"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/28/'06 12:40AM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/28/'06 12:40AM
3/28/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
- Group planning vigil to spotlight local immigrants (Online Athens)
- Georgia bill a wake-up call to migrant community (AJC)
- Georgia Senate OKs compromise on illegals (AJC)
- Hispanics disagree with immigration plans (Anderson Indepentent Mail, SC)
- Legislature Passes Immigration Bill (WXIA)
- Georgia Legislative Diary for Monday, March 27 (AP)
- Georgia Lawmakers Reach Accord on Immigration (AP)
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http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/032806/news_20060328044.shtml
Group planning vigil to spotlight local immigrants
National Hispanic advocates
A national immigrant advocacy group will be spotlighting Athens-area immigrants as they share the trials and tribulations they endured coming to and living in the United States.
Sponsored by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the vigil comes less than a week after Hispanics throughout the state staged a work stoppage and boycotted American goods and services in protest of anti-illegal immigration pending in the Georgia General Assembly and in Congress.
"The vigil is to acknowledge those individuals working as immigrants in the U.S., particularly in Georgia, who have been victimized by being killed while working at their jobs, or when crossing the border, or who have been raped and victims of hate crimes," said Tisha Tallman, MALDEF's Southeast regional counsel.
A similar vigil was held March 17 in Atlanta, according to Tallman, who said Athens-Clarke County was chosen as the site of a second vigil because of the area's significant Hispanic population.
"The vigil is a way to highlight the struggle of our immigrant brothers and sisters, which many people are unaware of because they are a subclass," Tallman said. "One of the realities of being an immigrant is the constant fear of being deported, and as a result they often do not report crimes of violence, crimes of hate and property crimes."
Hispanic people in Athens haven't been targeted specifically because of their ethnicity, according to Athens-Clarke police.
But in Dalton, for example, a group of high schoolers pretending to be hiring day laborers took Hispanic men to remote areas and severely beat them. Last September in Tifton, six Hispanics were murdered and several wounded in a robbery spree by a group of thieves who knew illegal immigrants keep their savings at home rather than in banks.
A 2004 study by The Associated Press also found that Mexican workers are four times more likely to die on the job than a U.S.-born laborer because they frequently are given hazardous work with no training or safety protection, and don't complain about hazardous conditions.
"Because they are here illegally, immigrants are placed in various dangerous situations on a daily basis," Tallman said.
MALDEF has collaborated with Oasis Catolico Santa Rafaela - a group of nuns who work in the predominantly Hispanic Pinewood North Estates Mobile Home Park off U.S. Highway 29 North - to find local immigrants to share their stories during Thursday's vigil.
The national debate on illegal immigration, especially from across the Mexican border, is heating up as a result of legislation pending in Washington and Atlanta.
Federal lawmakers are due to vote on a bill to make entering the United States illegally a felony and to build fences along the Mexican border. State legislators are poised to send Gov. Sonny Perdue a new law to deny social services to illegal immigrants, penalize employers that knowingly hire them and require jailers to verify the immigration status of people booked on felony and driving under the influence charges and notify Homeland Security about illegal immigrants.
The flurry of legislative action led to protests Friday in the streets of several cities throughout Georgia and other states, and the demonstrations continued through the weekend in California, Texas, Michigan and elsewhere.
Protesters said lawmakers are unfairly targeting immigrants who provide a major labor pool for America's economy.
Vigil for Peace
What: A vigil "to acknowledge immigrants working in the United States"
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Catholic Center at the University of Georgia, 1344 S. Lumpkin St.
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0328legcommunity.html
Georgia bill a wake-up call to migrant community
By MARY LOU PICKEL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/28/06
Illegal Brazilian workers gathered at a convenience store in Sandy Springs on Friday to discuss a hastily organized Latino boycott. The half-dozen stonemasons, vinyl siding installers and restaurant cleaners had taken the day off from work to prove a point.
"Without immigrants, lots of jobs won't get done," siding installer Emivaldo Coleta de Almeida said.
