Thread: Immigration Bills Advance in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia

Immigration Bills Advance in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia

By Elizabeth Llorente

Published April 13, 2011

Tennessee Capitol building.

Three bills targeting illegal immigration are making their way through the Tennessee legislature drawing vows by the American Civil Liberties Union to pursue litigation if they become law.

Other states, including Florida and Georgia, also are weighing strict measures that bear similarities to one that became law last year in Arizona, but parts of which have been blocked by the courts. Many legal experts believe the legal battle over Arizona's immigration law could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

One of the Tennessee bills would allow local law enforcement agents to question suspects about their immigration status. The other bills would require the state's employers to prove their employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. and require agencies to verify that applicants for public benefits are legally eligible for them.

Republican Rep. Joe Carr of Lascassas is the sponsor of all three proposals, which each passed the House State and Local Government Committee on a voice vote on Tuesday.

In Florida, the state Senate appropriations committee is expected to vote on a highly contentious immigration package, known as SB 2040, that, among other things, requires employers to use a federal database known as E-Verify to check on a person’s eligibility to work in the United States.

“Florida has thrived because of immigrant entrepreneurship, tourism and immigrant labor in agriculture,â€

“Florida has thrived because of immigrant entrepreneurship, tourism and immigrant labor in agriculture,â€

Lets keep these coming.