Measures target illegal immigrants

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Measures target illegal immigrants
If bills pass, N.C. would line up more with Ariz. and Ala., considered states with the strongest immigration laws.
Four immigration enforcement bills gaining momentum in the N.C. General Assembly would, if passed, make North Carolina an even tougher place for illegal immigrants to reside.
One bill prevents foreign-born residents from using their home country's IDs as legal identification. A second requires all businesses with at least 25 employees to check the legal status of new hires using a federal system called E-Verify.
"I think legislators realize this is not a minor problem," said Ron Woodard, head of NC Listen, which has been advocating for the bills along with other enforcement groups. "It's a major problem. And there are certain things that the state can do to take action."
The proposed measures would bring North Carolina more in line with Arizona and Alabama, considered the states with the strongest immigration laws.
Each of the N.C. bills has passed at least one chamber of the General Assembly. If approved, they'd be sent to the governor's desk for her signature.
Advocates for illegal immigrants say the bills target people trying to make an honest living. The advocacy group NC Dream Team lobbied against another bill that had included a measure that would require K-12 schools to check the immigration status of its students. That part of the bill was later removed. Domenic Powell, a member of the team, charged some legislators with appealing to people's prejudices.
The progress of the N.C. bills reflects similar efforts sweeping across the nation as some states seek to take more active roles in enforcing immigration restrictions.
On Thursday, Alabama legislators appeared to take the title of toughest immigration enforcers from Arizona when the governor signed a new law that, among other things, makes it a crime to give an illegal immigrant a ride.
Most of the new immigration laws, whether those proposed in Alabama, North Carolina or Georgia, are modeled after laws passed in Arizona last year.
Illegal immigration is the largest unfunded mandate on the taxpayers of North Carolina, according to Republican Rep. Dale Folwell of Winston-Salem.
"If the federal government is not going to protect our borders, we need to do everything we can to protect them through the policies of the state," said Folwell, the House speaker pro tem.
More states could follow suit depending on the outcome of a Supreme Court decision on the most controversial aspects of the Arizona bill. The country's highest court is expected to look closer at the Arizona law after a federal judge ruled some parts unconstitutional, including requiring police to check the immigration status of people detained if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.
Last month, the Supreme Court voted 5-3 to back another Arizona law that is similar to the E-Verify bill proposed in North Carolina.

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