KENTUCKY

Discussions Begin On Illegal Immigration

wkyt.com
Jan 23, 2008
Reporter: Phil Pendleton

Representative Bob Damron says employers of illegal immigrants are committing crimes.

“One is against the aliens that are here and being abused and against all the other people in this commonwealth who should be having those jobs,” says Rep. Damron, D-Nicholasville.

Damron and others filed House Bill 304 to get tough on employers who ‘knowingly and intentionally’ hire illegals.

“And to me, there's nothing more unconscionable than an employer who basically enslaves them because they’re providing cheap labor to do their product,” said Damron.

The bill would also use the criminal justice system to help indentify those who are in the U.S. without the proper documentation.

But Representative Bent Yonts believes some of that could be burden on the current system.

“It says ‘violations shall be brought before the circuit court.’ How is that going to overload the court system and affect AOC budgets? Create more judges, courthouses?” Rep. Yonts, D-Greenville, asked.

But others who testified say some illegal aliens are downright dangerous. And there's little being done to identify them.

“I don't think this committee wants to allow free roaming of serious criminal illegal aliens in this state,” Dr. David Duncan of Lexington, who supports the bill, told committee members.

TEXAS, FARMERS BRANCH



S-T/LAURIE L. WARD
Apartment developer Brian Tusa speaks Tuesday at a Farmers Branch council meeting.

Landlords planning to work with city

By PATRICK McGEEStar-Telegram Staff Writer
Posted on Thu, Jan. 24, 2008

FARMERS BRANCH -- Several landlords who oppose Farmers Branch's efforts to ban illegal immigrants from renting property said they will work with the city rather than fight a new ordinance that makes prospective tenants prove to the federal government that they are legal U.S. residents.

But other opponents say they will file suit against the city's latest effort.

The council voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve an ordinance that forbids illegal immigrants from renting houses or apartments. To help identify illegal immigrants, the ordinance requires prospective renters and adults living with them to pay $5 for a city "residential occupancy license."

The council approved a ban in late 2006 but was later forced to hold a referendum. In May, residents voted 2-to-1 for an ordinance that requires landlords to demand proof of citizenship or legal-immigration status from their tenants. But that cannot be implemented because of a temporary restraining order issued in June by U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay after lawsuits were filed. Lindsay is looking at whether the ban is constitutional.

Apartment developer Brian Tusa and other landlords said they don't plan to go to court. Tusa was among several property owners and managers who spoke at Tuesday's City Council meeting in a failed attempt to persuade the council to reject the new ordinance.

"We're going to work with the city to try to develop a streamlined and efficient process whereby landlords can get an immediate license and answer on the spot," said Tusa, director of development for Alliance Communities. The Phoenix-based company is finishing construction on an apartment and retail building across the Dallas North Tollway from the Galleria Dallas mall.

Lawsuit concerns

The new ordinance is an attempt to protect the rental ban against lawsuits by shifting the responsibility for identifying illegal immigrants to federal authorities and away from landlords.

Farmers Branch has spent $727,607 on legal fees defending the rental ban to date, city spokesman Tom Bryson said. A little more than $41,500 of that was paid for by donations from citizens to Farmers Branch's legal defense fund. The city's budget is more than $91 million this year.

Apartment owner Melvin Sanders said he also does not plan to sue but will turn to the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas for help. He said that the council's push has scared people away and that a fifth of the Farmers Branch apartment complex he owns is empty.

Gerry Henigsman, executive vice president of the association, said his organization opposes the rental ban but will try working with the city instead of suing it.

"We don't enter into litigation. That's not what we do as a trade organization," Henigsman said. "Once you do that, you are unable to make any communication with the city ... you can only talk to them through attorneys."

Councilman Tim Scott said the city will try to make the process easy on landlords. Scott said it may be possible to have the license application on the Internet, so people can apply from an apartment leasing office.

"I want to make sure the city goes the extra mile to make this a quick, smooth, painless process for everyone involved," he said.

Opposition is strong

Marisol Perez, an attorney from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which sued the city over the previous rental ban, said her group will keep fighting.

"We will continue to oppose their efforts to determine who can live in Farmers Branch based on their immigration status. We believe that those determinations are made by the federal government," Perez said.

Dallas attorney Bill Brewer, who represents other landlords, said he intends to press ahead with his pro bono case against the previous ordinance and will now file suit against the new ordinance.

