http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20060116 ... -1913r.htm

States getting tough on illegal immigrants

Jan. 16, 2006 at 11:03AM

In the absence of congressional action, a growing number of U.S. states are passing laws to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants.

In the first six months of last year, states considered about 300 immigration-related bills and passed 36 of them, the National Conference of State Legislatures said.

Among the measures adopted, Florida allowed state law officers to arrest illegal immigrants, Arizona barred day-laborer centers from receiving public funds and Virginia denied some state benefits to undocumented workers, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Most of the state bills revolve around three categories: denying benefits, allowing local police to arrest people for being in the country illegally, and increasing fines on employers who hire undocumented workers.

But John Trasvina, of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which is fighting many of the new proposals, said many were misguided piecemeal approaches to a national problem that could only be fixed by Congress.