Following through on a campaign promise, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed four executive orders minutes after being sworn in, including one that requires all state agencies to use E-Verify. Florida joins a list of 13 other states that have mandatory E-Verify laws or executive orders in place.
Illegal aliens enter the United States in two distinct ways: approximately 60 percent cross a border illegally; and the remaining 40 percent overstay a legal visa. While the Border Patrol is responsible for preventing the first method of illegal entry, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for finding and removing visa overstays and individuals not apprehended by the border patrol.
Illegal aliens in Arizona are packing their belongings and preparing to move back to their countries, or at least out of Arizona, according to an article by the Latin American Herald Tribune. They cite as reasons Arizona’s tough enforcement laws and the unlikelihood that the federal government will pass an immigration-reform law any time soon.
Tennessee legislators plan to introduce an immigration enforcement law that would be similar to the one passed earlier this year in Arizona. State Sen. Bill Ketron and Rep. Joe Carr are putting together a bill that would allow local law enforcement to detain an individual suspected of being an illegal alien.
Rhode Island Governor-elect Lincoln Chafee said that one of his first actions in office will be to rescind an executive order that requires state agencies and vendors to use E-Verify. However a fact-check by the Providence Journal shows Chafee hasn't done his homework.
Despite federal law prohibiting states from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens, the California Supreme Court has ruled that the state can continue to do so. Justice Ming Chin wrote the decision that continues to allow illegal aliens who attend high school in California to receive a reduced tuition rate even though students from other states don't get the same benefit.
Monday was the first day Texas state legislators could offer bills for the 2011 legislative session, and State Rep. Debbie Riddle was first in line to offer an immigration enforcement bill similar to the one passed by Arizona earlier this year.
A new super-majority in both chambers of the Florida state legislature sets up the possibility of passage of an immigration enforcement law similar to the one passed in Arizona earlier this year. The Republican-controlled chambers now have enough votes to override a veto, and it's likely that a bill will be introduced when the state legislative session begins next year.
Federal appellate judge John T. Noonan Jr. interrogated federal prosecutors today in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and questioned the government's claim and the district court ruling that parts of Arizona's immigration enforcement law preempted federal law.
The group State Legislators for Legal Immigration announced the creation of a task force that will develop model legislation aimed at ending an interpretation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment that has enabled children born here to illegal aliens to obtain citizenship.
The Georgia Board of Regents has approved a new measure that will require state colleges and universities to deny admission to illegal aliens if admission has been denied to academically eligible U.S. citizens or legal immigrants within the last two years. the new rules will also require applicants to state on their applications if they are entitled to receive in-state tuition benefits.
A new organization, The Texas Alliance for America Legal Defense & Education Fund has been formed to educate Texans on large-scale immigration.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed two bills last night that would have offered in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. SB1460, the California Dream act, and AB1413 would have allowed any student, regardless of immigration status, who attended a California high school for at least three years to receive the in-state tuition benefit provided to legal California residents.
A new poll from Quinnipiac University reveals that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe immigration reform should focus on stricter enforcement over amnesty, while a plurality of Americans support ending the practice of birthright citizenship.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked an illegal immigration enforcement law passed by Hazleton, Pa. that would have prevented companies that hire illegal aliens from obtaining a business license and fined landlords who rent to illegal aliens. The ordinance was passed four years ago and inspired similar legislation across the country.
The state of Georgia has received final approval from the Justice Department on a tough new voter registration law that will require individuals to prove their citizenship before registering to vote. Georgia joins Arizona as the only two states to have such a measure.
Hundreds of supporters attend a rally this weekend supporting for an ordinance passed by the Farmers Branch City Council that prohibits landlords from renting to illegal aliens. The ordinance passed in 2006, but the city has been battling the legality of the ordinance in federal courts ever since.
Norco City Council Members voted, 4-0, to support a resolution that backs Arizona's immigration enforcement law. Norco Mayor Malcolm Miller did not attend the meeting. The Council also discussed a possible E-Verify ordinance that would require all the city's businesses to check new hires through the worker verification system.
According to new state data in Utah, at least 10% of welfare benefits in the state are going to households that contain illegal aliens. Under state law, illegal aliens cannot qualify for welfare expenses, but because many of the children of illegal aliens were born in the United States and are citizens, along with other scenarios, illegal aliens are indeed receiving state benefits.
In April of 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law, igniting a hot debate over immigration enforcement in the United States. One of the toughest immigration enforcement laws passed on the local level, the purpose of the immigration enforcement law is to:
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has been negotiating with the federal government to deputize Virginia State Troopers as immigration enforcement agents. The Governor would like state troopers to have the training and ability to ask individuals who have been stopped or detained about their immigration status and plans on making an announcement in the near future.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has issued a ruling on a Virginia state law that allows police officers to check the immigration status of individuals stopped or arrested.
Federal Judge Susan Bolton ordered an injunction today of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, formerly known as SB1070, just hours before it’s scheduled to take effect. Supporters of immigration enforcement are angry and frustrated over the ruling, but there is hope in the halls of Congress – of all places. If Congress passed the SAVE Act and CLEAR Act, these two bills together would secure the border, mandate E-Verify nationwide, and provide local law enforcement officials with the tools to help federal officials enforce immigration laws obviating the need for SB1070.
