Government
Senators Hold First Immigration Meeting
Around the State
Immigration Meeting at Capitol Monday | Photo Gray RohrerFlorida senators held the first in a series of meetings Monday dealing with illegal immigration, with the goal of crafting legislation that will help the state enforce immigration laws and reduce social costs.
Many legislators said during the recent campaign season that they favor passing a law similar to the recent controversial immigration law passed in Arizona. During the meeting, however, senators were warned that parts of that law have already been struck down in the courts, and the federal government claims jurisdiction over laws dealing with immigration.
“Immigration law is exclusively federal law. State laws that deal with immigration face preemption challenges,” said Ediberto Roman, a law professor at Florida International University.
Several immigration bills have already been filed, including four in the Senate alone. One filed by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, is similar to the Arizona law, as is another filed in the House by Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart.
Bennett and other senators expressed frustration with the federal government for not doing enough to enforce immigration laws. He was surprised to hear that the government can’t easily deport felons who are illegal aliens.
“Once they’re picked up they have to go through an administrative process” to determine if they are in fact in the country illegally, said Ralph Bradley, resident agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tallahassee office.
“I’ve never seen anything so convoluted. I don’t understand why you all don’t speed up the process. That’s why you have all these states trying to pass these laws ... because the federal government isn’t doing its job,” Bennett said.
Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, agreed, dismissing the argument that businesses that hire unauthorized workers share responsibility for the problem and stating that immigrants need to be stopped at the border.
“I don’t take the approach that it’s all the fault of the business community. The problem starts when we get immigrants coming into the U.S. illegally,” Thrasher said.
But a program used by employers to screen for unauthorized workers, E-Verify, also drew the ire of legislators, who didn’t like the restrictions placed on its use and the fact that it is limited to employment verification, and doesn’t aid in deportation. Federal laws prevent employers from using E-Verify before a job offer is extended or accepted, or to verify the citizenship or immigration status of current employees. Only after a job offer has been accepted by an employee may E-Verify be used.
“Frankly I would disregard the rules as an employer. I guarantee you some clown is going to go down and file for unemployment” after he is fired for being an unauthorized worker, said Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.
Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said there are more immigration meetings to come, and despite the campaign rhetoric she wants to hear all sides of the issue in framing any legislation.
“The first meeting is informational. The most important thing we want is input from the public, whether you are on one side of the issue or the other,” Flores said.
According to data from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Department of Homeland Security, there are between 10.6 and 11.6 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States, and between 600,000 and 725,000 unauthorized immigrants in Florida -- about 3.75 percent of the population.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
Comments (1)
When more than nine States propose legislation, to curtain the millions of illegal immigrants that freely walk the streets of America, you can address it as something seriously wrong with our government’s policies on this matter? As it been said, "America is a nation of Immigrants, but it's also a nation of laws; without such a sound value, our country would fall into have anarchy. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS NOT ABOUT RACE, BIGOTRY OR ANY DISCRIMINATION ON THIS ASPHYXIATION ISSUE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, IT ABOUT MONEY! MONEY OUR COUNTRY DOESN'T HAVE ANYMORE TO SUPPORT MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL FOREIGNERS. IT’S ABOUT THE POLITICIANS PANDERING TO GET VOTES OR IMPORT CHEAP LABOR AND EXPLOIT THEM FOR BUSINESS OWNERS? THERE ARE MILLIONS OF HONEST LEGAL PEOPLE FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER INHABITANTS, WITH GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES LIVING HERE IN HARMONY. THIS PROBLEM IS ALSO ABOUT OVERPOPULATION AND THE FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE NEED FOR EVER MORE ENERGY AND DRINKABLE WATER.
This country for far too long as listened to the ramblings of the ultra-Liberal agenda, pushed by such individuals as George Soros and Americans being pacified by the “Political Correct” insaneness What this personage cannot influence, he buys with his money? Hopefully we have come to a turning point in our history where moderate conservatism in the form of the rising Tea Party advocates of every man and women, race and religion see through the Liberal agenda of the free flow of anybody who can hitch a ride across the border or fly in from somewhere else?
The American people must join these political fighters who have authored anti-illegal immigration bills--not just the TEA Party membership, but the citizens and legal residents of Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, Maine, Georgia, Utah, and Florida financially hurting from the illegal alien invasion. Each of these States is suffering from this illicit occupation and each and every one has severe money problems. Into this nation we should only be accepting exceptional skilled workers, who will not become a financial burden on taxpayers. We as a sovereign country are not obligated in any way in continuing finding room, for the poverty of other countries. One--in--Six of our own countrymen live on the poverty level, so we need to start extracting other foreign countries failures. It’s unlikely the Supreme Court will entertain a revision of the 14th Amendment allowing illegal alien mothers birthright citizenship to the babies.
