A Republican Texas lawmaker plans to introduce a tough immigration measure similar to the new law in Arizona, a move state Democrats say would be a mistake.
Rep. Debbie Riddle of Tomball said she will push for the law in the January legislative session, according to Wednesday's editions of the San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle.
"The first priority for any elected official is to make sure that the safety and security of Texans is well-established," said Riddle, who introduced a similar measure in 2009 that didn't get out of committee. "If our federal government did their job, then Arizona wouldn't have to take this action, and neither would Texas."
The Arizona law would require local and state law enforcement to question people about their immigration status -- and make it a crime for immigrants to lack registration documents.
The measure is already making an impact in North Texas. Organizers for a rally against the immigration law said Tuesday they hope for 100,000 protesters to show up for a Saturday march in Dallas. Leaders of various groups are planning to attend.
"What I say to the African-American community: If they come in the morning for brown-skinned people, and we remain silent, they may come in the evening for us," Peter Johnson, of the Peter Johnson Institute of Non-Violence, said.
"This wholesale idea of just questioning everyone who looks differently or who has an accent or whose eyes look differently than ours is not the way to address this issue," said Cheryl Pollman, president of the National Council of Jewish Women.
The Dallas Tea Party said it will plan a counterprotest for another time.
Phillip Dennis, a member of the group's steering committee, said states have to step up because the federal government has failed to enforce immigration laws. He said he and his wife, who is a legal immigrant from Colombia, are familiar with the process of emigrating to the United States.
"We paid by the rules, we jumped through the hoops, and we paid the money -- thousands and thousands of dollars," he said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that a Justice Department review is under way to determine the constitutionality of the Arizona law.
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, a San Antonio Democrat and former president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, called the law "extremely damaging and hateful."
Van de Putte predicted failure for any similar measures in Texas and said the GOP would suffer politically for such a move.
Asked about the Arizona law, GOP Gov. Rick Perry and his Democratic challenger, Bill White, emphasized through spokespeople that immigration is a federal responsibility.
Jim Harrington, of the Texas Civil Rights Project, predicted any similar effort in Texas would fail because Texas has "a different relationship with the Hispanic community."
"You can take the political temperature by just looking at Rick Perry being quiet," Harrington said.
15 comments:
I think Texas and Arizona are doing the right thing by sending these people back to thier homelands.....LOS ANGLES..;D
I think Texas should not join Arizon's new plan to confront immigration. The federal government should take some initiative, rather that having the states do all the work. I also agree with Cheryl Pollman, that "questioning everyone who looks differently...is not the way to address this issue."
This is ridiculous! Stop wasting tax dollars on this crap. What they are doing now is just trying to find a new way to get illegal immigrants out of the country, but in the long run this isn't going to work. If you want to get rid of immigrants just make it easier for people to apply for visa's and passports to enter the United States. You can't just pull someone over just because they look "suspicious" or are "brown" then everyone who is colored will just feel mistreated. I agree that some type of action needs to be taken to ensure that illegal's will not come into this country, but seriously find some other way than just driving around and checking everyone's ID.
I don't agree with this new law. It is not fair to target people and question them because of such differences.
I get that the illegal immigration issue needs to be addressed, but the Arizona law was one of the most ridiculous, least thought through, and offensive ways to "solve" the problem. I don't think this stunt will go over in Texas even if the Justice Department says the law is constitutional (which it won't). I find it interesting that the representative who is introducing the bill is from the northern suburbs of Houston, one of the wealthiest areas of Texas, where I doubt illegal immigration is a pressing issue.
First of all, I found it kind of hilarious that a republican said "If our federal government did their job, then Arizona wouldn't have to take this action, and neither would Texas." Under almost any other circumstance that would be balancing on a the line of blasphemy, except that, through republican eyes, the securing of borders is one of the federal governments few roles. Beyond that, this is kind of an odd issue... it seems very degrading to the people in question, which is pretty much anyone of any race, to be singled out and questioned. And I honestly wouldn't feel too bad at all if my tax money provided schooling or medical care anyone, even if they aren't legal citizens. On the other side, I can't say that I trust people to not exploit those who are here illegally, by paying them much less or keeping them in adverse conditions, not to mention the safety threat that some of them pose, but how many of them do, I'm don't. I'm sure there's a solution to this, but I can't say that I know it.
I don't think this is the right way to try and control immigration. Lets figure out another way and save everyone the headache of this mess.
I do agree that the federal government has not done a very good job of protecting our borders. However, I don't know if the Arizona law would be a positive way to keep illegal aliens out of the country.
I agree with Jim Harrington, indeed Texas has "a different relationship with the Hispanic community." compared to Arizona's. There's no argument that officials will try to import Arizona's immigration law, but overall i believe and hope it would fail or else all the law would create is tension and division.
yes! Illegal immigrants should be deported immediately. My father came here legally, they should too!
While this may be an effective way to handle illegal immigration, which is why it was proposed, if it makes a majority of Americans feel uncomfortable, we should find a different way to address the issue, one that doesn't offend people. If the state wants to take more charge, since they claim the federal government is not, they should address businesses and make it to where businesses cannot hire illegal immigrants. If the immigrants have no where to work when they get here, they will have no reason to come.
Many people are already scared of this tactic because they think if you're brown, then they are going to deport you automatically. They feel like people are going to be stereotypical and just try to force them out of this country.
The sooner we get this law enacted, the better. I may even join the border patrol!!
This new immigration measure has now spread from Arizona to Texas. If Texas wants to avoid the racial profiling that Arizona is getting hit with then there has got to be another solution other than checking a suspicious person’s papers. The image shown above is the perfect depiction of what will happen if this law remains in use.
Well the picture really says everything. Thats pretty much what cops would be doing and its pretty stupid. I don't understand how a law like that could pass.
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