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1. CA Congressmen targets illegals
2. Family of dead migrant sues
3. AZ Senate to consider bills
4. OK Senate passes bill
5. IN Assembly considers bills

1.
O.C. Congress members target illegal immigration
By Cindy Carcamo
The Orange County Register, March 17, 2011

Most of Orange County's representatives in Washington, D.C. are targeting illegal immigration during this Congressional session.

Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce, Gary Miller and Ken Calvert plan to introduce anti-illegal immigration bills soon, according to their aides. The measures range from sending more troops to the border to doing away with birthright citizenship.
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http://www.ocregister.com/news/illegal-292554-immigration-anti.html?pic=1

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2.
Family of dead Mexican migrant sues US government
The Associated Press, March 16, 2011

The family of a Mexican who man who died after an immigration agent shot him with a stun gun at a San Diego border crossing is suing the federal government for unspecified damages.

The family of Anastacio Hernandez says in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Diego that authorities used excessive force to detain the 42-year-old construction worker as he was being escorted to Tijuana, Mexico, last May.

The lawsuit says agents repeatedly beat Hernandez before one shot him several times with the stun gun.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon called the violent death "a truly unacceptable violation."
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http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17629734?nclick_check=1

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3.
Arizona lawmakers to consider immigration bills
The Associated Press, March 17, 2011

The Arizona Senate plans Thursday to consider an array of illegal immigration bills dealing with citizenship, health care, public services and everyday activities ranging from hiring to driving.

The Senate will both debate and vote on the bills, Senate President Russell Pearce said Wednesday evening.

The action would come a day after Arizona business leaders asked lawmakers to step back from the controversial issue.

Arizona last year enacted a sweeping law on local law enforcement of immigration laws. That measure, known as SB1070, generated protests, boycotts and legal challenges that resulted in key provisions being put on hold by a federal judge.

Dozens of CEOs of major employers and business groups signed a letter distributed by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, saying that passage of additional legislation on illegal immigration would damage the economy and tourism.

Arizona should instead push for federal action on immigration and border issues, according to the letter signed by heads of construction companies, hospitals, real estate developers and US Airways.

"Arizona's lawmakers and citizens are right to be concerned about illegal immigration," the letter said. "But we must acknowledge that when Arizona goes it alone on this issue, unintended consequences inevitably occur."

One of the new measures is a wide-ranging bill sponsored by Pearce, who sponsored SB1070.

Pearce's new bill would make it harder for illegal immigrants to live, work and get an education in Arizona.

It would require the parents of students at K-12 schools to prove the citizenship of their children, bar illegal immigrants from attending public universities and prohibit illegal immigrants from driving in the state.

It also would require the eviction of public housing tenants who let illegal immigrants live with them and make applicants for vehicle titles and registration prove they are in the country legally.
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http://www.necn.com/03/17/11/Arizona-lawmakers-to-consider-immigratio/la...

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4.
Oklahoma Senate Republicans argue about immigration
By John Estus
The Oklahoma, March 17, 2011

Senate Republicans sparred over immigration Wednesday, signaling an ongoing divide within the party over how the state should address illegal immigration.

Debate over Senate Bill 908, a sweeping crackdown against illegal immigrants, saw Republicans argue against one another whether to repeal some of the most contentious parts of the bill, which passed 29-15.

The bill’s author, Sen. Ralph Shortey, R-Oklahoma City, is part of a group of Republican legislators from the south Oklahoma City metro area who have made fighting illegal immigration their top legislative priority.

But Shortey on Wednesday found himself at odds with a Republican colleague, Sen. Clark Jolley, who filed an amendment that repealed the part of the bill that would have allowed police to request identification from people if there is “probable cause” they are an illegal immigrant.

Jolley, an Edmond attorney, called it “fatally flawed” and possibly unconstitutional.

A similar proposal in Arizona led to criticism that it would result in state-sanctioned racial profiling. The Arizona law is being challenged in court.

Jolley tried unsuccessfully to amend two other parts of SB 908.

Bill moves to House

Senate Democrats and Republican Sens. Harry Coates, of Seminole, and Brian Crain, of Tulsa, voted against the bill.

Some Republicans who voted for the bill, including Jolley, had minutes earlier supported Jolley’s failed amendments to repeal parts of the bill, which Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, said shows the party is inconsistent on immigration.
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http://newsok.com/immigration-bill-shows-division-in-senate-gop/article/...

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5.
Bills in Indiana General Assembly Aim at Ending Illegal Immigration
By Joe Wolverton, II
The New American, March 16, 2011

Legislators in the Hoosier State have jumped on board the pro-legal immigration bandwagon in a big way. By a vote of 31-18, the state Senate of Indiana passed Senate Bill 590, a measure that if enacted would make 18 changes to current state law, including mandating an “English only” policy “in public meetings, public documents, by officers and employees of state or political subdivisions in performing their duties, and providing information communicated electronically by the state or a political subdivision"; empowering law enforcement to investigate the immigration status of an individual reasonably suspected of being illegally present in the state, provided that such person is the subject of “a lawful stop, detention, or arrest of an individual for a violation of a state law or local ordinance”; and imposing fines on businesses that knowingly hire someone without legal permission to work in the United States.

This bill is very similar to SB 1070 passed last year in Arizona.

The author of SB 590, State Senator Mike Delph (pictured above), defended his proposal to local media:

I think the totality of the bill will lead to self deportation for those who are unlawfully in the country and quite frankly, Hoosier taxpayers should [not] have to fund the final costs and [burden] for those who have chosen to break our law.

Predictably, protesters have lined up to challenge the measure and threaten economic sanctions against the state should the bill become law.

On Tuesday, more than 200 protesters held a so-called “no hate” rally on the steps of the Indiana Statehouse.

One woman attending the rally, Alicia Nieves, insisted, “We are advocating for our rights, for our ability to live in dignity. Documented and undocumented we will stand together to fight these bills but we will make sure this never happens again.” There was no word as to whether Ms. Nieves considers the enforcement of the law and the protection of state borders as evidence of “living in dignity.”

Another protester, Francisco Valdiosera, entered the United States illegally, but gained legal status during the amnesty program offered by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Valdiosera is now an educator and worries that if SB 590 becomes law, many students now illegally present would be prevented from making valuable contributions to American society. Said Valdiosera: "I feel that I've been contributing to American society, and a lot of these young kids are going to be great contributors to American society. They are going to be taxpayers at a higher tax bracket. All in all, they are going to be an asset to our community."

The greatest asset to any community, it could be argued, is a citizenry devoted to living according to the rule of law and protecting themselves from any faction devoted to excluding themselves from the enforcement thereof.

While giving the appearance of a spontaneous rally of concerned citizens joining together in peaceful protest, in actual fact the gathering on the steps on the south side of the Indiana State House in Indianapolis was organized by Indiana United, a group purportedly formed to fight the enactment of SB 590.

Many of those attending the protest were students who were brought to the United States as toddlers by parents entering the country illegally. These young people “consider themselves Americans.” Constitutionalists, however, know that, unfortunately for these children, America is a nation of laws and not a nation where one’s legal status is decided ad hoc based on the feelings of that person.

As with similar demonstrations in Arizona and other states, the protest in Indianapolis was only the stage for sympathetic storytelling. The real aim of these organized events is to threaten the economic vitality of the state.
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http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6721-bills-in-in...