Federal Judge Susan Bolton has blocked two portions of Arizona's immigration enforcement law, including the law's most controversial section requiring police officers to ask individuals stopped, detained or arrested to prove their legal status if the officer has "reasonable suspicion" that the individual is in the country illegally.
Federal Judge Susan Bolton is expected to issue her decision today regarding Arizona's new immigration enforcement law. The law is supposed to take effect on Thursday, July 29, but the federal government has asked for a suspension until its case against the state is ruled on.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton has still not issued a ruling on a motion by the federal government to suspend Arizona's immigration enforcement law while the case is being litigated in federal court. The law is supposed to take effect on Thursday, July 29, but the Justice Department is challenging the law's constitutionality, saying it oversteps federal authority.
Rep. Lamar Smith has had it with so-called experts lying about what federal law allows for local enforcement of immigration rules. In today's Washington Post, he takes to task the immigration chiefs of the past two Presidents (one Republican and one Democrat) who have joined others in distorting the purpose of the 287(g) local enforcement program, which is something of a model for the Arizona law that is scheduled to take effect later this week but is also tied up in federal court.
The Senate voted against Arizona's right to enforce immigration laws, 55-to-43, by allowing Justice Department funds to be used in the lawsuit against the state. The vote prevented a floor vote on Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) amendment to the unemployment extension bill making its way through Congress. The amendment would have blocked funding to the Justice Department from being used in its lawsuit against Arizona.
After threatening to no longer share arrest information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has announced that the city will continue to share its arrest data with federal officials, but it will not give the agents access to the names of crime victims and witnesses.
Senators Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and David Vitter (R-La.) have offered an amendment to H.R. 5297 (the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010) that would prevent the Obama Administration, including the Department of Justice and other agencies, from participating in lawsuits seeking to invalidate the recently enacted Arizona immigration law. CALL Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell NOW at 202-224-3121 and urge them to allow a vote on this amendment. Then, CALL your own Senators and ask them to urge the Senate Leadership to allow a vote!
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. council members officially expressed the city's support of Arizona on Wednesday when the council voted on a resolution Wednesday night. Passage of the resolution also includes a new ordinance, requiring all business with city contracts to begin using E-Verify.
Temecula, Calif., located about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, has taken immigration enforcement into its own hands. Last night, the city council approved a new ordinance that makes the use of E-Verify a requirement to possess a business license in the city.
Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina and Utah all have state legislators drafting Arizona-style immigration enforcement legislation. Polls continue to show strong national support for both Arizona's law and their own state passing similar legislation despite the federal government's recent lawsuit filed against the state.
E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify is currently free to employers and is available in all 50 states. It provides an automated link to federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. While its usage remains voluntary throughout the country, some states have passed legislation making its use mandatory for certain businesses.
The Supreme Court is considering a review of Arizona's E-Verify law that passed in 2007 and requires all Arizona businesses to use the online workplace verification tool on new hires. According to a new op-ed from Reps. Lamar Smith and Todd Tiahrt, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was the driving force behind the Administration's decision to challenge the law.
Citizens in the city of Fremont, Neb. have voted to pass an immigration enforcement city ordinance that will prohibit the hiring and the renting of apartments to illegal aliens. The ordinance passed with 57% of the vote will likely face court challenges from opponents of the measure.
President of the Pro-Amnesty organization ImmigrationWorks USA, Tamar Jacoby, writes in the Los Angeles Times that the federal government's decision to sue the state of Arizona is a bad idea. Jacoby declares her opposition to Arizona's immigration enforcement law, but argues that the Administration's decision to sue would foster anti-amnesty sentiment.
Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) has teamed up with State Rep. John Galloway to urge the state senate into passing a mandatory E-Verify law. Two house bills would require all construction contractors to verity new hires through the E-Verify employment verification system. Rep. Galloway says there are approximately 35,000 illegal aliens working in the construction industry in Pennsylvania.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an Ecuadorian television station that the Obama Administration will sue the state of Arizona. Pres. Obama has maintained that the Justice Department is looking into potential civil rights violations that could stem from the state's new immigration enforcement law, but has never outright said that the Administration would sue.
A new poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News reveals that 58% of Americans support Arizona's immigration enforcement law that goes into effect in late-July. The poll also reveals that 75% of respondents feel the government isn't doing enough to secure the border and 83% support use of the National Guard to patrol the border.
Two legal immigrants in Washington State are working on a ballot initiative that would crack down on illegal aliens living in the state. The ballot initiative would prohibit illegal aliens from obtaining a driver's license, require all public and private employers to use E-Verify, and deny non-emergency public benefits like in-state tuition.
Arizona's new immigration enforcement law doesn't take effect for another six weeks, but the state is seeing early signs of what impact it could have on its more than 400,000 illegal aliens. School districts are reporting an increased number of students being pulled from schools, and retail businesses that typically cater to illegal aliens are seeing a decrease in profits.
The city of Orange, Calif. voted earlier this week to "Stand with Arizona" after the council approved two resolutions that support Arizona's new immigration enforcement law. The city council declared Orange a rule of law city and several NumbersUSA activists were there to offer their thoughts to the council.
A new poll conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal reveals that 57% of the state's residents support an Arizona-style immigration enforcement law. The poll asked respondents if they would support allowing local law enforcement to inquire about immigration status after they've already stopped an individual.
