"In the ever-deepening quagmire that is illegal immigration, it's not an easy road for any legislation dealing with the issue. Currently, the legislation is HR 5515, the New Employee Verification Act (NEVA).
"Illegal immigrants would continue to have access to state universities and community colleges under legislation filed this week by Democratic Reps. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke and Rick Glazier...." http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1088643.html
The News & Observer, 29 May 2008
"Work-site arrests of illegal immigrants have increased tenfold nationwide to nearly 5,000 last year, according to the federal government. Images of the raids have been splashed on television news reports and on the front pages of Spanish-language newspapers around the country...." http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-letters27-2008may27,0,7438900.story
Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2008
Due to the success of recent immigration raids, U.S. farmers are setting up operations in Mexico because they are having a hard time finding cheap labor that cannot be deported.
A recent survey by the Western Growers Associations shows that American companies now farm more than 45,000 acres and employ more than 11,000 people. Agricultural labor economist James Holt said that, "Employers can't find enough legal workers to replace this huge number of illegal workers....Their only option is to go where the workers are."