Thread: Texas lawmakers consider new immigration laws

Texas lawmakers consider new immigration laws
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Article Launched: 08/19/2008 05:20:41 PM MDT


AUSTIN - A couple of lawmakers want to know whether Texas can punish employers who hire undocumented workers and prohibit cities from adopting so-called sanctuary policies.
"We need to make sure that we uphold our laws," said state Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio.

Corte and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, sent Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott two letters earlier this month, asking him to rule whether anti-immigration measures similar to ones adopted in Arizona and Oklahoma, would meet constitutional muster here.

Last year, several Republican lawmakers proposed a smorgasbord of anti-immigration bills, but nearly all of them failed after the attorney general said they would violate the constitution or overstep federal authority. House leaders had asked Abbott to review all the proposals after they were filed.

Corte said it would be nice to know before the 2009 legislative session what authority Texas has to enforce immigration laws.

"I'd hate for us to spend a bunch of time debating something we don't have clarity on," he said.

In one letter, Corte and Patrick asked whether Texas could adopt a measure similar to one in Arizona that penalizes companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers.

The Arizona law allows the suspension and revocation of business licenses for companies that employ undocumented immigrants.

The other letter asks whether Texas lawmakers can adopt a policy that prohibits cities from barring police from turning


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undocumented immigrants over to federal agents.
"I think if we have laws that aren't being upheld, laws that are not being enforced, we need to do that," Corte said.

Police Chief Greg Allen said El Paso is not a sanctuary city and that his officers do hand over to federal officials undocumented immigrants who have broken the law.

But, he said, tracking down undocumented immigrants, is not the department's primary concern.

"We don't have the staffing; we don't have the expertise" to enforce federal immigration laws, Allen said, adding that to do so would take valuable time and resources away from fighting crime in the city.

Ray Adauto, executive vice president of the El Paso Association of Builders, said the federal government already levies steep fines from employers caught with undocumented workers.

The association, he said, urges builders to comply with the law and ensure that subcontractors they use hire legal workers.

Adding another layer of state penalties, he said, wouldn't necessarily stop companies that are determined to break the law.

"I think there's enough labor force right now with the slowdown in the marketplace that people don't need to go out and hunt for people of that nature," Adauto said.

State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, said the nation needs one good federal immigration system, not a bunch of bad ones developed by individual states.

Immigration policy, he said, should be left up to the federal government.

"Lets face facts," Shapleigh said. "The U.S. needs a vibrant labor force in technology, health services, construction and agriculture. Immigrants have shouldered that burden for years."

Brandi Grissom can be reached at bgrissom@elpasotimes.com; (512) 479-6606.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_10247236

But the states have to show the need. And often times the states must take action, first. TEXAS, you can handle a big problem.

In one letter, Corte and Patrick asked whether Texas could adopt a measure similar to one in Arizona that penalizes companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers.

"Knowingly" hiring is that one phrase that has me really disturbed. Without E-Verify, these employers can claim that the forged documents were excellent and the documents fooled the employers. Forget trying to get a legitimate case into court in the near future as the judges and attorneys will be tied up fighting for and against the employer's knowledge. My recommendation is get rid of the "Knowingly" crap. Vet your employees, including Americans citizens, which would only be politically correct!

Yes we need enforcement here in Texas BAD. Our pandering Governor has to be the first one to hit the road. We just had five IA's arrested Sunday for having a shoot out in the local Kohls parking lot.

08/21/2008 12:00 CDT
New efforts against immigrants pending

AUSTIN — Some Texas lawmakers could launch a new effort to crack down on unauthorized immigrants by punishing businesses that employ them or cities that give them sanctuary, if the ideas get the legal go-ahead from Attorney General Greg Abbott.

“I would move forward on legislation to end sanctuary-city policiesâ€