Arizona cracks down on illegal immigrants with new bill

As unemployment continues to rise lawmakers are looking for ways to slow the joblessness rates within cities and states. New Arizona legislation calls for illegal immigrants to be charged with trespassing as a way to tackle the state’s jobless issue and help put Arizona citizens back to work.

The new law, the toughest in the country, would ban illegal aliens from residing in the state without legal papers. The state lawmakers have chosen the battle and will most likely sign into law the first bill that essentially criminalizes the presence of the 460,000 illegals living in Arizona.


The legislation allows law enforcement officers to detain people on the suspicion that they are illegal immigrants, completely outlaws citizens from employing day laborers and makes it illegal to transport undocumented workers anywhere in the state.


Those in favor of the crackdown suggest it’s the large illegal population that is contributing to the high crime and unemployment rates, many of whom say they are forced to enact tough new laws because the federal government has failed to enforce the immigration laws already on the books.


"When you come to America you must have a permission slip, period," said Russell Pearce, Arizona State Senator who sponsored the bill. "You can't break into my country, just like you can't break into my house."
"It will be, there's no doubt, the toughest immigration enforcement bill in the nation," said Pearce.
In a story from ABC News, immigrant right’s groups are already gearing up for a fight.


"The really dangerous impact is the creation of a new state crime related to trespassing. If law enforcement has a reasonable suspicion that someone is undocumented they can be stopped and forced to prove they are a U.S. citizen. If they can't prove it, they can be arrested," said Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network, an immigrant advocacy group.


Advocates for the tough new legislation contend law enforcement officers aren’t going house to house arresting illegal immigrants, by creating a law that "eliminates all sanctuary policies," closing the loophole for illegal immigrants to work or even be present in the state would force illegals to leave on their own, Pearce says.


The new bill will add teeth to current laws and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has affirmed she will sign the bill into law when it reaches her desk.


Pearce said Arizonians deserve and expect to “have a constitutional right to expect their rights and laws to be enforced.”


This past week the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office raided four McDonald’s fast food restaurants looking for 50 illegal immigrants who were working using false identification.


Identity theft is a chronic and widespread problem Americans face. Once U.S. identification is stolen, charges from fraudulent purchases and earnings from a paycheck Americans haven’t incurred begin to demolish credit histories and cause major headaches to citizens. The arduous task of repairing their credit often takes months to fix and could damage their credit history for years.


When it comes to the employment situation, many who steal identities will take 100 percent of their paychecks leaving the taxes to be paid by the unsuspecting victims who find out when the IRS knocks on their door.


The Arizona legislation is expected to be signed into law within a couple of weeks and illegal residents can expect America’s toughest Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, to enforce the new law.

For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner