Panel dissects 17 bills on immigration issue
Posted: February 13, 2011 - 12:32am

By MATTHEW McGOWAN

LUBBOCK - OK. So a preacher, a professor and a lawyer walk into a quagmire ...

No punch line followed during a special discussion last week at Texas Tech University.

Nor did any discernible solution to the intractable immigration issue facing the United States and Texas.

Former U.S. attorney general and visiting Tech professor Alberto Gonzales, cultural studies professor Zenaida Aguirre-Munoz and veteran Lubbock Methodist minister Ted Dotts on Thursday collectively dissected 17 immigration-related bills state lawmakers have introduced this year in the Texas House.

The bills run the gamut from Arizona-style warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants to the establishment of English as Texas' sole language to tighter regulations for businesses that might hire migrant workers.

Moderator David Strange explained how thorny the immigration question has become since Arizona and other states have begun adopting the issue after years of federal stalling. The legal scope of immigration leaves no room for simple solutions.

Panelists all expressed skepticism of additional state laws, though for different reasons.

Aguirre-Munoz questioned lawmakers' motivations for basically cracking down on immigration when, she said, so many studies prove immigrants do society north of the border more good than harm.

"I just don't understand why such legislation would be needed unless there were other forces on politicians on these issues," she said.

Dotts took an ecumenical stance and questioned the bills' underlying basis on a need for exclusion. He looked to the Bible and said there's "not much of a shadow or scent of the Golden Rule in this legislation."

Pushing the issue on to the federal government, he added, is another form of scapegoating.

"We can always seek someone else to blame," Dotts said.

Gonzales said he liked some of the proposed laws and disliked others, but stopped short of elaboration. He objected to Dotts' reference to passing blame and noted it's a matter of responsibility.

The federal government is responsible for enforcing its immigration laws, Gonzales said, not the states.

But he added he understands why so many states have grown impatient with Washington's continuous punting of reform - by both parties and through several administrations.

"This is a federal issue," said Gonzales, who added his former boss President George W. Bush failed to deliver effective reform.

"I think the states are motivated to do this because the government has failed, quite frankly."

He said additional laws such as those now circulating through the Capitol in Austin are likely to hit wide of the mark because they focus too much on punitive measures without taking aim at the root of the issue: flawed federal policy that condones porous borders.

"It's a mess," he said. "It's a disaster. It doesn't make sense."

Audience input during a question-and-answer session after the panelist discussion brought more personal experiences, opinions and frustrations.

One man identified himself as an educated native of Mexico who has lived in the United States for 15 years. Try as he might, he said, he has yet to secure U.S. citizenship. Instead he must return to the embassy every year to renew a work visa.

It's hard enough for him - despite his degrees and money - and he noted how his more blue-collar countrymen south of the border have virtually zero chance at getting a work visa.

They have no choice but to sneak across the border, the man said.

"Surely there's something in our soul that's going to make a reform," Dotts said, motioning to his chest. "(Something) that's already here."

.Proposed immigration bills in Texas House
• HB 17: Adds law specifying criminal trespass by an illegal immigrant and gives authorities the right to arrest suspected aliens through probable cause.
• HB 18: Forbids cities, counties and agencies from implementing anything that might not enforce federal immigration laws.
• HB 21: Requires state agencies, like school districts, to keep track of money expended for services to illegal immigrants.
• HB 22: Students cannot enroll in schools without proof of immigration status.
• HB 113: Prohibits city/county governments and agencies from adopting policies that don't jibe with U.S. immigration law.
• HB 117: Driver's license applicants must show proof of citizenship or lawful status.
• HB 183: Police must verify an individual's immigration status within 48 hours of arrest but before they are released on bond.
• HB 296: Police can check immigration status of anybody arrested or detained. Authorities may arrest for violation with probable cause.
• HB 292: No Texas birth certificate issued unless at least one parent is U.S. citizen.
• HB 311: Police can investigate immigration status of any person under arrest for any reason.
• HB 532: Warrantless arrests for those police suspect are illegal immigrants. Criminalizes attempting to vote if not citizen.
• HB 582: Businesses with at least one employee must check federal work eligibility database before receiving public subsidy.
• HB 601: All employers, including state public sector, must register and participate in federal work eligibility database.
• HB 608: State agencies must submit reports on cost of services to illegal immigrants.
• HB 623: Allows colleges/universities to seek residency documentation for applicants and requires them to report to lawmakers on how much money is being spent on illegal immigrant students. Establishes English as the official state language.

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