"We ought to be able to move freely from place to place and not have to be permitted everywhere we go," he said.

NEW ORDINANCE

Farmers Branch's third try at an illegal-immigrant rental ban would cover houses as well as apartments. How the ordinance would work:

Prospective tenants over 18 would have to get a $5 residential occupancy license from City Hall.

The building inspector would immediately issue the license but turn in paperwork to federal authorities to see whether immigrants who applied were in the country legally.

Deficiency notices would be sent to people whose information did not check out. Occupants would have 60 days to correct the discrepancy or move out.

If the problem is not resolved within 61 days, the building inspector would check with federal officials again. If the occupants were still there, a revocation notice would be sent to the occupants and landlord.

Landlords could be fined up to $500 a day and have their rental licenses suspended if they did not evict occupants believed to be illegal immigrants.

Source: City of Farmers Branch

PATRICK McGEE, 817-685-3806
pmcgee@star-telegram.com

MICHIGAN


Press Photos/Emily Zoladz
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Michael Lentz, of Rockford, is part of a team that apprehends illegal immigrants who have been ordered to leave the country but remain.

Inside the hunt for illegal immigrants

by Theresa D. McClellan
The Grand Rapids Press
Wednesday January 23, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS -- It starts with the drive-bys.

Officers and agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement team gather in unmarked SUVs, drive past their targeted dwellings and look for evidence of someone home.

The goal is to "identify, locate, apprehend, process and remove fugitive aliens from the United States with the highest priority on criminally convicted fugitives," said spokesman Gregory Palmore.


This is the Detroit team, one of 75 in nation. Its members have the highest success rate, Palmore said.

Members arrived for an operation here Friday and spent the first night in outlying areas such as Allendale, Sturgis and Ionia. They wrapped up late Monday night.

On Saturday, they allowed The Press to join them as they went to homes and apartments in Grand Rapids and surrounding communities looking for 31 criminals and noncriminal undocumented immigrants.

Don't call them raids, Palmore said. Agents don't stand outside of churches or businesses, swoop up everyone and ask questions later.

"Raids are random. These are all targeted enforcement actions for criminal aliens, fugitive aliens and immigration status violators when we encounter them," he said.

Since the roundups started in 2003, 254 men and women in West Michigan have been arrested. Those targeted are men and women who have been before an immigration judge and ordered removed by a certain time. When they don't comply, they are considered fugitives.

"There are ways to get into this country legally, and we're not after those here legally," Palmore said. "But for those who are here illegally, we're looking for them. They are taking jobs, they are committing crimes. This is a priority."


The work of the agents is slow and methodical, with hours of waiting, watching and gathering information.


When it's time to approach targets, agents' weapons are visibly strapped to their legs or hips. They have rules: If children are present and both adults are undocumented, they take the man and give the woman notice to appear within a certain date.


And as the sun goes down, they surround all exits and make the knocks that will change the world for those here illegally.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said 25-year-old Marco Zavala, his hands clasped before him in handcuffs while being processed at a downtown federal office.

He knows he is headed back to Mexico, a place he says is not his home. "I have not lived there in more than six years. I live here, have a good job and a girlfriend who is pregnant."

Zavala has been through this at least three times. Each time he was sent back to the border, he made his way back to this country. He says he hasn't tried to become a legal citizen because he has speeding tickets; Palmore said those violations would not preclude him from becoming legal.

In this case, Zavala was not the target. Agents got lucky when a series of tips led them to the York Creek Apartments in Alpine Township.



ICE Agent Steven Anderson of Detroit was part of the team that arrested Alberto Hernandez-Contrarez at York Creek Apartments in Alpine Township on Saturday. The 30-year-old Mexican national was convicted on weapons charges, as well as possession of fraudulent identification and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.After several stops at the sprawling complex, they are led to a party where they found 11 suspected illegal immigrants.

Using a portable fingerprint taker, officers determine that one of their men is Alberto Hernandez-Contrarez, a 30-year-old Mexican national convicted on weapons charges, as well as possession of fraudulent identification and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Hernandez-Contrarez glares at the agents as he is escorted out in handcuffs.

Zavala is what they call a bonus. As the officers take him away, a young woman runs to the doors of apartment building, presses her face and hands against the windows and wails.

Zavala grimaces. It is his girlfriend. He was just in the neighboring apartment looking for someone to help fix his car when agents descended.