The men debated driving downtown to a protest at the state Capitol but decided against it for fear there might be repercussions against illegal immigrants.
Among Atlanta's newly arrived and informally organized immigrant community, Friday's demonstration protesting proposed legislation on illegal immigration, was just a whimper compared to the bang of other protests around the country, including a huge rally in Los Angeles on Saturday where more than 500,000 people marched to demand that Congress abandon measures that would make being in the country illegally a felony and erect a 700-mile fence along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
Leading up to this week's immigration debate in the U.S. Senate, similar but smaller protests were held in Dallas, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend. On Monday, thousands of demonstrators, many waving U.S. and Mexican flags, marched through Detroit. And hundreds of students walked out of high schools in Dallas, Los Angeles and Huntington Park, Calif.
One reason for Atlanta's relatively muted response is that the city's Latino population is comprised of a fairly new wave of immigrants from many different countries and the community is just starting to find its voice and get organized. A march is planned for April 10, the same day as marches nationwide, but details are still slim.
The immigration bill under debate in Georgia's Legislature, Senate Bill 529, has provided the wake-up call, said Sara Gonzalez, the executive director of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), would prohibit illegal immigrants from getting some public benefits, sanction employers for hiring illegal immigrants and require police to check the immigration status of those arrested for felonies and DUIs, among other provisions.
Until now, Hispanics in Georgia haven't had anything to rally against, said Mexican-born car dealer Lou Sobh, who moved to the area in 1990 and now has one of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in the state.
"Georgia has always been very welcoming," Sobh said, "until 529."
Yolanda Martinez of Toluca, Mexico, didn't show up for work on Friday at the Mall de las Americas in Marietta. All the other Latin stores at the Marietta shopping strip were closed too. She found about the events of last Friday from fliers that were circulating through her store, but didn't hear anything from Hispanic leaders or organizers about the boycott.
"In Georgia there's not as much communication as there should be," Martinez said in Spanish as she pressed corn tortillas and tended the grill. "I don't think April 10 it's going to be the same as in Chicago or Arizona."
She heard that the march on Friday didn't happen because organizers were unable to get the needed permits.
She says Hispanic immigrants have to be united to fight the legislation. "We must join together," she said. "Whether or not we have papers, we also pay taxes."
On Sunday night, between 200 and 300 Latinos gathered at Plaza Fiesta to listen to an immigration lawyer explain the details of Rogers' bill.
"We got a lot of questions last week," Latin American Association Executive Director Maritza Pichon said. Parents called in asking whether their children would be asked to prove their legality in school.
At Sunday night's forum one child asked the lawyer what would happen to her if her parents were deported, Pichon said.
The Latin American Association is planning another forum at its headquarters Thursday night.
Monday night, the Latino Intercollegiate Consortium planned a candlelight vigil at the Central Presbyterian Church, across the street from the State Capitol, to protest Senate Bill 529. And this morning Gonzalez plans to hold a press conference explaining what the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has done to soften Rogers' bill.
The chamber opposes the whole bill, and Gonzalez sputters when she talks about anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King from Cobb County.
"It amazes me that the Legislature people are paying attention to that man. That is amazing, amazing," she said. "He's full of hate and very xenophobic and trying to coat the pill with half-truths and lies."
Corporate America needs to realize that immigrants are providing a lot of labor and if Georgia does not want them, the workers may go elsewhere, Gonzalez said. Immigrants are spooked, rumors are flying and people are misinformed, she said. "The rumor is, 'Oh, we are not wanted here. Oh, they are going to come and pick us up. Oh, I'm going to take the kids out of school,' " Gonzalez said. "It's panic. A huge can of worms has been opened."
Antonio Hernandez, 40, a Nicaraguan who has been here only 10 months and has a work permit under the Temporary Protective Status program for victims of natural disaster and civil strife, believes both sides in the debate have good points.
"I think those who are from here are correct," he said. "Some migrants do become a burden on society."
