State-Based Immigration Bills Slowly Trickling In
The slew of pre-filed immigration-enforcement bills that piled up in the House clerk’s office ahead of the 82nd legislative session seems like an anomaly today.
In November 2010, two months before the 82nd session’s members were sworn in, dozens of such bills were filed on the first day of pre-filing. They included bills on repealing birthright citizenship, requiring school districts to report the immigration status of their students, and making the use of the electronic employment verification system, or E-Verify, mandatory.
But a week after lawmakers were first allowed to pre-file legislation ahead of the 2013 ...
Comments (5)
gypsy314 ne
I say to all why do you think illegal aliens come here?? I tell you they know how to use our system against us and they know we will bend to the needs because democrat will offer anything for them to vote even if they are here illegally. I guess to spell it out to you why would someone who is here legally what illegal aliens to come here and brake our laws just to get there vote. I tell you we should just become a lawless nation if we go down this path and there will be know turning back once you give in to illegal aliens they will want to change our way of life and make us a laws less country. We all know this will not work because we have done this and now here we are again get the picture now. Americans are very giving people but when you give up our morals and values then what is left? I tell you same thing most of these illegal alien are leaving there country. So they what to come here and demand we give them citizenship because Obama cheated his way into office again. Well I say Obama days is coming to a end impeachment will take care of him he has spun so many lies they are on his a''s and sooner or later he will pay the piper. If not there is always civil war then this nation can clean up once and for all.
Special K
It would seem that legislators may be interested in keeping illegal immigrants from being mistaken for citizens, but are having a hard time reaching that goal.
More generally, in Texas and elsewhere, illegals are counting on the validity of two observations about the human condition, one made more than two centuries ago by Alexander Pope (about the insidious process that follows toleration of vice) and several decades ago by the late Senator Dirksen (of Illinois, believe it or not) about the difficulty of enforcing laws against at times sympathetic people. Said Pope: "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien as to be feared needs only to be seen, but seen too oft, familiar with her face, we first endure, then pity, then finally embrace."
Having long tolerated the presence of illegal immigrants, it's hard to shake the resulting (default) embrace because, as Sen. Dirksen noted, "The mind is no match with the heart for persuasion; the Constitution is no match with sympathy". (The latter point was reinforced by Ms Sotomayor who said during her confirmation hearing that rulings should be based in part on sympathy considerations (believe it or not). Who could blame illegal residents from believing that "mi casa es su casa", interpreted literally, is official U.S. immigration policy?
On logical and legal grounds, folks who enter the country illegally, remain here illegally while working illegally, should never be granted the right to become citizens. But, of course, that position involves thinking and respect for the Constitution.
Rep. Lamar Smith has introduced legislation to extend E-Verify to every nook and cranny in the nation, but it can't move in the House until it is supported by House leadership. Too bad, because if enacted into law, it would remove the carrot of employment that drives illegal immigration and encourage illegal immigrants to engage in self-deportation.
Mary Steele
Police have the responsibility to make sure the person in front of them is who they say they are! Identity theft is widespread and allows criminals to use somebody else's ID to escape capture, that puts everybody at risk! Our ID is checked in all databases necessary, immigrants should be no different!
Police shouldn't even have to ask their status, run their ID through all databases necessary, just like they do ours!
Mary Steele
Where's the compassion for our unemployed? Don't the 14-22 million unemployed legal immigrants and citizens that are struggling to put food on the table have the right to work and achieve their American Dream without it being undermined by illegal workers and by our own government that refuses to stop those here illegally from taking it? Ffor those who claim that they won't do those jobs. For the few that won't, they will have no choice as the money for Extended Unemployment which was $50B-$100B just for the last 2 years, or Welfare, which exceeded $1T just for 2011, is no longer available because it is not sustainable! We just downgraded again and we cannot keep borrowing!
It wouldn’t take much of an effort by our government to make sure legal immigrants' and citizens' American Dream to work and thrive is protected, all they have to do is make it clear that we don’t have enough jobs for everyone, so the ones we have must go to those here legally! And adding that they are stepping up the audits, would make sure they have every chance at getting one of the 7+ million jobs currently held by illegal workers, as the illegal workers are pushed out and have no safe job to go to! As it should be so our unemployed can feed and take care of their family!
Anya Khan
A young women who is here legally, added a second major, MIS, to her degree plan, she now has to pay the out of state rate...yet criminal invaders get the in-state rate? That is f'ed up