Zavala said he has paid the nearly $4,000 fee to smugglers to get back into the United States. He said he walked from the California border and wandered through the desert for four weeks, past dead bodies and bandits, on his way here.

On the Arizona border, "(border patrol officers) were mean and nasty and angry that I understood what they were saying," he says.

There was a marked difference, Zavala said, when he encountered the ICE team. "They were really nice, I mean, they were doing their job, but they weren't mean or bad to me," he said.

He understands ICE has a job to do. But Zavala says he wants to do his job, too.

He has a driver's license and was working three jobs, including one at a large retailer's warehouse. Next year, he said, he was going to be a team leader.

Across his neck is the tattooed name of his 3-year-old daughter, "Selena." The vein near her name pulses faster as he discusses his plight and his worries about his girlfriend.

He gave the girlfriend his last $100 in cash but worries for her future. She is also undocumented and received notice that she had to leave the country.

"I am not a criminal. I'm just trying to make a living like everyone else," Zavala said. "I know they say they are cracking down since 911, but we are not those people."

Palmore said he understands Zavala's need to make money for his baby.

"But he's been here three times and never did what it takes to be legal. You can't be in the country illegally," Palmore said, noting Zavala could now be charged with a felony.

INTERSTATE 20 - "OPERATION UNIFORCE"

Feds target immigrants far from border

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press Writer
Jan. 24, 2008, 3:04PM

PEARL, Miss. — Detective Nick McLendon, on stakeout duty along a dark stretch of eastbound Interstate 20, noticed a red Chevy Suburban with heavily tinted windows and no light over its rear Texas license plate. The missing light gave him all the excuse he needed to pull the SUV over.

Packed into the Suburban, he discovered, were 14 illegal immigrants, two suspected smugglers, and a spiral notebook on the front seat, listing the passengers and their destinations in Spanish — "Arterio Ramires to Nuy Yersey; David Luna to Nueba York; Marcelina and Jasmin to Carolina del Norte; Jose Aguilar to Alabama; Josefina Ortega to Chicago; Gustavo Ribera to Florida."

The arrests — some 800 miles from the Mexican border — represented a new and dramatic shift in U.S. immigration enforcement strategy.

Federal agents, with help from local law officers like McLendon, a Pearl detective, have begun intercepting illegal immigrants and smugglers along stretches of highway deep in the U.S. interior, where those who have slipped into the country usually have little chance of getting caught.

"They think they're pretty much home free once they get up here," said Bill Botts, the assistant chief patrol agent in charge of the Border Patrol's Gulfport, Miss., station. But Operation Uniforce, as the two-week crackdown begun Jan. 13 is called, "is pretty much a shocker for the smuggling organizations."

More than 300 immigrants and suspected smugglers had been arrested as of Tuesday, more than a week into the operation.

Interstate 20 has become a major corridor for immigrant smugglers. It peels off from I-10 in West Texas and runs across the South, passing through Atlanta and linking up with other major highways, including I-95, which leads to Miami to the south and Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston to the north.

About 40 Border Patrol and customs agents who normally work at or close to the border have been temporarily assigned to the crackdown. They and local law officers have spread out along several miles of I-20 and some of its connecting highways, parking their vehicles out in the open in the median or by the side of the road.


After the two weeks are up, they will return to their usual jobs and evaluate what they learned. In the coming weeks or months, they may return to I-20 and do it again.

The hope, though, is whether they come back or not, the crackdown will put immigrant smugglers on notice and disrupt their business by forcing them to take longer, slower and more costly detours.

Border Patrol spokesman Ramon Rivera said the vast majority of those caught in the crackdown are Mexicans headed to the East Coast, where they typically land jobs in agriculture, construction and manufacturing. Agents also found a Mexican who had paid a smuggler $400 to get him home to avoid a murder charge in Chicago.

But perhaps more important, the agents also uncovered vital information about a few prolific smuggling rings and a popular Texas stash house where immigrants were being kept after crossing the border.

"The intelligence we are getting is absolutely priceless," Rivera said.

The Border Patrol said it had no immediate estimate of the cost of Operation Uniforce.

Federal agents ran three such operations closer to the border last year: two in Baton Rouge, La., and one in Mobile, Ala. Those efforts seemed to force the smugglers north from I-10 to I-20. So this time, agents picked up and moved deeper into the interior to I-20, some 800 miles from the nearest border crossing, at Brownsville, Texas.

