Texas hopes to pass immigraton bills

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Texas immigration bills mirror Arizona’s law
by Jason Lawrence / Special to The Daily News
khou.com
Posted on February 16, 2011 at 9:19 AM
Related:
Galveston County Daily News website

AUSTIN, Texas — The state budget and redistricting are supposed to be the top two issues during the 82nd legislative session. Immigration likely will run a close third.

At least 25 bills addressing immigration have been filed. While some of the bills overlap, they include issues ranging from law enforcement to voter ID to health care to employment.

Language in five of those bills sounds similar to Arizona’s law, which made it a crime not to carry immigration documents and gave law enforcement officers broad powers to detain anyone they suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

The Arizona law sparked demonstrations across the country, but Texas Sen. Chris Harris, R-Arlington, said his legislation is reasonable.

"Senate Bill 259 is a common-sense measure that will require a peace officer to inquire as to a person who is already under arrest about their citizenship status and report that individual to U.S. officials if the officer determines the person in custody is not a citizen," he said.

"It is a basic measure of asking those people who are already in custody for a separate offense whether or not they are a U.S. citizen."

Although he doesn’t want to comment much on the pending legislation, Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerss said he’s been forewarned about a possible new law similar to Arizona’s.

"It’s not really going to come as any surprise to us along the southern states," he said.

Kerss said he’s been meeting with both Arizona and federal officials in anticipation of the new requirements, but he is waiting on the final measure to come out of the Legislature.

Those immigration bills actually are drawing praise from one Hispanic advocacy group’s leader.

Joey Cardenas III, Texas director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said law enforcement officials need to be asking those questions if a person is arrested. It’s not about racial profiling, he said.

"Once somebody commits a crime, they are subject to questioning," Cardenas said.

There could be protections for victims or witnesses of a crime. A bill filed by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, would exempt the victims or witnesses from being asked about their immigration status.

The work force

State Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton, said illegal immigrants are driving down wages.

Jackson has filed a bill requiring all employers to verify a new employee’s immigration status through the federal "E-verify" program.

"I think we have a major problem with illegal immigration in Texas," Jackson said. "I think it’s important employers hire people who obey the law and are in the country legally."

Jackson said people are scrambling for jobs they would have turned down 10 years ago before the economic downturn.

"I’d rather have the citizens of Texas on a decent wage than have them on welfare," Jackson said.

That’s a sentiment Cardenas, the LULAC state leader, agrees with. He said employers are supposed to be doing those checks now.

"Businesses want cheap labor. That’s it," he said.

The public might be surprised by what LULAC stands for, Cardenas said.

"It’s in the best interests of all Americans and immigrants for the borders to be secure," Cardenas said.

The (Nacogdoches) Daily Sentinel is a sister paper of The Daily News.

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Bills At A Glance

• SB 126, HB 623, SB 259, HB 311, HB 183

Five bills have been filed that would require law enforcement agencies to check immigration status and report any immigration violations to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

HB 623 would also make English the state’s official language.

• SB 124, HB 302, HB 113

Three bills filed would establish a $10,000 civil penalties for law officers who don’t report immigration violations to the federal government.

• HB 655

This bill limits eligibility for indigent health care to "sponsored aliens" — those in the country legally on a permanent basis.

• HB 603

This bill would exempt victims and witnesses of a crime from immigration checks.

• HB 177

This bill would require employment eligibility to receive a driver’s license or identification.

• HB 601, HB 178, HB 140

Three bills require employers to use the E-verify system to check employees’ immigration status. HB 601 and HB 140 address state contractors. HB 170 requires government entities to use the federal program, and requires any employee responsible for failing to check an applicant’s immigration status to be fired.