Hernandez said he left his country because of bad economic conditions and is glad for the job he found here. He said he realized that legislation pending in the Georgia Legislature and in Congress could make life difficult for him or even force him to leave.
"I believe the time I've been here has been enough for me to feel gratitude toward the people here," he said. "If there was an opportunity for migrants to remain with certain rights, it would be even better."
The huge demonstration in Los Angeles over the weekend gave Arturo Adonay the feeling that history was repeating itself.
The peaceful march reminded him of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Adonay, the general manager of Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway, sees a racial undertone to laws aimed at illegal immigrants in Georgia and nationally.
"It's sad that this community will be affected, perhaps even in a racist way, by these new laws when really they are here to work," he said of illegal Latin American immigrants.
Adonay came to Atlanta from Mexico legally eight years ago as a student and is now a United States citizen.
Atlanta's Latino community isn't as organized as communities in other cities. He called on all Hispanics who have some level of success and education to unite. "All the people who have some kind of success need to come and join forces and establish some kind of organization," he said. "We need to get more organized."
Staff writers Teresa Borden, Brian Feagans and Aixa Pascual reported for this article. The Associated Press also contributed.
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0328legillegals.html
Georgia Senate OKs compromise on illegals
Earliest provisions won't kick in until 2007
By JIM THARPE , CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/28/06
The Georgia Legislature's attempt to confront illegal immigration moved toward final passage Monday, even as the national debate on the issue grew louder.
The state Senate approved the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act on a 39-16 vote after a six-member House-Senate conference committee ironed out their chambers' differences. The House adjourned Monday without voting on the compromise, but was expected to approve it before the Legislature adjourns this week.
 BEN GRAY / Staff | |
| Senators make their way to their desks Monday evening. With the Senate in session for more than nine hours and with 40 bills on their calendar, many senators worked on business away from their desks between votes. | |
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Also Monday, state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, a Democrat, complained the Republican-dominated Legislature had inadvertently created an "amnesty program" for illegal immigrants now on the payroll of companies that hold public contracts.
Republicans denied that charge and said the bill is the best that can be accomplished in this election-year session.
"I'd like to solve this problem overnight," said state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), who wrote the now 13-page bill. "But it took 30 years to get here, and we're not going to solve it overnight. This is a multi-year process."
Rogers' plan, Senate Bill 529, would target illegal immigrants and the people who employ them. There are an estimated 250,000 to 800,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia, and no one can say with precision what impact they have on everything from schools to prisons to the health care system.
Lawmakers on Monday deleted a section of the bill that would have imposed a 5 percent fee for illegal immigrants wiring money out of the country because they feared it could not withstand legal scrutiny. They also delayed the trigger date for some of the earliest provisions until July 1, 2007. And they nixed a section that Thurmond wanted to check the legal status of current workers at companies with taxpayer contracts.
Under the altered proposal, companies with public contracts would have to use a federal verification program to determine the status of new hires only.
"That means if you're an undocumented worker who is working now, then this legislation would have no impact on you," Thurmond said.
Legislators added a provision that would require employers to withhold a 6 percent tax from "contract workers" who are unable to provide a taxpayer identification number or Social Security number. The money would go to state government.
The portion of the bill which affects private employers does not kick in until 2008, which means the first enforcement could not take place until 2009. Employers would be required to keep documents indicating an employee is legally in the country if the employer claims an employee's wages as a state income tax deduction.
Rogers said he wanted an earlier trigger date, but the farming and business lobby persuaded him and other lawmakers to push it back. "While some of these dates are a couple of years into the future, we are sending a message that in Georgia you have a little time, but you need to get in compliance with the law," Rogers said. "This notion that we get to pick and choose which laws we get to obey, hopefully that's coming to an end."
Georgia's bill headed for final approval as the issue reached a critical mass at the federal level, where Congress is debating a crackdown that would supercede anything the states pass.
