Rep Wants AZ Immigration Law in Texas

[Guest FroggyOne2]

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.

Immigrations March Planned for Saturday

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that a Justice Department review is under way to determine the law's constitutionality.

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.

Arizona's law is already making an impact in North Texas. Organizers for a DFW rally against the immigration law say they hope for 100,000 protestors to show up for a Saturday march in Dallas

[Guest jackdm3]

A "mistake" to their voting base.

[MikeW]

[Guest 1817ak47]

"If our federal government did their job, then Arizona wouldn't have to take this action, and neither would Texas."

good quote and well said and 100% true

[MCSCOTT]

good quote and well said and 100% true

X2

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Isn't AZ's new law just a mirror of US immigration law that isn't being enforced? So AZ can enforce it themselves?

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Yes.. all it is doing is compelling law enforcement within the borders of AZ to enforce the gov law..

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Every state should join in with AZ's battle by enacting similar legislation then. And then start pushing back hard against the feds for not obeying their duties by withdrawing

power given to the fed. That's a pipe dream, I know.

[MCSCOTT]

Every state should join in with AZ's battle by enacting similar legislation then. And then start pushing back hard against the feds for not obeying their duties by withdrawing

power given to the fed. That's a pipe dream, I know.

Might not be as big of a pipe dream as you think, although it most likely wont happen in every state.

Honestly though, if all states can't come together to enforce a government law, then I think it just puts us that much closer to our nation being divided.

[Oh Shoot]

Isn't AZ's new law just a mirror of US immigration law that isn't being enforced? So AZ can enforce it themselves?

Not exactly.

They made it a state offense to be there illegally. I don't know what the penalty stipulated for the state offense is.

As I understand it, federal law stipulates NO penalty for being caught the first time, only deportation. If you're caught again AFTER deportation, then there can be a 11/29 incarceration and another deportation.

Can't find the reference now, but I looked this up some time in the past, and I believe that's right.

- OS

[Guest redbarron06]

We need it in TN too

[Fivestring63]

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

Anything a democrat says would be a mistake would probably mean I'm for it.

[Mike.357]

when I was in AZ in 2009 we were returning from Tombstone and were stopped at a immigration checkpoint, My son and I were required to state our city of residence and where we were born. So there was no profiling going on.

Watched the local news last night, they had a local cop on explaining how local LEO cannot arrest an illegal immigrant. They have to call for an immigration guy to come and do it. How F'd up is that? Our local law enforcers cannot uphold certain laws.

I wish every state had AZ's new laws.

[eapking]

Yeah Mike, they can't be profiling if you look anything like your avatar.

Congrats to AZ and TX for having the balls to do what the Feds are not willing to do.

[Guest 1817ak47]

Yeah Mike, they can't be profiling if you look anything like your avatar.

Congrats to AZ and TX for having the balls to do what the Feds are not willing to do.

x2 any TN lawmakers listening here

[Oh Shoot]

Yeah Mike, they can't be profiling if you look anything like your avatar. ...

Avatar flatters him.

- OS

[JAB]

From the article in the OP:

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."

Yet more smoke and mirrors. The problem isn't with the Hispanic community of any state. The problem is with illegal aliens - be they Hispanic, Greek, German or whatever. Yes, perhaps a large number of the illegals are Hispanic simply because of the shared border but that does not mean that illegals - or efforts to get illegal immigration under control - should be in any way equated with a community of Hispanic individuals who are legally in this country. Once, again, it is annoying that the people who are claiming to work toward racial equality are actually the ones who yell the loudest about race and are most likely to use the 'race card' as an attempt to deflect the argument from the real issue - which has everything to do with violating American immigration law and nothing to do with race. People on that side of the argument can't find a way to argue against attempts to curb illegal immigration so they set up the straw man of 'racial inequality' to be the target of their ire.

[MCSCOTT]

Watched the local news last night, they had a local cop on explaining how local LEO cannot arrest an illegal immigrant. They have to call for an immigration guy to come and do it. How F'd up is that? Our local law enforcers cannot uphold certain laws.

This is correct as I learned a couple years back. Three illegal immigrants hit a truck while backing out of a parking lot at a local restaurant. The owner of the truck they hit just happened to see it, and came out to confront them. When he did this, they took off, and he jumped in his truck and went after them. They went down the street and turned up into another parking lot, and hit another car that my friend's g/f was sitting in while waiting for him to get off work. They hit the car with enough speed to spin it around sideways and shove it up on the sidewalk where my friend worked. They then tried to get out and run, but my friend caught all three of them and made them wait for a LEO to get there. None of the three had any identification, and the LEO was explaining how he couldn't arrest them, and it wouldn't do any good for immigration to be called because they would just be back here in a week anyway. So after sitting on the sidewalk for about 30 minutes until everything was figured out, the three illegals were allowed to leave. The owner of the truck that they originally hit did not stop at this scene, and the bad part about it is that if he had he could have been held responsible for the accident since he was an American.

Only on rare occasions do they have to obey any of our laws.

[Guest jackdm3]

My grandmother, who loves Eastwood and Louis L'Amour, would be calling out for "justice." "Not 'revenge' but JUSTICE!" Gotta love those DAR women!

[Tim Nunan]

We need it in TN too

Camp4u

"Tennessee's 287 (g) program has allowed local municipalities to join with the fed and do enforcement of federal immigration laws. The same or incredibly similar rules for checking of status as Arizona just passed is already being done in one county in Tennessee.

"Davidson County (Nashville) has had this in effect for three years.

"The original legislation was brought by Delores Gresham in the house (HB491) and Mark Norris in the senate (SB1604) back in 2007.

"Of course it has not been implemented state wide as it has been done in AZ but the ability is there."

[Guest jackdm3]

Didn't think Ahhhnold would get Cali to go along. That was confirmed tonight on Leno.

[oldmustangjunkie]

I can't see Cali ever getting on board with a law like this.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Didn't think Ahhhnold would get Cali to go along. That was confirmed tonight on Leno.

Not when he is in favor of "obamacare"!!!!

[Guest BEARMAN]

Arnold has become a "Rino" the last few years, he needs to be replaced with a true Conservative, IMO.

But, the odds of that happening, are a million to one. Especially in Kalifornia.