the measure.

Rep. George Cleveland, R-Onslow, wants a bill to require state agencies to identify the legal status of all its new employees. The state university system and other agencies have opposed the measure, saying the process would overburden them.

"Eventually the entire country will be using this system," said Cleveland, blaming the delay on "a Democratic-controlled General Assembly who thinks illegal aliens benefit them."

Conservative advocates such as Bill Graham, who led a fight against the state's gas tax, and William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, have come to the Legislature to lobby for reforms.

"The pressure is building against lawmakers," Gheen said. "Illegal immigration will be the top issue of this election cycle. The Democratic lawmakers that have prevented discussion will face the voters this election."

Folwell's and Cleveland's bills are each scheduled for votes in the House on Monday, but they must still cross over to the Senate, which hasn't yet seen or discussed the measures, before they could become law. Cleveland said the measures are effectively dead.

"What's worse, neither of those bills address the real problems in North Carolina," said Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, expressing concern that illegal aliens could easily get driver's licenses and then register to vote.

Democratic leaders have entirely blocked other Republican proposals to deal with illegal immigration, as conservative legislators sought to strengthen the process of acquiring a drivers license, produce English-only election forms and to bar undocumented residents from receiving social services.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand said real reforms are difficult to enforce, citing problems with the federal government.

"If the federal government doesn't cooperate, there's very little we can do," said Rand, D-Cumberland. "The sheriffs call the federal government to say they have someone, and the government doesn't do anything. Or they turn over an illegal immigrant, and that person almost beats them back home."

The closest immigration court is in Atlanta. Rep. Sue Myrick and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph announced last week that they would lobby for an immigration court in Charlotte.

The House is scheduled to vote Monday on a resolution supporting Myrick's efforts.

In a third provision, lawmakers are nearing passage of a DWI bill that would urge law enforcement officials to check the legal status of inmates in jail for drunken driving or felony offenses. Legislators are expected to give a final vote on the measure next week.

But even that proposal, Rand said, won't be effective without federal immigration reform.

"If Republicans are so concerned, perhaps they should call up to the Republican-controlled Congress and White House," Rand said. "We're doing everything we can."

This was on WRAL's web site also. Does anyone know if anything was said on the broadcast news about it??

"You're going to have a lot of Hispanics getting their picture taken," said Sutton, D-Robeson.

Somebody buy Sutton a clue.

"You're going to have a lot of ILLEGALS getting their pictures taken". There all fixed.