Texas Immigration Law Under Proposal Would Resemble Arizona's Hard-Line Approach

A proposed immigration law soon to be under consideration in Texas closely resembles Arizona's controversial statute and could make the Lone Star State the latest battleground for immigration policy.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that "an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration" is on Texas's 2010 legislative agenda.

Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle, a conservative Republican, introduced the bill almost immediately after the filing period for 2011 legislation began. According to WOAI:

The measure would be similar to Arizona's controversial SB 1070, in that it would require that local police work with federal immigration officials in determining the legal status of a person who is in their custody.

"If that individual is already being detained, because of another crime, then that officer can inquire as to one's immigration status," Riddle said.

Arizona's law, which has drawn a strong challenge from the Obama administration, would require law enforcement officials to determine a stopped or detained person's immigration status if they could "reasonably suspect" that he or she is in the country illegally. In July, a federal judge temporarily blocked some of the law's most controversial elements.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) said he would veto such a measure and added that he won't "take the bait." In neighboring New Mexico, Republican governor-elect Susana Martinez has voiced her opposition to Arizona-style immigration legislation.

Comments

[MikeyJaii]

11:41 PM on 12/20/2010

All the states that border Mexican territory's should have a extremely strict law like this. + In flavor.

[spytheweb]

09:51 PM on 11/17/2010

"Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration" Let's get this right this is an American crackdown on illegals in this country. Watch the news come Jan, many states will be cracking down on illegals and cutting benefits to them. State governments need money and can no longer support foreigners.

Watch how many states enact their own laws.

[Gabriel Tomlinson]

06:25 PM on 11/11/2010

Debbie Riddle, making the usual baseless claims, right before Gohmert's famous "TERROR BABEHS!" rant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQVfQCpYocQ

[charles77]

01:01 PM on 11/11/2010

Both sides play us for fools.
The Left says “if we just knew who was employing these workers we would fine them”
The Right says “if we just knew where the illegals were we would deport them”.

They know we have 15 million illegal workers in this country, they KNOW where each and every one is employed, they KNOW who is employing each one and that employers MAILING ADDRESS. They play us for fools!

Here is what happens now, an employee submits false id, gets hired, then at the end of the year the Social Security Administration sends out “no match” letters to every employer that submitted false documents where the SS number does not match the name, then does nothing else. Everyone gets run thru a “E-Verify” like system every year. They just don’t share this info with ICE. One government agency not talking to another, I thought we were going to fix that!

You don’t believe that?
Read our own governments website:
http://www.ssa.gov/employer/noMatchNotices.htm

[kareemachan]

12:49 PM on 11/11/2010

Of course it would. The kind of TP/NOPers they have in Texas are fighting mad that they didn't get an unconstitutional, poorly written (by private prison lobbyists, btw), mangled, racist illegal immigrant law in first.

[Daniela Sartori]

08:32 PM on 11/10/2010

Pleeeease pass a law IDENTICAL to the Arizona SB1070. Do not forget to advertise it as a republican bill. By 2020, when the Hispanic population will be above50% republicans will not to be able to elect a homeowners association board candidate.
Texas will be bluer than California!

Maybe I should not have said that, they might miraculously listen, nah! Glen beck is on Fox...

[charles77]

11:56 PM on 11/10/2010

I live in Texas.

Many if not most hispanics are against illegal immigration!

In this election 5 hispanic GOP replaced 5 DEM hispanic legislators.

All ran against illegal imigration. It is the legal hispanic population of Texas that are first to lose jobs to illegals. And have their wages depressed. It is hard to ask for a raise when the boss can just hire an illegal for half as much.

Most legal hispanics in Texas are against illegal immigration. That is the truth. Americans

[Kadeed]

11:00 AM on 11/17/2010

Fanned

[spytheweb]

10:18 PM on 11/17/2010

"not all Hispanic voters support amnesty. Of Hispanic voters, 37% of Hispanics supported deporting illegal immigrants rather than fining them and than giving them a pathway to citizenship. So the pro-immigration Hispanics vote in 2008 was only 5.4% of the total vote."

[rgilley]

08:03 PM on 11/10/2010

Is Perry going to secede Texas or not!??

