Southern Lawmakers Focus on Illegal Immigrants

From The New York Times:

Some of the toughest bills in the nation aimed at illegal immigrants are making their way through legislatures in the South.

Proposed legislation in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, where Republicans control the legislatures and the governors’ mansions, have moved further than similar proposals in many other states, where concerns about the legality and financial impact of aggressive immigration legislation have stopped lawmakers.

Dozens of immigration-related bills showed up early in legislative sessions across the South. Some were aimed at keeping illegal immigrants from college or from marrying American citizens. Most died quickly, but three proposals designed to give police broader powers to identify and report illegal immigrants are moving forward.

The conservative political landscape, and a relatively recent and large addition of Latinos, both new immigrants and legal residents from other states, have contributed to the batch of legislation, say supporters and opponents of the proposed laws.

“The South has become a new gateway for immigrants,” said Wendy Sefsaf of the Immigration Policy Center, a research organization. “People see the culture shift, and they are a little bit freaked out.”

The Hispanic population in Alabama, for example, has increased by 144 percent since 2000, according to new census figures. In Mississippi, the numbers jumped by 106 percent, and in North Carolina by 111 percent. Over all, however, numbers remain small. Only about 4 percent of the population in Alabama is Hispanic. In South Carolina, the figure is 5 percent.

But Georgia has the seventh-largest population of illegal immigrants in the country, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center. There, a version of a law pioneered in Arizona would allow local police officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they suspect of committing crimes, including traffic violations.

It allows people to sue local agencies if they believe the law is not being enforced and also requires that some businesses use E-Verify, a free federal employment eligibility database.

Backers of the bill and opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, say it stands a good chance of making it to Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican who has not yet said whether he will sign it, despite voicing support for strong immigration controls during his campaign last year.

The Georgia Senate also passed a bill this month that would charge an undocumented resident caught driving drunk with a felony. American citizens face only a misdemeanor charge.

At a rally at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, several thousand people showed up to protest the legislation. Many were Hispanic workers from around the state who had taken the day off to attend.

Six Georgia lawmakers who are pushing the House version of the bill issued a statement after the march saying, “There are millions of Georgia citizens working and raising their families who no longer are willing to accept the loss of job opportunities to the nearly 500,000 illegal aliens in our state or to subsidize their presence with their hard-earned tax dollars.”

State Senator Jack Murphy, a Republican who sponsored another version of the legislation, said his bill was written carefully to avoid some the problems that backers of the Arizona law have encountered, including accusations of racial profiling.

“I don’t want to cost business and jobs by having some image problem,” he said. “My bill specifically says you will not profile.”

A similar bill is heading through the legislature in South Carolina. It would also make it illegal to transport immigrants anywhere, including a hospital or a church.

In Alabama, legislators are working on similar bills in the House and the Senate, which would also make it a crime to knowingly rent to an illegal immigrant.

Legislators leading the efforts say their bills are not based in racism, nor are they anti-immigration. They simply want to better control the flow of people into the United States and be fair to those who have arrived through proper channels. Without federal action, the states have a responsibility to step in.

“The bill is intended to make South Carolina a very hostile place for those who are in this country illegally,” said State Senator Lawrence K. Grooms. “Our hope is that they leave the country or go to a state where they are more welcome.”

That might be happening. The pending legislation in Georgia is regularly discussed among customers at the little taqueria in the back of Mercado Acupulco, an Atlanta grocery store.

For four years, business at the store was good, said Maira Garcia, 25, whose father owns the business. But lately, Ms. Garcia and other business owners who cater to a Latino clientele have seen fewer customers. People are planning to leave Georgia to go back to their home countries or to other states where the perception is that life will be easier, she and her customers said.

“I’m hearing rumors that things are going to change real bad,” said Raul Martinez Soto, 23, who moved to the United States from Morelia, Mexico, about four years ago. “Everyone is scared,” he said. “They ask what is the point to kicking us out of here?”