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By
Raymond Rico, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellow
Introduction
In 2006, the issue of immigration rose to the forefront
in many states as a result of Congress’s failure to pass a comprehensive
immigration reform bill. In the spring, millions of immigrants and
immigrants’ rights advocates took to the streets to call for protection of
immigrants’ rights and comprehensive immigration reform, and to protest
passage by the House of Representatives in December 2005 of HR 4437, the
Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act. At
the same time, 2006 brought massive increases in the number of
anti-immigrant bills introduced in many state legislatures.
In 2006, 570 pieces of immigrant and
immigration-related legislation were introduced in state legislatures, some
favorable to immigrants, but most unfavorable. These bills covered
employment, law enforcement, public benefits, education, and identification
issues.[1] Of the 570 bills, 90 were
passed, 84 were signed into law, and 6 were vetoed, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures. Most either did not move or died
in committee, or were defeated on the floor of a legislative chamber, or
passed one chamber but stalled or failed in the other.
Most bills that were enacted were restrictive in
nature. They limit immigrant access to public benefits and financial aid for
higher education; and the greatest number of enacted bills focus on imposing
additional barriers to employment of undocumented workers. Others include
measures regarding entering into agreements with the federal government to
allow immigration enforcement to be carried out by state law enforcement
authorities and requiring employers to use a federal Internet-based
employment eligibility verification system.
[Read more.]
[PDF of Special Report]
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How to Be Prepared for an Immigration Raid (Community Education page).
Given increased enforcement activity in recent months
by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it is important that
immigrant rights advocates and local communities be prepared in the event of
a raid. Before ICE conducts a raid, immigrants’ advocates should . . . .
www.nilc.org/ce/nilc/immraidsprep_2007-02-27.pdf (English)
www.nilc.org/ce/nilc/preppararedadas_2007-03-27.pdf (Spanish)
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Immigrant Children’s Health
Improvement Act (ICHIA): Sign a Letter asking Congress to restore
equity to SCHIP and Medicaid by providing health coverage for lawfully
residing children and pregnant women (ICHIA page).
www.nilc.org/immspbs/cdev/ICHIA/index.htm#issuebriefs
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Updates to
Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for
Federal Programs (Guide
Update page).
-- Pages 122–23 | TABLE 10: State-Funded Medical Assistance Programs
www.nilc.org/pubs/guideupdates/tbl10_state-med-asst_2007-01.pdf
-- Pages 126–27 | TABLE 11: State-Funded SCHIP Programs
www.nilc.org/pubs/guideupdates/tbl11_state-SCHIP_2007-01.pdf
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DREAM Act: Basic Information
(Immigrant Student Adjustment/DREAM Act page).
What is the DREAM Act? What are the requirements? Why
is the DREAM Act needed? Status of the DREAM Act.
www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/dream_basic_info_0406.pdf
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Proposal to Strip Workers of Social
Security Earnings Based on Prior Employment Status: Bad for the System and
an Affront to Our Values (Comprehensive Immigration Reform page).
An amendment offered by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) to
the Senate’s 2006 comprehensive immigration reform bill, and one likely to
be offered again in 2007, is designed to prevent citizens and lawfully
present immigrant workers from claiming Social Security based on earnings
credited before they were authorized to work in the United States. This
restriction would apply to any person who applies for a Social Security
number (SSN) in the future, even after the person becomes a U.S. citizen, no
matter how long he or she has worked in the U.S. and paid Social Security
taxes into the system.
www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/CIR/ensign_ss_amdmt_2007-02-28.pdf
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Cornyn “Immigration Injunction Reform”
Amendment (Comprehensive Immigration
Reform page).
Senator Cornyn offered an amendment to S. 4, the 9/11
Commission bill, which would effectively prevent immigrants, U.S. families,
and employers from obtaining relief after they have proven in court that the
government has failed to obey immigration law. By imposing arbitrary
deadlines and unneeded burdens on any such relief, the Cornyn amendment
would also lead federal judges to delay justice in other pending federal
civil cases.
www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/cdev/imminjreform_2007-03-06.pdf
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Comprehensive Immigration Reform:
Legislative Priorities for Immigrant Workers (Employment
Eligibility Verification and Antidiscrimination Protections page).
Immigration reform should strengthen rather than
undermine the enforcement of labor and employment laws, should bring INA
antidiscrimination protections into line with other civil rights laws,
should hold "bad apple" employers accountable; and an eligibility
verification system should minimize the potential for discrimination.
www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/cir_laborpriorities_2007-02-26.pdf
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State and Local Proposals That
Punish Employers for Hiring Undocumented Workers Are Unenforceable,
Unnecessary, and Bad Public Policy (Employment Eligibility
Verification and Antidiscrimination Protections page).
www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/ircaempverif/employersanctionsTPs_2007-02-22.pdf
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Social Security Administration “No
Match” Letter Arbitration Decisions (Social Security
Administration–related Information page)
www.nilc.org/immsemplymnt/SSA_Related_Info/index.htm#decisions
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table: 2007 State REAL ID
Legislation (Driver’s License page).
Table current as of March 5, 2007; information for
Idaho updated March 8, 2007.
www.nilc.org/immspbs/DLs/state_real_id_proposals_2007-03-05.pdf
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