Thread: TN: Public ire at immigration drives legislative agenda

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /701090351

Tuesday, 01/09/07
Public ire at immigration drives legislative agenda
State's lawmakers pledge to take up hot-button issue

By MICHAEL A. WEBER
Staff Writer

Dewayne Brown says the new wave of immigration has made him feel unwelcome in his own community.

"This is my country. I fought for this country. I hold this country deeply in my heart," said Brown, 40, of Hermitage. "I am not going to let illegal immigrants come in and intimidate us."

His sentiments are held by many in Middle Tennessee — part of a broader national chorus calling out for something to be done about illegal immigration. The National Conference of State Legislatures last week forecast that illegal immigration would be the hottest issue for legislators across the country this year.

It will be against that backdrop that Tennessee's lawmakers gather today to begin their 2007 session. As the 132 legislators pour into the Capitol from near and far, from Tiptonville to Turtletown, they face mounting pressure from the public to stanch the flow of illegal immigrants to the Volunteer State.

For one thing, lawmakers say they will renew their efforts this year to cut off state-funded social services to illegal immigrants and give driver's license exams in English only.

In fact, most of the immigration legislation that didn't pass last year probably will be reintroduced in the new session, sponsors said. Those include bills that would allow local law enforcement agencies to check an immigrant's legal status and to more aggressively punish businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

"We need to demagnetize the state. We need to stop Tennessee from being a
magnet for illegal immigrants," said Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin.

Candidates from both parties made a campaign issue in the recent midterm elections of the need to do more about immigration — a fact that led state Sen. Bill Ketron to predict that some of the bills that failed last year will pass this time.

"I think the atmosphere will be better," the Murfreesboro Republican said.

Ketron expects to reintroduce all of his immigration bills from last year, including one that would require the state's driver's license exam to be given only in English.

Don Dillehay, 48, of Nashville, says he is in favor of English-only exams because he doesn't think taxpayer dollars should be spent on bilingual materials.

"I don't think any immigrant should come in this country without knowing English," Dillehay said.

Other bills would limit the acceptable forms of ID used to renew car registrations and deny health care and social services to those here illegally.

Denying health care to the children of illegal immigrants is a concern for Kerry Smith, 27, of White House.

"Any child deserves health care in this country because they didn't choose to be here," Smith said.

When it comes to providing social services for adults, Smith thinks the issue is a bit more complicated. "I want to be a goodhearted person and say yes, but at the same time I don't want to be paying for it through my taxes," Smith said.

Some say the line is between legal and illegal immigrants.

"Illegals shouldn't be allowed any services because they are not paying taxes," Brown said. "I don't have a problem if they came here legally and they are working, paying taxes and becoming citizens."

Feds called unresponsive

Some lawmakers said they felt compelled to make changes to state government to stop illegal immigration because the federal government hasn't done enough about it.

"We have an irresponsible and irresponsive federal bureaucracy that is unable to deal with the issue of illegal immigrants," said state Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Goodlettsville, the sponsor of the only immigration bill that the legislature passed last year out of the 19 that were introduced.

That bill, now a law that went into effect Jan. 1, bans companies that do work for the state from hiring illegal immigrants.

One key proposal that failed last year but has bipartisan
support this year would empower city police and county sheriff's deputies to screen the people they arrest for their immigration status and to hold them for deportation if they are illegal.

The move would allow "local law enforcement officers to take federal training at federal expense. It is a win-win situation," said Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville, the Senate's second-ranking Republican.

Norris also plans to reintroduce his bill calling for state troopers to be trained to identify illegal immigrants who are detained and to hold them for deportation.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol already is exploring doing that on its own, THP spokesman Mike Browning said. The Davidson County sheriff's department recently launched a similar program.

"Clearly, if Nashville-Davidson can take advantage of this program, it is a no-brainer for the state," Norris said.

Driving bills may be back

Advocates are watching closely what is happening on Capitol Hill.

"We are gearing up to fight a bill that would reintroduce driving certificates. The bill would make it legal for illegal aliens to drive again," said Theresa Harmon, co-founder of Tennesseans for Responsible Immigration Policies.

The bill in question hasn't been introduced, but the legislative session doesn't start until Tuesday. None of the lawmakers contacted by The Tennessean last week said they planned to introduce such a measure.

The state's "driving certificates" program — which the governor put a stop to last year — was intended to give immigrants a legal way to drive without giving them real driver's licenses. Critics said the certificates were helping attract more illegal immigrants to the state.

"This program doesn't need any legislation. … It can be restarted administratively," said David Lubell, state director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

Pro-immigration groups are gearing up to try to stop a bill that would demand that all state business be done only in English.

"If the state is considered unfriendly to foreigners, are companies like Nissan and Toyota going to feel welcome in Tennessee?" asked Anthony Lucas, president of LaVision, a Spanish advertising company.

That bill also hasn't been introduced, and none of the legislators surveyed by the newspaper said they planned to propose such legislation.

No matter what bills are introduced, many of the supporters of tougher immigration laws see the political process as failing them.

"Everyone will tiptoe around the issues, and in the end they will just sweep it under the rug," Brown said.

Take this poll

Should the state give driver's license exams in English only?
Yes 88.9%
No 8.9%
Don't care 2.2%

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

"If the state is considered unfriendly to foreigners, are companies like Nissan and Toyota going to feel welcome in Tennessee?" asked Anthony Lucas, president of LaVision, a Spanish advertising company."

Last time I checked Nissan and Toyota were JAPANESE companies. Is Mr. Lucas saying that these JAPANESE companies operating here in the United States should have their employees accomodated with SPANISH???

I suppose we could consider illegal aliens driving on "certificates" to be unfriendly and inconsiderate of tourists?
Tell the Governor:

Governor's Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001

Phone: 615.741.2001
Fax: 615.532.9711
Email: phil.bredesen@state.tn.us