state policies

The Supreme Court today invalidated three of the four provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 law before the court. In a 5-3 decision in Arizona, et. al. v. United States, the Court upheld, for now, the provision requiring police, after a lawful stop, to check the immigration status of a suspected illegal alien.

New Mexico investigators busted a large and sophisticated fraud ring that allegedly produced fake documents for illegal aliens who wanted to obtain a state driver's license. The scheme was initially uncovered when a Brazilian illegal alien living in Georgia called the N.M. Motor Vehicles Division to ask about her license.

A new poll released today by CNN revealed that three-quarters of Americans support Arizona’s SB 1070 law, which allows police to check the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens after a lawful stop. Another poll by CBS News found that sixty-two percent of Americans believe that both the federal government and state governments should be able to determine laws regarding illegal aliens.

On May 25th, the Massachusetts Senate passed several immigration enforcement measures as part of state budget legislation. It’s likely that most of these provisions will clear the legislature since many were included in the version the House passed.

A bill to lower tuition costs in Colorado for illegal aliens died in the House Finance Committee last night. Over the past month, NumbersUSA Colorado activists have been phoning, faxing and emailing state legislatures urging them to not support the bill. The bill would have created a new category of tuition for illegal aliens higher than in-state tuition but lower than out-of-state tuition. It applied to students who attended a Colorado high school for at least three years and graduated.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will listen to arguments in the Obama administration's lawsuit against Arizona's immigration-enforcement law. In advance of the hearing, public opinion polls are showing that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support Arizona's efforts and don't want the high court to overturn it.

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering two E-Verify bills designed to prevent the hiring of illegal aliens in the state. The bills, introduced by Peter Palumbo (D-Dist. 16, Cranston), are scheduled for hearings held by the House Committee on Labor at the Statehouse tonight.

The Kansas House of Representatives sent a bill back to committee after it was amended to require state agencies and most employers that do business with the state to use E-Verify. The amendment would have required any business with a state contract worth more than $50,000 to use the workplace verification system.

A new cell phone app is being developed by a man in Arizona that would help illegal aliens when they get arrested. The app would allow illegal aliens to immediately notify their friends, family, and legal representation and the location of the arrest should they get picked up by police.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director John Morton has offered to pay the costs of holding suspected illegal immigrants who are arrested for other crimes in Cook County, IL, as part of an effort to get county officials to reconsider their refusal to cooperate with federal detention requests. 

A bill that would require employers in Iowa to use E-Verify passed through an Iowa House Committee on Tuesday. HF 2156 was offered by Rep. Julian Garrett and passed through the Committee mostly along party lines.

Anne Arundal County Judge Ronald A. Silkworth issued a ruling on Friday that will allow Maryland voters to decide the fate of the state's DREAM Act. State legislators rushed passage of a bill in final moments of the 2011 legislative session that allows illegal aliens who attended a Maryland high school and hold either a diploma or GED to receive the in-state tuition rate at public colleges and universities. A grassroots effort collected thousands of signatures sufficient enough to try and repeal the law through referendum during this November's elections.

New Data from the Department of Homeland Security show the participation of businesses and worksites that use E-Verify by state. The data show that states with a high number of businesses that contract with the federal government and states that have passed mandatory E-Verify laws, including Arizona, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina, have the highest number of businesses using the online employee verification tool.

A new billboard produced by Floridians for Immigration Control calls out Gov. Rick Scott (R) for the state's failure to adopt an E-Verify law. 

The billboard "welcomes" illegal immigrants and sarcastically thanks Governor Scott and is along I-75's southbound lanes between the Georgia border and Interstate 10, reported by Sunshine State News.

Voters in Springfield, Mo. approved a measure requiring employers to use E-Verify to determine the workplace eligibility of new hires, KSPR reported. Proponents placed the ordinance on the ballot after the City Council rejected an E-Verify proposal.

A group of U.S. Senators asked the Department of Homeland Security to adjust its approach to immigration enforcement in light of Cook County, Illinois' refusal to deny federal detention requests there.

Polling data of likely voters in New England states show that a majority of people believe illegal immigration harms their vital interests and that overall levels of immigration need to be reduced.

In the upcoming 2012 session, the state legislature in New Mexico will revisit the issue to repeal a 2003 bill which allowed illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses in the state. New Mexico is one of three states that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Since 2003, more than 80,000 foreign nationals have been issued driver's licenses.