Thread: Lines Drawn in Mississippi over Arizona-Styled Immigration B

Lines Drawn in Mississippi over Arizona-Styled Immigration Bill

Published January 17, 2011

A hat sticker and sign carried by members of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance at a news conference and rally at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A hat sticker and sign carried by members of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance at a news conference and rally at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

An immigration measure that would let law enforcement officers check the immigration status of people who are stopped for traffic violations or other possible offenses is sparking intense debate and may be one of the most divisive topics of the 2011 Mississippi legislative session.

The issue is casting a spotlight on Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, who can't seek a third term this year and is considering a presidential run in 2012.

He said during an interview in December that it's reasonable to let law officers check the immigration status of people who are stopped for traffic violations or other possible offenses. But he also said Mississippi benefited from immigrants' work during the massive recovery after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

"I don't think there's any question that we had a tremendous number of people come in, and I have no doubt some of them weren't here legally," Barbour said. "I don't know where we'd have been without them."

Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, who's running for governor this year, is among the most outspoken supporters of a bill making its way through the Mississippi Capitol. It would allow a law enforcement officer to check a person's immigration status during a traffic stop or other encounter, if the officer suspects the person might be in the United States illegally.

The three-month session is entering its third week, and the Capitol hallways already have been filled by people with strong feelings for or against the bill.

This past week, the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance led a rally with about 80 people to denounce the proposal. Among the speakers was Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Johnson said many Latinos come to the United States seeking work to improve their families' lives, and the immigration bill could lead to racial profiling against anybody who looks Latino.

"Any legislation that discriminates against Latinos, discriminates against African-Americans," Johnson said.

The next day, tea party activists and other supporters of the immigration status-check legislation attended a Senate committee meeting to show support for the bill. Dr. Rodney Hunt, a Jackson-area surgeon, said 75 people stood and gave a sustained round of applause after the bill passed.

Hunt said illegal immigration creates security issues, and he believes people who come into the United States without going through the proper process are taking jobs from American citizens and from legal immigrants. He said he also doesn't want social benefits, such as food assistance, to be provided to people in the country illegally.

"There is a great difference in our minds between legal and illegal immigration," Hunt said.

If Barbour runs for president, immigration is an issue he'd certainly face repeatedly in a national race. In the pre-session interview, Barbour said he wouldn't commit to either signing or vetoing a bill without seeing specifically what's in it.

Barbour said the federal government is doing a weak job of enforcing border crossings, and that has created security problems in border states.

"Arizona, New Mexico, California and Texas share a very long border with Mexico, and they have issues to deal with, we don't have to deal with," Barbour said. "So there are a lot of things that are very appropriate to put in the law in Arizona or Texas that are unnecessary here."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politi ... z1BJF382KN

It's a human right to live in the USA?

It's a human right for anyone to suck at the tit of American social programs?

The "human right's" argument is what they revert to when they have nothing else to stand on. Is it a human right to break the law?

He (Haley Barbour) said during an interview in December that it's reasonable to let law officers check the immigration status of people who are stopped for traffic violations or other possible offenses. But he also said Mississippi benefited from immigrants' work during the massive recovery after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

"I don't think there's any question that we had a tremendous number of people come in, and I have no doubt some of them weren't here legally," Barbour said. "I don't know where we'd have been without them."

Oh come on, Haley, give us a break. Your state has the highest poverty level of any state in the country.

Poverty rate highest in Mississippi
By Donna Melton | Biloxi Sun-Herald

BILOXI — Mississippi ranks highest in the nation for the number of people living in poverty.

The Census Bureau;s 2009 American Community Survey used data from 3 million households to put Mississippi at the top of the list, with 21.9 percent of state residents below the poverty level in 2009. That's up from 21.2 percent in 2008.

Similar trends can be seen in South Mississippi. Census data from both the Gulfport-Biloxi and Pascagoula metropolitan areas shows the percentage of people and families living in poverty also is on the rise.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/29/1 ... z1BJOsEriq

You mean you couldn't figure out how to connect those living in poverty in your state with the jobs opportunities at federal prevailing wages during Katrina??!! Really, Haley??!!

Haley, if you wanted to be a player in the 2012 Presidential elections, that statement just blew it.