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ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 8, 2008
States rush immigration bills
Hundreds of anti-illegal immigration laws in works, but few likely to
stick
,
The Associated Press
State lawmakers around the country are proposing hundreds of bills this
year aimed at curbing illegal immigration, but experts say the cost and
public opposition will keep many from becoming law.
Lawmakers in eight states are now sponsoring legislation similar to the
nation's most comprehensive anti-immigration law, passed by Oklahoma in
May.
It restricts illegal immigrants' access to driver's licenses and other
IDs, limits public benefits, penalizes employers who hire them and
boosts ties between local police and federal immigration authorities.
The bills are among more than 350 immigration-related proposals
introduced in state legislatures in the first two months of this year,
according to a count by The Associated Press.
Sharma Hammond, staff attorney for the legal arm of the Federation for
American Immigration Reform, thinks states have been galvanized by the
collapse two years running of a congressional solution.
"They feel like they have to take it into their own hands because the
federal government is doing nothing," said Hammond, whose group helps
states write the comprehensive bills and favors a freeze on nearly all
immigration.
It's questionable how many of the bills will become law. Many quickly
lose momentum after they're introduced.
Out of more than 100 bills dealing with illegal immigration in Virginia,
only a few minor ones were likely to pass as the session was scheduled
to end today.
In Florida, lawmakers have proposed nearly a dozen bills targeting
illegal immigration since January. But at a recent news conference at
the state capitol, only two of the bills' backers showed. None of the
state House leadership has offered support.
"People are still trying to keep this alive and get the federal
government to pass something," said Ann Morse of the National Conference
of State Legislatures, which tracks the bills. "But now that the
legislation is introduced, states are wondering is this something we
need to do right now, or do we need to study it more."
Morse thinks the new comprehensive bills are partly a tool to draw
public attention to the issue, especially in an election year.
Last year, more than 1,500 anti-illegal immigrant laws were proposed,
with nearly 250 passing, according to a count by the National Conference
of State Legislatures. And some of that legislation is now creating
legal and financial trouble for states.
The Oklahoma law still faces a legal challenge by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. In Colorado, a proposal to boost the state's immigration
enforcement unit may be doomed by its $3.9 million price tag.
Although the University of Arizona saved roughly $70,000 last year by
identifying illegal immigrants who are ineligible for in-state tuition
under a new law, the startup cost of the program was more than double
that. The school estimates the cost of identifying such students will be
equal to if not greater than the savings.
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