The Associated Press was allowed to document the operation during an nighttime ride-along last week in Mississippi.

On that night, McLendon, who normally pulls over motorists in a search for drugs, found the exhausted immigrants crammed in the Suburban, shoes off, a few blankets on the floorboards, a half-empty jug of water in the back. The passengers, including a girl of about 10, had crossed into the United States from Mexico near Nogales, Ariz., some 1,200 miles away from this Mississippi town.

It was unclear whether they sneaked across the open desert on foot, or passed through a border crossing station and then climbed into the SUV. But the Suburban had made it all the way from the border in Arizona — a receipt in the vehicle showed that someone bought a new battery there on Wednesday — and passed through Dallas on Thursday — the driver stopped for an oil change about 1:30 p.m. — before being stopped outside Jackson, Miss.

If McLendon had come across these immigrants a week earlier, he would have issued a ticket for the missing light and sent them on their way. The nearest fixed Border Patrol station is 160 miles away in Gulfport, and he wouldn't have called it because the agents wouldn't have made the three-hour trip for such a routine matter.

This time, Border Patrol agents posted along the highway promptly arrived on the scene, and all 16 people were arrested and held for deportation.

"When Border Patrol pulled up you could see the disappointment on their face, that they would be going all the way back," McLendon said.

State driver's license requirements now include permanent legal presence in U.S.

Contact: (Media Contact) Kelly Chesney 517-373-2520
Agency: Secretary of State

JANUARY 21, 2008

Secretary Land promotes border, document security


First-time applicants for a Michigan driver's license or identification card must prove that they have established a permanent legal presence in the United States, under a requirement taking effect Tuesday, Jan. 22, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced today.

Land's push to enhance driver's license security can now move forward due to a recent attorney general's opinion. The opinion says that under current law the state cannot issue a driver's license to anyone who is not in the country legally and permanently.


Today's announcement only deals with original applications. Updated procedures for renewals will be released soon.

"This is one more tool in our initiative to bolster Michigan's border and document security," Land said. "It also puts Michigan's procedure in line with those of most other states. The department will maintain its highest standards of customer service by sharing information with the public and working with applicants so that they understand the requirements. We all share the goal of a safer Michigan and America."

As of Tuesday, applicants for an original driver's license or state-issued ID card must meet four standards in addition to Michigan's driving and physical health requirements by providing documentation of:


A valid Social Security number or ineligibility for one. Applicants will have to bring their Social Security card or other acceptable document to a Secretary of State office, or a letter of ineligibility from the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Legal and permanent presence in the United States.
Their identity (legal name and date of birth).
Michigan residency.

A list of acceptable documents is at www.Michigan.gov/sos. The Web site includes information on obtaining a Social Security card from the federal government.

Land encouraged customers to make sure they have the documents necessary to complete their applications before going to a branch office.

She added that the new policy actually complements the department's commitment to speeding up branch office service. Because fewer foreign identity documents will be accepted from applicants, employees at the counter won't be confronted with as many time-consuming transactions and can serve other customers. Documents that need additional verification will be reviewed in Lansing rather than in branch offices. In those instances a customer may be asked to visit the branch again.

Land also pointed out that the number of original applications processed in branch offices is relatively small, accounting for less than 4 percent of all branch transactions.

A state lawmaker recently asked Michigan's attorney general to revisit a 1995 opinion that has guided Michigan's policy to this point. The 1995 opinion said the department could not refuse to issue a license simply because the applicant was not legally in the country. The most recent opinion takes precedence over the earlier opinion.


Land already has been working to enhance driver's license security. In December 2007 she proposed the creation of an upgraded "standard" driver's license and an optional "enhanced" version that can be used in place of a passport at the Canadian border. The plan is being considered by the Legislature.

Her proposal would change the law to allow residents who are in the U.S. legally but temporarily to apply for an upgraded standard license.

"Michigan has many outstanding residents who contribute greatly to our economy and society even though they're here on a temporary basis," Land said. "Businesses rely on these talented individuals as well. Under the attorney general's opinion, those who are in the country legally but on temporary student or work visas are ineligible for a Michigan license, though most still can drive using the license of their home country. We need to reconsider that aspect of the law to avoid unintended consequences for individuals or job providers. I encourage citizens to voice their support for our proposal and contact their legislators."