But the parents have no legal standing to stay in America, other than the child. Hurtful and uncomfortable as it seems to people, this law has become ultra costly to taxpayers. It has become a pyramid scheme where the new Mother applies for welfare in the child's name and then intentionally becomes pregnant again. Once three of four children are born to the mother is awarded low income housing, then the rest of the family moves in, including other progeny that become pregnant and the whole money making game starts over again. Each child born here receives taxpayer’s money, food stamps and other public subsidies. There are major examples of poor newcomers in this criteria bring home $30.000 dollars in welfare payments, per household. If they do pay taxes most is returned in child credits and often duplicated as both parents individually are shown how to defraud the IRS.
In the scheme of things, is the mantra that unceasing cheap labor is good for the economy,which is a downright lie, It has been shoved down our throats by Liberal extremists, who have infiltrated into the National media.
Therefore the 1986 Immigration law can exempt any such clemency, and the illegal parent should be deported, with or without the child who can return on reaching adulthood. In 2007, it was estimated that there were more than 13 million illegal immigrants living and working in the United States (A government figure that is unlikely to be true), and of those 13 million, it is believed that annually they are giving birth to about 363,000 children in the United States. This is quite an alarming number. Hospitals are not required to ask for a woman's documentation when she enters a maternity ward to give birth, and the children born to illegal immigrants are granted automatic citizenship to the United States under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of The United States. We hear daily from the left wing press that illegal immigrants pay their share of taxes, but the US government has produced evidence that for every dollar spent, foreign nationals receive three dollars back in tax credits and other programs.
As reported by (FAIR) the cost in 2010 of educating the children of illegal aliens is a whopping $5,850,000,000 dollars as opposed to the $14,380,000,000 it costs to educate the children of US citizens..Despite the fact that it still costs more to educate the children on US citizens, 29% of what the US spends on education in total is on 'anchor babies and undocumented children alike and could be used elsewhere. An extra $1,220,000,000 is spent simply teaching those born to parents here illegally, English. The numbers are overwhelming. Where does all that money come from? The tax payers’ pockets, and that's just in education. Most reports do not see the light of day, but this one from the reputable The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons must explored by the serious reader, to make any sense of the outrageous costs associated with babies of illegal aliens.
In Stockton, California, the Silverio Family was featured in the Wall Street Journal in 2003 and a unbelievable monetary free ride after entering America? YOU MUST READ THIS REPORT ABOUT THE SPIRALING COSTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. IF NOTHING ELSE? IS IT NO WONDER THAT THE SANCTUARY STATE OF CALIFORNIA is in its death throe payments, pandering to the illegal alien occupation. http://www.jpands.org/vol10no1/cosman.pdf
Just today Governor Jerry Brown has placed before the mostly Liberal legislators in Sacramento, his outrageous budget, to save California from insolvency. His budget will cut payment to the most vulnerable--senior citizens, home care assistance and the disabled. There is no cutting to the huge pensions or benefits to public employees or the unions. Yet California the home to the majority of illegal aliens and their children remain, without the introduction of the electronic E-Verify search and verify who is illegally working, the regional policing program 287(G) to question suspicious persons and the billions spent to support foreign squatters. Unknown numbers of unwelcome nationals live in border states, that is suffering from the unfettered invasion who are helping themselves to public entitlements, through 14th Amendment children, fraudulent ID and just poor oversight of welfare programs. The Liberal Los Angeles Times who is no friend to illegal immigrant enforcement, stated in Sept 2005, that welfare, food stamp issuances totaled nearly $570 million, and the amount is projected to exceed $600 million this year. In addition, county taxpayers spend $550 million in public safety — mostly for jail costs — and nearly $500 million for health-care for illegal immigrants, Micheal Antonovich said. Read about the accounting at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/05/local/la-me-illegal-welfare-2010... in Los Angeles County; not the whole state.
Then there is--CHAIN MIGRATION--afterwards, which is another incredulous expensive story. Sounds good! But ends up another financial burden on taxpayers in supporting legal immigrants, after the provider who signed an affidavit of support either cannot pay, stopped paying intentionally or lost his job. On retirement taxpayers foot the bill for all those older family members, who never paid a penny in social Security.
Now is the time in joining the Tea Party organization near you and reclaim your rights. 202-224-3121 is the switchboard number for Washington, so that you can also contact your Congressional representative. Learn more about immigration corruption at NumbersUSA and Judicial Watch.
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