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Ariz, Okla. & Ga. Laws Enacted

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Fraudulent Arizona Prop. 202 Would Enable, Not Stop, Illegal Hiring

An initiative on the Arizona ballot for November 4 – Proposition 202 or the so-called Stop Illegal Hiring Act – does the exact opposite of what it claims. It would gut Arizona's strong employer sanctions law and allow illegal-alien employers to return to "business as usual." Should this state initiative pass, it will have adverse national implications. The group Vote No on Prop. 202 is raising funds to oppose this fraud on the voters.

The idea behind Prop. 202 is ingenious from an open-borders perspective – propose and heavily underwrite passage of an initiative that sounds like it would be tough on illegal-alien hiring but would accomplish the exact opposite. State Rep. Russell Pearce, the author of Arizona’s current law and one of the leading opponents of Prop. 202, says the initiative would:

  • Abolish the mandatory use of E-Verify for workplace eligibility verification (the very reason why Arizona’s law is effective);
  • Exempt thousands of Arizona employers from the law;
  • Require all complaints regarding possible employer violations to be written and signed (stops employee whistleblowers from submitting anonymous tips);
  • Preclude Arizona from sanctioning an employer until after the Federal government has taken action (Arizona’s law was necessary because of Federal inaction);
  • Establish a "non-rebuttable" presumption of innocence if an employer uses either the fraud-ridden I-9 employment form or the bulletproof E-Verify system (gives amnesty to employers who cheat using the I-9); and
  • Impose an impossible standard of proof (high-level managers who are not company officers or owners could hire illegal aliens with impunity, and would not face any enforcement).

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is renowned for his opposition to illegal immigration, also opposes Prop. 202. Click here to read a blistering article he wrote about it in Human Events online on October 23.

Prop. 202 is being sponsored by the big business and other open-border groups that opposed passage of the state’s employer sanctions laws by the state legislature and subsequently fought them in the courts. According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s web site, Prop. 202’s largest sponsor is Wake Up Arizona, which contributed $573,830 or 77% of total revenues raised to date. The group’s web site claims it is “a coalition of Arizonans concerned about the unintended consequences of the state's new employer sanctions law.”

No Wake Up Arizona members are identified on its web site, but NumbersUSA has learned that Marion “Mac” Magruder is one of its key players. Magruder owns several Phoenix McDonalds franchises. He also contributed $9,500 of his own money to Prop. 202.

Secretary of State records indicate the following entities also contributed to Prop. 202:

$25,000          Western Growers, Irvine, Calif.;

$9,500            Arizona Farm Bureau, Higley, Ariz.;

$9,500            Arizona McDonalds Operators Association, Phoenix, Ariz.;

$3,000            Lenny Rosenberg, Self-Employed Restaurant Owner, Phoenix, Ariz.;

$2,500            Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Tucson, Ariz.;

$2,500            Pasquinelli Produce, Yuma, Ariz.; and

$1,000            Arizona Nursery Association, Tempe, Ariz.

These industries are notorious for employing cheap illegal labor. By supporting Prop. 202, they are trying to accomplish what they could not in the state legislature and courts – the nullification of Arizona’s strong illegal immigration reduction law. Please spread the word and help defeat this fraudulent initiative.

In the News

Arizona employer sanctions law goes mostly unused

In the News - Thursday, December 11, 2008

The ballyhooed Arizona employer sanctions law that went into effect on Jan. 1 has been largely unused, a new University of Arizona study found.

The 27,617 firms signed up for E-Verify is up from nearly 19,000 in July 2007, but still represents only 5.6 percent of the estimated number of total firms in the state, Gans found.

By Brady McCombs Arizona Daily Star

http://www.azstarnet.com/news/271160

Napolitano's heritage, border strategies fascinate Italy

In the News - Sunday, December 7, 2008

Janet Napolitano may be as familiar a face in Florence, Italy, as she is in Florence, Ariz.

The selection of "Janet, the Italian sheriff" - as the daily La Stampa put it - to become the nation's next Homeland Security secretary sparked interest and excitement in the country from which Napolitano's grandfather emigrated from in the early 1900s.

Italians are fascinated not only by Napolitano's cultural heritage but also by what they view as her innovative strategies as a border-state governor, hence the term "sheriff," said Maurizio Molinari, the Torino-based newspaper's U.S. correspondent.

"The general perception . . . is that she is in the first row facing illegal immigration," a hot-button issue here and there, Molinari said.

"Her decision to work more to prevent the illegal immigration from inside Arizona (is) a strategy that is very similar (to) the one Italy is trying to apply."

Andre F. Radzischewski, Arizona Republic, December 7, 2008

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/12/07/20081207napolitano-italy.html

Detaining illegals simplified through partnership with Henderson

In the News - Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Macon County Sheriff's office is stepping up its role in immigration enforcement by partnering with Henderson County in an effort to speed the process of identifying illegal aliens.

Henderson County is one of seven in North Carolina participating in the newly formed 287(g) program. As part of the new cooperative effort, Henderson's sheriff's office can access federal immigration records. The county will also work with 17 western counties, including Macon, to assist in identifying and even detaining suspected illegals.