Information on Land's initiative is at www.Michigan.gov/sos. It is titled "The Drive for a Safer Michigan" and is found under "News and Headlines"

Related Links:
> Applying for a license or ID
> Applying for a driver's license - 18 or older - a summary
> Social Security Requirements

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




-----------------IMMIGRATION DAILY FROM ILW.COM------------------

1. COMMENT: Michigan Welcomes Mexican DLs


The State of Michigan announced that effective January 22, 2008,
first-time applicants for a Michigan driver's license or
identification card must prove that they have established a
permanent legal presence
http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2008,0125-miid.pdf
in the US. Curiously, on the same day, the following press
statement
http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127--183894--,00.html
was also released by Michigan Secretary of State, Terry Lynn
Land, relevant portions excerpted below:

In December 2007 [Land] proposed the creation of an upgraded
"standard" driver's license ... the plan is being considered by
the Legislature. Her proposal would change the law to allow
residents who are in the U.S. legally but temporarily to apply
for an upgraded standard license.

"Michigan has many outstanding residents who contribute greatly
to our economy and society even though they're here on a
temporary basis," Land said. "Businesses rely on these talented
individuals as well. Under the attorney general's opinion, those
who are in the country legally but on temporary student or work
visas are ineligible for a Michigan license, though most still
can drive using the license of their home country. We need to
reconsider that aspect of the law to avoid unintended
consequences for individuals or job providers. ..."

We wonder why Michigan would go ahead and exclude temporary legal
residents of the US from being eligible for a Michigan driver's
license when a proposal by Michigan Secretary of State Land
herself is underway to allow temporary legal residents to apply
for an upgraded standard license? Taking the theory of unintended
consequences suggested by Michigan Secretary of State Land to its
conclusion, is Michigan saying that it prefers foreign country's
driver's licenses over its state-issued license? If that is the
case, there are at least two issues that come to mind:

++How will this maintain Michigan highway safety? (many drivers
drive on the opposite side in other countries)
++How does Michigan expect to train its highway patrol to
identify the authenticity of driver's licenses from 150+ countries?

We welcome readers to share their opinion and ideas with us by
writing to mailto:editor@ilw.com.

KANSAS

Kan. Law to Affect Driver's Licenses

Associated Press
By CARL MANNING 01.25.08

TOPEKA, Kan. - A law enacted last year requiring people to prove they're in Kansas legally before getting a driver's license is expected to reduce the number of licenses issued to illegal immigrants, a Senate committee was told Thursday.

"Over the next six years, we might see 50,000 licenses not renewed because they can't prove lawful residence," Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon told the Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Kansas once had a reputation as a place where it was easy for an illegal immigrant to get a driver's license, but that has changed, senators were told.

"When word got out that Kansas no longer was an easy state to get documents, the numbers have gone down," said Carmen Alldritt, Division of Vehicles director. "It has put the squash on fraud."


Wagnon said the number of people who can't prove they are legally in the state and request a waiver for not having a Social Security number, so they can get a license, has dropped from an average of 100 a week to about 10 a week. A person must be a citizen or legally reside in the United States to get a Social Security number.

"We're confident that we're not passing out driver's licenses to people not lawfully present in the state," Wagnon said.

Committee chairman Pete Brungardt said while the law is imposing stricter requirements for getting a driver's license, it's also creating another problem: Most insurance companies require a license before they'll provide coverage.

"Now you have people without a driver's license but driving without insurance," said the Republican from Salina. "We're making a push for everybody to have insurance but have set it up where some people can't get it."

Brungardt said illegal immigrants often take a driver's license and use it to get other forms of identification, such as a library card or to start a bank account. He said last year's law curtails that.

"There's a belief that undocumented people were getting IDs to forge an appearance of citizenship," he said. "If you're trying the fill your wallet full of documents, you wouldn't start here."

The law prohibits issuing a driver's license to anyone who fails to prove lawful residence in the United States, and it requires proof that the person is a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen residing legally in the country.


Kansas is among 44 states that require evidence of lawful presence in the state to get a driver's license, according to the National Immigration Law Center.

"Generally, the trend has been to be more restrictive. These driver's license debates are getting mixed up in the immigration debate and state policymakers often think this is the way to control immigration," said Tyler Moran, NILC employment policy director.

As in many other states, dealing with illegal immigration is an important issue for legislators.