Rogers and other supporters have said one goal is to pressure the federal government to deal with the issue. They blame the federal government for failing to enforce the borders or laws that were set up more than a decade back to crack down on immigrants who unlawfully entered the country.
"The message needs to be sent that Georgia is serious about this issue," Rogers said.
The National Conference on State Legislatures noted that as of late February lawmakers in more than 40 states had introduced more than 350 bills related to immigration.
State Sen. Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta) urged Gov. Sonny Perdue to delay signing the bill into law to give Congress time to act.
"All this does is create a lot of fear in a community that is simply here to work," said Zamarripa, who voted against the bill.
Perdue has publicly stayed out of the legislative debate, but is expected to sign the bill.
Heather Hedrick, a spokeswoman for Perdue, said he will review SB 529 during the 40-day period after the session ends during which bills are considered for approval by the governor.
"Before the session started, Governor Perdue said that illegal immigration is a problem in Georgia," Hedrick said. "And while it is primarily a federal responsibility, there are some actions that we can take on the state level."
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http://www.independentmail.com/and/news/article/0,1886,AND_8203_4574998,00.html
Hispanics disagree with immigration plans
By Megan Nichols and Pearce Adams Anderson Independent-Mail
March 27, 2006
Members of the Hispanic community in Anderson and northeast Georgia said Monday they were unhappy with proposed immigration legislation that is to be debated by the U.S. Senate today. The legislation - passed by the House of Representatives in December - would make it a felony to be in the United States without proper papers and would fence off 700 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border. "I think the Hispanic community is really beginning to gather itself together and protest like it hasn't in a long while," said Teresa Volante, Hispanic minister for St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Anderson. The church offers Spanish-language masses. In Lavonia, Ga., a clerk at a Hispanic grocery store, who also is active in assisting local Hispanics, said lawmakers seem to be targeting those seeking to live the American dream. "We all came to this country with hope and dreams to have a better life," said Macarena Poole, who left Mexico about 10 years ago. Ms. Poole said officials should consider other means of controlling immigration instead of trying to seal the border between Mexico and the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Hispanics, gathered in the streets of the nation's cities last week to protest the legislation. One of the most controversial aspects of the House bill made giving aid to undocumented immigrants a felony. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed an amendment Monday that would protect individuals, churches and charitable groups who provide care to illegal immigrants. Ms. Volante said she thought charging humanitarian workers with felonies would be ridiculous. "We're based in Gospel values, and there is no way I can tell people who come to me for help with a spiritual matter or something else that I need to see their legal papers first," she said. Other local Hispanics pointed to the significant contribution immigrants make to the economy, both in this area and nationally. Jose Garcia, owner of Gusto Services Inc. and an interpreter with AnMed Health, said people who advocate deporting undocumented immigrants do not realize how much those immigrants do for America. "Everyone is talking about sending all these people home," he said. "I wonder if they realize what would happen if all Hispanics stayed home from work one day. It would cripple the economy." The Associated Press recently reported that a Pew Hispanic Center study found that 7.2 million illegal immigrants held jobs in the United States, making up 4.9 percent of the overall labor force. Undocumented workers made up 24 percent of farm workers and held 14 percent of construction jobs, the study found. President Bush is seeking Republican support for his "guest-worker" program that would allow temporary work visas for noncitizens. Opponents maintain that the program would give amnesty to undocumented immigrants. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recently issued a statement showing support for Mr. Bush's plan. Sen. Graham said the program "would allow immigrants working in our country to come out of the shadows." U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said in a column that he has introduced legislation to "control who comes in, why they are here, how long they will stay and when they go back." Sen. Chambliss, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in the column that he introduced the Agricultural Workforce and Employment Protection Act to help accommodate farmers' work force needs. But, he said, "there should be no tolerance for employers who hire illegal aliens" if Congress allows temporary foreign workers. Ms. Poole said the inefficiency of the existing immigration system creates undocumented immigrants. In Mexico, a