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1. Politicians call SB1070 a success
2. IN bill awaits final action
3. OH bills allow enforcement
4. CO Senate panel hearing bills
5. OR Senate to hold hearing

1.
Both Brewer, Pearce call SB 1070 a success
Capitol Media Services, April 18, 2011

It provoked demonstrations and boycotts. And some key provisions have been enjoined by federal courts.

But a year after Gov. Jan Brewer signed it into law, you'll never convince Senate President Russell Pearce that SB 1070, which he crafted, is anything but an unqualified success.

"They're leaving in caravans," he said of illegal immigrants.

"I've talked to a U-Haul dealer," Pearce continued. "He said business has never been better."

And the rentals have been one-way, Pearce said.

Brewer, who gained national recognition with her signature, said she, too, believes SB 1070 has been a success. But her perspective is a bit different.

Brewer continues to fight in court to set aside the injunction by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton against enforcement of some provisions. That effort suffered another setback just this past week when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Bolton's decision.

But the governor said just the act of passing the law made a difference.

"It has really brought more people aware of the issues we are facing in Arizona," the governor said. "It's been amazing what this bill has generated."

That awareness got action.

It was not until Brewer signed the bill that President Obama found time in his schedule to meet with the governor in Washington. And it was not until that meeting that Obama made a firm commitment to put additional National Guard troops along the border with Mexico, albeit only for a year.

Pearce said he sees the effect in more immediate terms.

It is true that Bolton said the state could not enforce a provision of the law requiring police officers to make a reasonable attempt to check the immigration status of those they have stopped. Also enjoined were provisions forbidding police from releasing anyone they have arrested until that person's immigration status is determined, and creating a new state crime for trying to secure work while not in this country legally.

But Pearce pointed out the Obama administration, which brought the lawsuit, did not challenge several other provisions. Key among them, he said, is a requirement for local officials to cooperate with the federal government on issues of illegal immigration.

"The purpose of 1070 was to eliminate sanctuary policies," he said, where officials in some communities made a conscious decision not to call immigration officials when they come across those not in the country legally. "That's done."
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http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_a3cf2637-d420-5e4a-83c1-f...

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2.
Indiana Immigration Bill Among Measures Awaiting Final Action
By Rick Howlett
WFPL News, April 18, 2011

Indiana state lawmakers return to the Statehouse today for the final two weeks of the General Assembly.

Measures still awaiting final action include the state budget, charter school legislation, a redistricting proposal and an immigration bill.

The immigration measure that cleared the Senate was heavily amended last week by a House committee.

The panel took out its Arizona-style provision that would have allowed police to ask people for proof of immigration status if they were suspected of being in the country illegally.

It now focuses more on employers. The bill would revoke certain tax credits for businesses that hire illegal immigrants. It would still authorize authorities to check the immigration status of criminal offenders.
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http://www.wfpl.org/2011/04/18/indiana-immigration-bill-among-measures-a...

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3.
Bill allows immigration enforcement at local level
By Jessica Alaimo
Mansfield News Journal (OH), April 18, 2011

State Sen. Jimmy Stewart wants to give local police more authority to enforce federal immigration laws.

Under Ohio law, if police find an illegal immigrant through a routine traffic stop or other investigation, officers can detain the person if another criminal charge is applied. If not, the police department must contact U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

If immigration officials don't take custody of the person within a set time, which Stewart said is common, then the suspect is freed.

Local officers can get the authority to press criminal charges for illegal immigration if they first get a memorandum from the federal government, and then go through training.

Stewart's bill would allow Attorney General Mike DeWine to pursue the memorandum on behalf of all of Ohio's local police departments. Then, interested officers or departments would just need to go through the training.

"It will be entirely up to the local entity," said Stewart, R- Albany. "It's a bigger problem in some areas than it is in others."

Stewart's bill would not give law enforcement extra power to seek illegal immigrants, unlike a controversial bill passed last year in Arizona. It only applies when police come across immigrants during their other duties.

Stewart introduced a similar bill in 2009. The legislation passed out of the Senate, but never got a hearing in the House, which Democrats controlled.

Stewart's legislation is pending in the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs committee, chaired by Sen. Kris Jordan, R-Powell, a co-sponsor of the bill.

Sen. Charleta Tavares, D-Columbus, the ranking minority member on the committee, said the bill would create a patchwork of immigration enforcement across the state.
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http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20110418/NEWS01/104180304/Bill-allows-immigration-enforcement-local-level?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

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4.
Remaining GOP immigration bills get hearing in Democrat-led Senate panel
The Associated Press, April 18, 2011

Two of the last Colorado Republican immigration proposals are being heard by a Democrat-led committee known for killing GOP bills they don't like.

One of the proposals would require the Colorado secretary of state to block voters when their citizenship is in doubt. The other measure would withhold some state funding from cities and towns who refuse to participate in a federal initiative to identify illegal immigrants through the use of fingerprint when they're arrested.
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http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/70c072fdfa9941c7a2cd50b70eefed75/...

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5.
OR Driver's License Access Bill Gets a Hearing
Public News Service, April 18, 2011

Oregon's immigrant community is driving home its point – that everyone should be allowed to drive, no matter what their immigration status. They'll rally this afternoon, just before a Senate committee hears testimony on a bill to restore driver's license access to non-citizens. It would change an Oregon law that's been in place since 2008.

Jose Gonzales plans to testify on behalf of Senate Bill 845. As a real-estate agent in Salem and a Latino Business Alliance member, he says the driver's license restriction has sent a chill through the Latino community, prompting some to think differently about putting down roots in Oregon.

"'This community might not be stable for myself, or my family.' And these are people that are documented, the people that have driver's licenses, but they're hearing, they're feeling, that this is not a future, that this place is not the best place to invest."

Gonzales says, in his business, instability translates into fewer home sales, and he has talked with merchants who also are concerned about it.

"We don't simply wait for the phone to ring; we're out there. And it's something we deal with every day. And it's at different levels - I'm talking about first-time buyers, investors, business owners - and even on the corporate level. We deal with people that have never even thought this would have affected them. It's an issue that really has gone the whole spectrum."
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http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/19523-1