Sen. Peggy Palmer, an Augusta Republican, has introduced legislation modeled after an Arizona law enacted last year.

The bill would make it illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants and requires them to use E-Verify, a federal database to check whether a person has a valid Social Security number.

The bill also would restrict public assistance for illegal immigrants to what is required by federal law - public schooling, emergency medical care and immunizations. It also would repeal the 2004 law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates.

House Democrats are pushing a bill dealing with employer sanctions for hiring illegal immigrants. House Republicans also are talking about increased penalties for dealing in false identification documents and for illegal immigrants who register to vote.

UTAH

2 bills target illegal immigration

DAILY HERALD
Joe Pyrah
Saturday, 26 January 2008

The lack of federal initiative on the immigration issue has led to a knock-down drag-out debate at the state level.

Two bills touching on the issue, one subtly and the other overtly, were bandied about a legislative committee and the public Friday.

First, the most hotly debated:

Senate Bill 237 sponsored by Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, would allow local police to enforce federal immigration laws if they so choose. It would allow them to attend five weeks of immigration-law training, which would then allow them to enforce federal law at their judgment.

"We don't have too many ICE agents here," said Donnelson, who has been running the bill for years and was referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.


Opponents say the state doesn't have enough regular officers and that any time spent enforcing federal laws is time spent away from enforcing state laws. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said he opposes the bill, as do most of the police departments in major cities across the United States. They feel immigration is a federal issue.

He said he was also concerned that a law like this would break down neighborhood trust that police officers painstakingly build up, and fill up jails so fast it would become financially burdensome.


Generally, the only time local police will inquire about a person's immigration status is once they're booked into the Utah County Jail, said Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy in a November interview. Once people are arrested or charged with a crime, deputies will determine their nationality, citizenship and immigration status. If someone is in the country illegally, that information will be passed along to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"At that point in time, you've got to know who you're dealing with. If we find that they're illegally here, we turn them over to immigration and then they come [get them]," Tracy said.


The Utah County Sheriff's Office gets frequent inquiries about its policies, and Tracy said many people don't realize that deputies won't arrest them for being undocumented.

Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, is unimpressed with federal immigration enforcement, as are his constituents.

"Overwhelmingly, they tell us to do something about this, and when I hear the Salt Lake Police Department say 'Don't', that confuses me," he said.

He fired back on the jail issue as well, asking Burbank if Utah law is decided on how full the jails are. That brought nods and a round of cheers from bill supporters in the crowd, including members of the Utah Minuteman Project.

"I'm glad I moved my family to Sandy," said Jeff Novak, who was at the meeting as a citizen and is in favor of the bill.

"If I were illegal I think I would want to live in Salt Lake ... right next to the police chief."

Opponents also brought up fears that other crimes would go unreported because witnesses or victims would fear being deported.

"This does exactly the opposite by jeopardizing public safety," said Salt Lake County Assessor Lee Gardner, who was representing a Hispanic coalition and was not there in his official role.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said the federal government has failed at immigration reform.

"Unless we start on the state level, we're never going to take care of that," he said, which again brought nods and approval.

The committee pushed the bill to the House floor for debate by an 8-3 vote. It was opposed by all three Democrats.

The other bill is Karen Morgan's document-fraud bill. A substitute version of the bill now calls for funding for two additional identity-theft investigators in the Attorney General's Office.

Minority advocate Tony Yapias said it's an immigration bill disguised as identity-theft protection.

"This bill does nothing more than attack the undocumented community," he said. "This is a problem that needs to be dealt with on a federal level."

Morgan, a Salt Lake City Democrat, disagreed.

"I want to make clear that this bill is not an attack on any group of individuals," she said.

Her bill passed through the committee unanimously and will be debated in the House.

HB 95

Sponsored by: Karen Morgan, D-Salt Lake City

Document Fraud - Establishing Legal Status: This bill would create a Document Fraud-Identity Theft Unit within the Office of the Attorney General to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and entities involved with identity theft or identity fraud.

HB 237

TEXAS, AUSTIN (TRAVIS COUNTY)

Sheriff to let federal immigration agents set up office in jail

Agents will look for undocumented immigrants

By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, January 26, 2008

Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton has agreed to let federal immigration agents set up an office in the county jail to more often monitor whether inmates booked into the downtown facility are legally in the United States.

