Thread: New AZ. immigration bill would step up enforcement

Arizona immigration bill would step up enforcement

by Mary Jo Pitzl - Feb. 21, 2011 07:19 PM
The Arizona Republic

Senate President Russell Pearce on Monday introduced a wide-ranging bill that seeks to crack down on illegal immigration by tightening standards for registering and driving a vehicle, enrolling in school and hiring workers.

The measure, Senate Bill 1611, is on an agenda heavy with other hot-button issues. They include proposed abolition of the Arizona Board of Regents, termination of the state's Medicaid program, a requirement that hospitals demand proof of citizenship before providing non-emergency care and a policy that would deny birth certificates to children born in Arizona if one of the parents was in the country illegally.

Bill would get Arizona rancher off hook | Video

A hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. today.

Among other things, Pearce's bill would require proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the country as a condition of school enrollment. It also would pertain to students who are home-schooled.

It would make it a crime to drive in Arizona if in the country illegally. The penalty would be immediate seizure of the vehicle, as well as a minimum 30 days in jail.

Anyone buying a car would need to show proof of legal presence before getting a state-issued title to the vehicle.

SB 1611 also would require employers to prove that they were using the federal E-Verify program to check on the legal status of any hires, or have their business licenses suspended.

Pearce, R-Mesa, introduced the bill Monday, a quiet day in the Senate. It was quickly approved by the Rules Committee and scheduled for today's hearing.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/ ... ement.html

Pueblo Politics: Latino activists promise bigger boycott if new AZ immigration bills pass

Rhonda Bodfield Arizona Daily Star
February 21, 2011 4:04 pm

Activists warned state officials Monday morning that last year’s boycott was benign compared to what’s coming if the state moves ahead with other measures to upend birthright citizenship or require documentation for public school attendance or non-emergency medical care.

“If these pieces of legislation pass, then there’s no question the impact is going to be immense,â€

New Arizona bill would step up immigration effort

Posted: 02/21/2011
Last Updated: 7 minutes ago
By: Associated Press

PHOENIX - A year after enacting the controversial law known as SB1070, Arizona legislators continue to line up additional measures targeting illegal immigration.

A bill introduced Monday would toughen the state's mandate that employers check the eligibility of new hires, tighten identification requirements for school enrollment and other public services, and make it a crime for someone in the United States unlawfully to drive a vehicle in Arizona.

The bill sponsored by Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is to be considered Tuesday by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

That committee is already scheduled to consider other legislation on illegal immigration, including bills to challenge automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants and to require hospitals to confirm whether nonemergency patients are in the country legally.

Pearce, the chief sponsor of the SB1070 law that requires local law enforcement to check immigration status in some cases, and the state's employer sanctions law enacted in 2006, said the new measure is "just cleanup of existing statutes."

"It's mostly the taxpayer stuff," Pearce said, referring to previous state laws intended to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits.

With Arizona's budget troubles driving proposals to reduce eligibility for the state's health care problem for low-income people, "the latest thing we need to do is have illegal aliens on (Medicaid) and other benefits, and that's most of what this is after."

His latest bill would have the state suspend licenses of employers who don't submit proof that they have registered to use the federal E-Verify system. The state's 2006 employer sanctions law mandated participation but compliance has been spotty.

Another provision would make it a crime punishable by at least 30 days in jail to drive a motor vehicle in Arizona if in the United States illegally. Violations also would trigger vehicle forfeitures.

The bill also would spell out what documents can be used for school and university enrollment, and education officials would be barred from admitting students who cannot demonstrate lawful presence in the United States through use of the permitted documents.

Other provisions drop references in state laws to federal requirements on eligibility for Medicaid and other public benefits, impose new restrictions on issuance of motor vehicle documents and require at least 180 days in jail as part of any probation sentence for identity fraud.

The bill also would make an existing ban on bail for illegal immigrants accused of committing serious crimes apply to those accused of any felony, and it would ban state and local governments from accepting identification cards issued by foreign governments' consulates as identification.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/new ... ion-effort

RELATED


Pearce moves to ban illegal immigrants from school,driving
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-228927.html

Today is SUPER TUESDAY in AZ. state Senate

The fun is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109.
The public can also watch online . . .

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1188233.html