D. Linsey Wisdom, Macon County (NC) News, December 4, 2008

http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3779&Itemid=34

Illegal college students dropping out

In the News - Sunday, August 24, 2008

"Changing laws have made life tougher for illegal immigrants in Arizona, including young people giving up dreams of college and better lives because they are unable to pay out-of-state tuition as required by voters.

With privately funded grants and scholarships lagging far behind the demand, some would-be students have dropped out, and others are considering a return to homelands they hardly remember in search of opportunity.

At 22, Jesus Pineda has lived half his life in Tucson. After arriving here at age 11, Pineda learned English in three months, eventually graduated from Catalina High Magnet School and started working with his dad at their family business...."

Mariana Alvarado Avalos, Arizona Daily Star, 24 August 2008

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/24/20080824dropouts.html

Cobb checking status of immigrants

In the News - Thursday, July 24, 2008

"Cobb Chairman Sam Olens disputed allegations that the county is violating state law requiring officials to verify the immigration status of applicants for public benefits, such as business licenses. "We have been absolutely checking on the business licenses," of which the county has issued about 1,098, he said Wednesday. But the chairman held firm to his position that a business license is different from an occupational tax certificate (OTC), of which the county has issued about 27,668. The county does not check the immigration status of those applicants...."

Ashley Hungerford, Marietta Daily Journal, 24 July 2008

http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/15/item/115432.html#

Law cracks down on license-less driving

In the News - Saturday, May 31, 2008

"Driving without a license could put illegal immigrants a step closer to deportation in Georgia. A bill passed this session by the General Assembly requires a minimum two-day jail sentence on the first conviction of driving without a license. The bill also directs jailers to check the nationality and legal status of those convicted and to report those here illegally to immigration officials for deportation...."

Mary Lou Pickel, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 31 May 2008

http://www.ajc.com/printedition/content/printedition/2008/05/31/nolicense.html

More illegal immigrants being arrested

In the News - Friday, May 30, 2008

"The number of illegal immigrants arrested and deported from Oklahoma and North Texas is on pace to exceed last year's number by 40 percent, the Department of Homeland Security says...."

AP, 30 May 2008

http://www.star-telegram.com/448/story/672379.html

Support Growing for Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote

In the News - Wednesday, May 28, 2008

"New legislation being offered in several states aims to make sure people who walk into the nation’s voting booths are, in fact, American citizens. In Missouri, state Rep. Stanley Cox wants a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote...."

FOXNews.com, 28 May 2008

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/28/support-growing-for-proof-of-citizenship-to-register-to-vote/

Where have the illegal immigrants gone?

In the News - Tuesday, April 29, 2008

"'The state of Oklahoma ought not be in the business of subsidizing the presence of people who are here illegally,' said Republican state Rep. Randy Terrill, sponsor of the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, also known as House Bill 1804. 'HB 1804 proves that attrition through enforcement works,' Terrill added..."

Chicago Tribune; February 10, 2008

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-immigrant_bdfeb10,0,4213105.story

Employer-sanctions law is legal, federal judge rules

In the News - Tuesday, April 29, 2008

court

court

"Arizona's month-old law punishing companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers is legal, a federal judge ruled Thursday..."

Arizona Daliy Star; February 8, 2008

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/224165

NumbersUSA In the News

Governor of Arizona Is in Line for Cabinet

Quoted - Friday, November 21, 2008

"My first thought is that Obama could do a lot worse," said Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, a policy group in the Washington area, who went on to praise Ms. Napolitano’s law enforcement background while denouncing her support for a guest worker program as "amnesty."

Randal C. Archibold, New York Times, 20 November 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/us/politics/21napolitano.html?_r=1&ref=us

Amnesty lobby is immigration Goliath

Quoted - Monday, May 14, 2007

"The money and the lobbying power is stacked against us," said a representative of NumbersUSA. "This is an issue that people see and experience the effects of on an everyday basis. There is definitely a very powerful grass-roots activism on this issue."

NumbersUSA has more than 300,000 activists sending faxes and calling Congress, an increase from 100,000 two years ago. More than 1 million people receive e-mail alerts from the group.

Politico.com

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8CD543A4-3048-5C12-00D21E1EA5580F60

Quoted

Governor of Arizona Is in Line for Cabinet

Quoted - Friday, November 21, 2008

"My first thought is that Obama could do a lot worse," said Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, a policy group in the Washington area, who went on to praise Ms. Napolitano’s law enforcement background while denouncing her support for a guest worker program as "amnesty."

Randal C. Archibold, New York Times, 20 November 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/us/politics/21napolitano.html?_r=1&ref=us

Amnesty lobby is immigration Goliath

Quoted - Monday, May 14, 2007

"The money and the lobbying power is stacked against us," said a representative of NumbersUSA. "This is an issue that people see and experience the effects of on an everyday basis. There is definitely a very powerful grass-roots activism on this issue."

NumbersUSA has more than 300,000 activists sending faxes and calling Congress, an increase from 100,000 two years ago. More than 1 million people receive e-mail alerts from the group.

Politico.com

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8CD543A4-3048-5C12-00D21E1EA5580F60