Hamilton said this week that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will likely be stationed in the jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week in coming months. They began increasing their presence in the facility late last year.

Until recently, federal officials said agents only occasionally visited the jail to check the immigration status among inmates but sought more access from Hamilton.

The increased presence has led agents to double — if not triple — the number of "immigration holds" it has traditionally placed on Travis County inmates for possible deportation, said Adrian Ramirez, assistant field office director for the San Antonio office of the federal immigration agency, whose region includes Austin. Specific numbers were not available Friday. The inmates include anyone from undocumented immigrants accused of felony crimes to others who were arrested for Class C misdemeanor traffic violations, such as running a red light or not having a driver's licenses, officials said.

"I'm really shocked that Travis County is working with the immigration officials to help carry out immigration policies that need to be revised," said Rita Gonzales-Garza, a co-district director of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "I would expect that of other counties, but it is unfortunate that it is occurring here."

Critics say that the increased enforcement could divide families in instances where a parent has U.S.-born children and affect the willingness of undocumented immigrants to work with local law enforcement officials to report and help solve crimes.

Hamilton, who met Thursday with concerned community groups, said he is only increasing the efficiency of federal immigration agents who have visited the jail looking for undocumented immigrants for at least two decades. He said his decision also is based on a belief that joint efforts between local and federal law enforcement agencies increase public safety.


"My contention is that the best way for (undocumented immigrants) to not come under scrutiny is to not commit crimes," Hamilton said.

Ramirez said agents since the 1980s have visited county jails across the nation to review forms that inmates fill out when they are booked into jail that ask their place of birth. They may request an interview with the inmates to determine whether they are legally in the United States.


Agents may place an immigration detainer on the inmates if they suspect they are undocumented immigrants.

Officials said such inmates generally remain in local jails until charges against them are resolved. From there they are moved to federal detention facilities, where their immigration cases are heard before a judge, who can order them to be deported. Ramirez said his region received federal money for more agents last June and that officials decided in October to focus their efforts in jails in Travis and Bexar counties, where they thought the number of undocumented immigrants was higher.

Ramirez said agents also are more frequently visiting jails throughout his 20-county region.


In Travis County, Ramirez said agents are trying to determine the immigration status of the 2,432 people already in jail. He said they plan to check the immigration status of new inmates when they are booked into jail.

Having an office in the Travis County Jail "is very important," he said. "In order for an officer to file a detainer, they have to interview that person. If we are there 24 hours a day, we can determine if the subject is removable. It is a lot easier."

In a four-page letter to Hamilton, attorney David Peek, whose clients include immigrants, said he is concerned about the number of inmates who will be forced to remain in jail and the cost to the county.


He said he also is worried that members of Austin's immigrant community will be afraid that interacting with local law enforcement officers could result in possible deportation.


Austin police have had a years-long practice of not questioning suspects or victims about their immigration status.

"This will have a wide-sweeping affect on the local economy, the community, untold businesses and the reputation which makes Austin great," the letter said.

tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605

Iowa GOP offers immigration plan that would add officers, cut services

Associated Press - January 29, 2008 7:45 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - State Senate Republicans in Iowa follow their legislative counterparts in Oklahoma, today unveiling a plan to crackdown on illegal immigration their state and saying the move was needed because the federal government had failed to act.

The proposal offered by a three-person task force includes hiring more state troopers, cutting government services such as Medicaid and food stamps to illegal immigrants, requiring agencies to check citizenship and banning illegal immigrants from community colleges and public universities.

The task force members say other states, including Oklahoma and Arizona, have moved ahead with similar reforms as federal lawmakers struggle to pass a comprehensive plan.

Sheriff testifies to support Ohio immigration legislation

By Lauren Pack
middletownjournal.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

COLUMBUS — Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones had to pass up an appearance at the Miami University-Middletown's immigration discussion Tuesday, but that didn't mean he wasn't spouting his views about the hot button topic.

Jones and Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper were asked by state Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., to testify in front of the Senate State and Local Government and Veteran Affairs Committee on Senate Bill 260.

The legislation introduced by Cates would give local law enforcement the authority to help investigate and enforce federal immigration laws.

"This is very important to protect the citizens of Ohio," said Jones, adding he feels some of the illegal aliens are bringing with them crime, drugs and terrorism.

Jones said he has compassion for people who come to this country seeking a better way of life and is in favor of speeding up the process to become a legal U.S. citizen.