sponsor in the United States is required before one can cross the border legally, and the process can take up to three years, she said. Mr. Garcia said that most illegal immigrants are merely trying to improve their lives. "They have a very strong work ethic, they are religious, they are devoted to their families and are only concerned with bettering themselves," he said. Maria Alvarez, 33, of Anderson, said the legislation made her feel more unwelcome in America. Mrs. Alvarez said she was born here of immigrant parents, but always felt as if people wanted them to leave. "I wish this didn't have to be such a debate," she said. "We are working, we are making an honest living. This is our home, just like it's yours." Jose Gutierrez of Lavonia said such attempts to change the law are not fair. In Mexico, a week of hard labor is often worth $25, said Mr. Gutierrez, who works at the same Hispanic grocery story with Ms. Poole. Job opportunities in the United States can bring a month's wage in one day, he said. Most can get one of the jobs with basic forms of identification. Mr. Gutierrez, who said he has a Social Security card, driver's license and work permit, sympathizes with those who are here without them. Changing a document is almost as hard as getting one, he said. To remain in this county, many undocumented workers obtain fake documents, he said. Many people can't wait and cross the border without authorization, which up to now has been a civil violation. Under a proposed federal bill, it would become a felony. Mr. Gutierrez said the proposed law hurts those who follow the rules. To change his address on his driver's license, a state employee demanded his Social Security number, Green Card and birth certificate and then kept them temporarily, he said. "I'm not giving them back," the clerk told him, Mr. Gutierrez said. "How do I know that they are yours?" he said the clerk asked.
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=77881
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The quiet agreement came after days of noisy protest. The compromise gets rid of something that angered Latino groups the most -- the five percent surcharge on money wire transfers, if the sender couldn't prove his or her legal status.
Instead of the surcharge, contractors who don't get documentation from their workers would withhold six percent of their wages, to send to the state.
But the state Labor Department could not use its systems to check the status of workers on public projects, and the bill won't kick in until July 2007. The state Labor Commissioner charged that will create new problems.
Because employers would not have to verify the IDs they get from workers, even backers admit the bill relies on the honor system, and opponents claimed a moral victory.
The Senate has already approved the compromise bill. The House adjourned late on Monday without voting on it. It could vote on Tuesday.
All sides agree on one thing -- the big job of immigration enforcement belongs to the feds, and Congress could duplicate or change what the state does.
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http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/14199623.htm
Posted on Mon, Mar. 27, 2006
Georgia Legislative Diary for Monday, March 27
Associated Press
HEADLINES
Georgia House and Senate members reached agreement on sweeping immigration legislation to crack down on adults living in the country illegally and the employers who knowingly hire them. The state Senate gave the bill final passage by a vote of 39 to 16. The House seemed unlikely to follow suit before adjourning, but still has two days to do so. If it is signed into law, Georgia will be the among the first states with legislation tackling such a broad range of immigration issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
ODDS & ENDS
_House lawmakers unanimously decided that Georgia's criminal penalties should be stiffer when a fetus is destroyed in an attack on a pregnant woman. The proposal expands Georgia's current law, which says a fetus must have a chance to stay alive outside the womb for its destruction to be considered a murder. The new bill would call for a murder charge at any point in the pregnancy.
_The House stripped a Senate proposal of its attempt to revive Georgia's defunct hate crimes law. The effort by Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, had already passed the Senate as an amendment tacked onto another piece of legislation.
_A bill clearing public high schools to teach Bible classes was given final approval by the Senate and is on its way to Gov. Perdue to be signed. The Senate voted 45-2 to agree to some House changes to the plan, which would let local school systems create classes on the Old Testament and New Testament.
_The Senate voted 50-4 to allow hunters to use magnifying scopes, including laser scopes, on so-called primitive weapons like muzzleloading rifles and flintlock muskets.
_A trio of House legislators took the well to say their goodbyes. State Rep. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, and state Rep. Stacey Reece, R-Gainesville, both said they plan on running for the Senate. Meanwhile, the House's only Independent, state Rep. Ron Dodson, lit up the chamber with laughs as he recalled taking part in his first floor debate.
