LAT: Immigration Hard-Liners on a High: Democrats boast of restrictions

Immigration Hard-Liners on a High
In Colorado, Democrats boast of helping pass restrictions on those in the U.S. illegally.
By Nicholas Riccardi, Times Staff Writer
July 12, 2006

DENVER — The passage of 11 anti-illegal immigrant measures by a special session of the Colorado Legislature this week is just the latest sign that momentum in the volatile debate is on the side of hard-liners....

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.... late Monday, the Colorado Legislature approved a ban on nonemergency state services to adults who fail to prove they are in the country legally, a measure modeled on a broader law that Georgia adopted in April. Democrats here began boasting that their measure was the toughest in the nation.

"This is tough, effective, enforceable and practical," said Democrat Andrew Romanoff, speaker of the Colorado Assembly....

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The Colorado legislation, along with tough anti-illegal immigration bills passed in other states, has unnerved activists....

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In Washington, Congress is divided over immigration. The House of Representatives passed a border enforcement-only bill that includes a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate bill includes enforcement measures, but also a guest worker program that would provide a path to citizenship for many of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. Polls have shown the population is similarly divided over illegal immigration, but that hard-liners are more motivated....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-colorado12jul12,0,5499604.story?coll=la-home-nation

"That's the problem with Republicans -- they're weak on illegal immigrants, at the Federal and State level. We welcome immigrants who play by the rules and aspire to American citizenship -- and say it's time to crack down on those who don't!"

This sends two messages:

1) Democrats value new and first-generation Americans;
2) Undecideds who consider immigration a key issue can choose between the party of action -- Democrats -- and the party of all-talk-and-anger but no results, the do-nithing GOP.

Nevermind.

It sounds like some Democrats are finally responding to the will of the people.

However, like many, I still think the emphasis need to be on employer prosecution. Cutting off social services is going to have only a limited amount of effect.

Illegal immigrants come to the U.S. to work, not to draw social services. The magnet that draws them is employment, not free social services. As long as the "job-magnet" exists, we'll continue to have an illegal immigration problem.

The best legislation on the table to address this problem is H.R. 98.

H.R. 98 mandates that employers verify Social Security numbers using a new, tamper-proof Social Security card with an electronic identification strip on it. (Which has not passed into law, but is still under consideration.) In general, it mandates that employers verify Social Security numbers using a new, tamper-proof Social Security card with an electronic identification strip on it. Verification is mandatory before an employee is hired. Failure to verify violates the law and will be prosecuted via civil or criminal statute.


Below is a copy of the Thomas CRS summary of H.R. 98.

"H.R.98

Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to enforce restrictions on employment in the United States of unauthorized aliens through the use of improved Social Security cards and an Employment Eligibility Database, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Dreier, David (introduced 1/4/2005) Cosponsors (57)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m&

Latest Major Action: 5/12/2005 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY AS OF:
1/4/2005--Introduced.

Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2005 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to require inclusion of encrypted machine-readable electronic identification strips on Social Security cards.

Requires the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) develop the strip in a manner that enables employers to access the Employment Eligibility Database (EED) established by this Act; and (2) transmit to the Secretary of Homeland Security necessary information from an individual's application for a Social Security card or number (as determined by the Secretary) for inclusion in the EED.

Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain the EED. Requires the EED to include data on the citizenship status and work and residency eligibility of noncitizens authorized to work in the United States.

Restricts access to EED information.

Prohibits individuals from commencing employment with a U.S. employer absent a Social Security card that meets the requirements of this Act and presentation of such card to the employer.

Prohibits employers from hiring individuals absent verification of identity and work authorization.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) assess penalties against employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers or fail to comply with verification procedures; and (2) bring civil actions against those who fail to pay assessments or otherwise violate this Act. Establishes criminal penalties for such violations.

Mandates integration of Border Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint databases.

States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to establish a national identification card."

Here is the link to the Thomas site's CRS summary of H.R. 98:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m&

If this link doesn't work, try the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109
(once you get to the Thomas site, copy & paste the letters in bold below and add them to the very end of the link. That should take you directly to the CRS summary of H.R.98: :HR00098:@@@D&summ2=m& )

Here's another link to a pdf file showing the full text of H.R. 98:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h98ih.txt.pdf

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