[socialmistfit]

07:20 PM on 11/10/2010

Texas vs. CA
TEXAS CA
======= =======
State House / Assembly 51% R 64% D
State Senate 61% R 63% D
Senators 100% R 100% D
House Reps 72% R 64% D
Governor R D
Hispanic Population 35.9% 36.6%

Rank: Largest State #2 #3
Rank: Most Populous State #2 #1
No Fortune 500 Companies 57 57
Rank: Gross State Product #2 #1

State Unemployment 8.1% 12.4%
Top Income Tax Rate 0% 10.55%
State Sales Tax Rate 6.25% 8.25%
State Corporate Tax Rate 1% 8.84%
Capital Gains Tax Rate 0% 10.3%

Rank: Worker Bens as % of Wages #2 #47
Rank: Per Captia State/Local Spending #9 #47
Rank: Economic Freedom Index #17 #49
Rank: Best States to Do Bus In #9 #40
Rank: Lowest No Govt Employees #24 #41
Rank: Tort Liability Index Rating #2 #27

[hollybcars]

06:54 PM on 11/10/2010

Not sure why this comment is not making it through the censors but here goes for - those of you who are claiming that being asked for you birth certificate when you get a drivers license is proof that the AZ law is not profiling.

Your chances of being asked by the police to prove you are a citizen when you are stopped for a traffic violation are just about nil if you are white. Yes you will be asked for your DL but that proves nothing. A DL is not proof of citizenship - just try using it at our border next time you return from an international trip.

[RepChicksDoRock1]

09:26 PM on 11/10/2010

If you have to show a birth certificate to get a DL, then yes it is proof of citizenship.

[greeneyes51654m]

11:06 PM on 11/10/2010

In California, you have to have proof of where you came from on order to get a Driver's License.

[BlackJAC]

10:51 AM on 11/11/2010

The parallel universe you live in must be a strange and interesting place, for apparently you're unaware of how even high school kids can get forged driver's licenses.

[charles77]

11:58 PM on 11/10/2010

All you need is a Drivers License or State ID from AZ or any state that complies with the Real ID Act! You don’t have to carry any other “papers”!

Everyone just shows their papers once, like we all have to do to apply for our DL or state ID, and you’re done.

Increasingly, states are requiring proof of citizenship when applying for “enhanced” driver’s licenses as required by the federal Real ID Act.

Documents Serving as Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship:

In most cases, documents serving as “primary” proof or evidence of citizenship are required. Documents serving as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship are:

Previously issued, undamaged US passport
Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state of birth
Consular Report of Birth (of U.S. citizen) Abroad or Certification of Birth
Naturalization Certificate
Certificate of Citizenship
The Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth should be obtained by persons who were born abroad to U.S. citizens.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/immigrationnaturalizatio/a/proofofcitzenship.htm

[F Grey Parker]

06:40 PM on 11/10/2010

One of our contributors latest.

http://handthatfeedsyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/rick-perrys-offensive-charm.html

[henrypapillon]

06:36 PM on 11/10/2010

If they got rid of al the Mexicans in Texas, there would be a lot of ghost towns.

[rgilley]

08:04 PM on 11/10/2010

And alot of "Bubba" towns with no schools.

[henrypapillon]

01:43 AM on 11/11/2010

I think there are a lot of Bubba towns there now with schools that don't work very well.

[socialmistfit]

06:35 PM on 11/10/2010

Arizona and Texas - Home of heroes and patriots standing up to protect America and our way of life.

[rgilley]

08:06 PM on 11/10/2010

And George Bush and John McCain.....one a war hereo the other a war criminal.

[Long Strange Trip Indeed]

05:45 PM on 11/10/2010

I'M SHOCKED!!!! SHOCKED, I SAY!!!!

[hopeisalive]

05:39 PM on 11/10/2010

What makes the R in Republican so-----I was going to use the "R": word, but that is not really nice to say or write. This seems so bigoted and so racist from the core. Our borders need to be secured, but the means this lady wants and what the Blond govenor of Arizona signed are going to do much other than create more hate and division. Does living in warmer climate that those of us up North lead to lower brain function?

[Dbos]

05:26 PM on 11/10/2010

These states have sold corporations and business on the availability of cheap labor and encouraged the companies to relocate to them;now these states are playing politics with the people they encouraged to come and work in their state .