"This is the greatest country in the world to live in," Jones said. "They are welcome here, they just have to do it legally."

Pipers said, "I personally want to do everything possible to allow all legal immigrants to come here to live and work."

"But illegal immigrants put a real stress on the criminal justice system," Piper said. "The legislation we were speaking on behalf of is designed to help federal agents. It doesn't really create immigration law. It is to allow federal immigration officials to network with local officials and to give assistance if requested."

Cates could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.

Re-entry rule could cause more delays

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 27, 2008

Above the seemingly endless lines of cars waiting to cross from Mexico at the San Ysidro port of entry, an electronic billboard flashes the announcement: As of Thursday, you'll have to prove you are a U.S. citizen if you want to re-enter the United States.
The new rule, intended to ease the way toward a requirement that everyone must show a passport, is causing headaches among cross-border commuters, border business leaders, Tijuana merchants, and American shoppers and tourists who say the new rule is not only confusing but threatens to disrupt cross-border commerce and make border waits even longer.

BORDER-CROSSING FACTS


Starting Thursday, U.S. and Canadian citizens 19 and older must show a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, and proof of citizenship, such as a birth or naturalization certificate.

Anyone 18 and younger needs only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

Passports and NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST cards will continue to be accepted.


After a series of postponements, the passport rule was recently put off once more, this time until after June 2009. In the meantime, U.S. citizens will have to present government-issued photo identification and some proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or other acceptable document.

“Trusted traveler” program cards such as SENTRI and military and tribal identification cards also will be accepted, federal officials said.

The new rule prohibits the long-standing practice of **** declarations of citizenship at the border. Canadian citizens, until now allowed to enter without proof of citizenship, will also have to present documents.

Standing in the pedestrian line at the port of entry last week, Dann Crain, a U.S. citizen, said he was still waiting for the birth certificate he'd ordered from his home state of Missouri.

Although he lives in Tijuana and is semiretired, Crain, 57, crosses frequently to work on political campaigns and doesn't welcome the change. “I plan to spend a lot of time in secondary (inspection),” he grumbled.

Since last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been handing out leaflets at border crossings, one of several recent attempts by the federal government to publicize the changes.

Last week, Baja California tourism officials, fearing yet another blow to business in the wake of a widely publicized violent crime wave, launched a “Get Your Passport” campaign that offers U.S. passport holders discounts at hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.

Although there will be a grace period – travelers who don't immediately comply will be excused as long as there is no suspicion of fraud, federal officials said – many fear the new rule will have a dampening effect on cross-border travel.

“If you're somebody who doesn't go to Mexico all the time, maybe you go three or four times a year to Tijuana and go shopping, and you are all of a sudden going, 'Oh my God, where is my birth certificate?' they will say 'Forget it,' ” said Angelika Villagrana, director of public policy for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Another concern is that as officers take time to explain the rule and question travelers who don't have the proper documents, wait times at border crossings may get longer.

Vince Bond, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection in San Diego, said all attempts will be made not to slow vehicle traffic.

“If there is a need to ask more questions, we are going to do that in the secondary area, because we can't afford to slow down traffic,” Bond said. “Our desire is that this will be a nonevent.”

It's unclear how long it will be before the rule is in full force, but “U.S. citizens always have a right of return to the United States” and won't be turned away, Bond said, adding that the idea now is to educate travelers.

In the San Diego-Tijuana region, where the San Ysidro port of entry processes 45,000 to 50,000 cars a day on average, even the possibility of adding time to border waits that can take up to two hours worries those who commute or who rely on cross-border dollars.

“Sometimes the wait is practically intolerable,” said Ron Raposa, a spokesman for the city of Rosarito Beach, whose economy relies heavily on tourism. “Anything that makes that process longer and more unpleasant is going to affect everybody.”

In Baja California, hoteliers, restaurant owners, dentists and nightclub promoters are nervous about how the rule will affect them.

“Businesses are already affected after all the bad publicity Tijuana has had,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, owner of La Diferencia, an upscale Tijuana restaurant. Its U.S. clientele has dropped from about 30 percent to less than 10 percent lately, he said.

“We have seen a decrease in the number of Americans coming, and this is going to affect us more. These dollars are part of our economy.”

Laura Torres, director of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, said that in addition to concerns about safety, some U.S. travelers making reservations have voiced confusion over what documents they'll need in order to return home