Hopefully, this will spread to all 50 states.
A controversial law passed in Arizona giving state and local police the right to arrest anyone reasonably suspected of being an illegal immigrant is catching on nationwide, with lawmakers and others in several states considering similar legislation.
Concerned about the federal government’s failure to secure the nation’s borders, legislators and political candidates from Georgia to Colorado have introduced bills to beef up local immigration enforcement, have promised to do so or said they would support such legislation if offered.
“With the federal government currently AWOL in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities to protect American lives, property and jobs against the clear and present dangers of illegal-alien invaders, state lawmakers … are left with no choice but to take individual action to address this critical economic and national security epidemic,” said Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe.
Mr. Metcalfe, a Republican who introduced legislation last week modeled on the Arizona law, said his bill would give “every illegal alien residing in Pennsylvania two options: Leave immediately or go to jail.”
His bill would, among other things, give state and local law enforcement officials full authority to apprehend Pennsylvania’s estimated 140,000 illegal immigrants and require law enforcement officers to attempt to verify the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants. It also would make it a criminal offense for illegal immigrants to fail to register as foreigners or to have proof that they did.
South Carolina state Rep. Eric Bedingfield, a Republican, has sponsored a bill in that state allowing the verification of a person’s immigration status and providing for the “warrantless arrest of persons suspected of being present in the United States unlawfully.”
Mr. Bedingfield’s bill also would target illegal immigrants who fail to complete or carry legal registration documents and would criminalize “hiring and picking up workers at different locations while impeding traffic.”
He said his constituents are concerned about illegal immigration and that he had received numerous communications from constituents asking when South Carolina would take the additional step as lawmakers did in Arizona. The bill, he said, has 20 to 30 co-sponsors and is pending in the House, but it might be difficult to get it to the Senate floor before the end of the session June 1.
In Oklahoma, state Rep. Randy Terrill said he and some other lawmakers still hope to pass a bill similar to Arizona’s new law this session and “go beyond it.” Mr. Terrill, a longtime advocate for tougher immigration laws, said his group also would like the legislation to include tougher penalties for illegal immigrants caught with firearms.
Mr. Terrill, a Republican, said Oklahoma used to have the toughest laws against illegal immigrants but that Arizona is now No. 1.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/10/other-states-taking-cue-from-arizona-illegals-law/
My own state of Ohio wants tougher legislation as well:
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Ohio voters favor a law like the one just adopted in Arizona that empowers local police to stop and check the immigration status of those they suspect of being illegal immigrants. Thirty-two percent (32%) oppose such a law. This is in line with views of the Arizona law nationally. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/ohio/election_2010_ohio_governor
Current Ohio immigration laws:
http://www.ojjpac.org/Ohio%20Legislation.asp
Butler County’s sheriff said Thursday that he intends to do more than hope for Ohio to get an immigration law like one recently passed in Arizona.
Sheriff Richard Jones said he will be spearheading efforts to have a statewide initiative placed on the ballot in November to allow voters to determine the type of immigration reform needed in Ohio.
“Our federal government has let us down on immigration reform,” Jones said in a news release. “I’m afraid our state Legislature may not want to act on it either. Gov.Strickland has already indicated he plans to veto any legislation similar to Arizona’s new immigration law that might make it to his desk. If the majority of voters in Ohio want it done, it’s probably going to have to be their initiative to be the driving force.”
http://www.wlwt.com/politics/23305099/detail.html
Ohio immigration laws need a definite overhaul; they’re way too weak.
Strickland, by the way, is a punk.
A state investigation of an alleged scheme to cover up the use of illegal immigrants to remodel a state-leased office building is now in the hands of the Franklin County prosecutor’s office.
But state troopers say they had to stand their ground to ensure the case reached the prosecutor.
Former State Highway Patrol Lt. Col. William Costas, who retired this month as the agency’s No. 2 leader, said investigators had to defend their authority to investigate the case under questioning from the top two lawyers to Gov. Ted Strickland.
……Prosecutor Ron O’Brien finds the questioning by the governor’s lawyers odd, saying it was clear the patrol had authority to investigate and serve search warrants in the case.
……An investigation by The Dispatch found that the meeting came after a lobbyist close to Strickland met with Markus on behalf of the company under criminal scrutiny. The two men met two days before the patrol began its probe.
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/02/27/copy/patrol-had-to-defend-investigation-troopers-say.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
His regime is embroiled in all kinds of corruption:
http://www.rightohio.com/2010/02/24/more-corruption-details-at-the-governors-office-inmates-and-alcohol/
http://www.ohiogop.org/press/articles/2009/06/strickland-refuses-denounce-cuyahoga-county-corruption
http://www.ohiogop.org/press/articles/2009/09/democrats-show-double-standard-corruption
http://www.turnaroundted.com/news/strickland-challenged-demand-resignation-athens-county-democratic-chair
He’ll get is walking papers in November.
More states on board:
At least eight states — Utah, Oklahoma, Ohio, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and Maryland — reportedly are considering legislation similar to the Arizona law, which allows police to determine a person’s immigration status following a “lawful stop, detention, or arrest.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/65245
The Federal governemnt has failed in it’s duty to protect border security and national sovereignty. It’s now up to the individual states to pick up the slack.
Related post:
http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/arizona-governnor-signs-tough-illegal-alien-bill-into-law/