_A new procedure to remove public defenders accused of misconduct was set up under a proposal given final approval by the House. The bill prompted by the case of Arthur English, a former chief public defender in central Georgia who was indicted for allegedly receiving stolen property. English resigned before he could be fired.
_The House voted to officially declare Colquitt as Georgia's First Mural City. The effort to award the city, which is home to several murals, even after several senators had earlier cited Lakeland, which has been named by a governor's decree as Georgia's Historic Mural City.
_The General Assembly has OKed an effort to force teachers, hospital officials, social workers and other non-parents that attend to children to report suspected abuse within 24 hours. State Rep. Sue Burmeister said the current law, which requires the reports to be made "as soon as possible," is vague.
_A bill clearing public high schools to teach Bible classes has been approved by the Legislature and is on its way to Gov. Sonny Perdue to be signed. The Senate voted 45-2 to agree to some House changes to the plan, which would let local school systems create classes on the Old Testament and New Testament.
_The House and Senate were going back and forth on a bill that would give optometrists more leeway in writing prescriptions. House members want to clear them to prescribe about 60 new medications, while the Senate version only would approve four.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It was the dumbest thing I've ever done." - retiring state Rep. Ron Dodson, I-Lake City, recalling his first floor debate, a fight with state Rep. Tom Bordeaux over sovereign immunity.
DAYS IN SESSION
Monday was the 38th day of the 2006 session; 2 days remain.
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http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/georgia/news-article.aspx?storyid=54557
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=73248
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Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia House and Senate members reached agreement Monday on sweeping immigration legislation to crack down on adults living in the country illegally and the employers who knowingly hire them. The state Senate gave the bill final passage by a vote of 39 to 16. The House was expected to take up the measure later in the day.
If it is signed into law, Georgia will be the among the first states with legislation tackling such a broad range of immigration issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and advocates from both sides of the aisle.
"They're out of the gate first," said Ann Morse, program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The bill would verify that adults seeking many state-administered benefits -- like non-emergency medical care and unemployment checks -- are in the country legally. It would also sanction employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, punishing them through the tax code.
Companies seeking state contracts must verify that their workers are not illegal immigrants. The bill would mandate that police officers screen the immigration status of people they arrest. It would put in place strict new human trafficking laws. Morse said the comprehensiveness of the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act "appears to be unique."
The action in Georgia comes as the U.S. Senate grapples with new get-tough federal immigration policies. Over the weekend, thousands of people in cities around the U.S. protested the congressional action.
In Georgia, the state immigration bill has sparked its share of rallies and protests. Some immigrants refused to show up to work on Friday in what was billed as a "day of dignity" opposing the tough new measure.
Georgia's House and Senate passed differing versions of the immigration bill earlier this month. A six-member conference committee, composed of lawmakers from both chambers, reached an accord Monday morning. State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, the bill's main sponsor, said he was satisfied with the final version. Most provisions of the bill would take effect on July 1, 2007.
Supporters say the plan is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state resources for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.
Stripped from the final version was one controversial provision, added in the House, which would have tacked on a 5 percent fee to wire transfers by people who could not prove they were in the country legally.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has not said whether he will sign the bill. His spokesman, Dan McLagan, said the Republican governor does not comment on legislation that is still pending. But Perdue has already moved to tighten up screening for taxpayer-funded benefits like Medicaid to require proof of income and citizenship.
Tisha Tallman, Southeast regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, called the Georgia bill "inhumane and potentially unconstitutional" She said a legal challenge was likely.
Mike Hethmon, general counsel for legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said he expected other states would follow Georgia's lead and said the bill had been drawn up with an eye to a trip through the courts.
"The bill that's going to be signed, I think, is pretty much lawsuit-proof in constitutional terms," Hethmon said.
As of Feb. 26, legislators in 42 states had introduced 368 bills related to immigration, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.
Associated Press Writer Doug Gross contributed to this report
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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