Mass. Senate passes crackdown on illegal immigrants

[THE OMBUDSMAN]

"With one lawmaker citing President Lincoln's respect for the rule of
law, the Massachusetts Senate passed a far-reaching crackdown this
afternoon on illegal immigrants and those who would hire them, going
further, senators said, than any immigration bill proposed over the
past five years.

In a surprising turn of events, the legislation replaced a narrower
bill that was passed Wednesday over the objections of Republicans.

The measure, which passed on a 28-10 vote as an amendment to the
budget, would bar the state from doing business with any company found
to break federal laws barring illegal immigrant hiring. It would also
toughen penalties for creating or using fake identification documents,
and explicitly deny in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.

The amendment would also require the state’s public health insurance
program to verify residency through the Department of Homeland
Security, and would require the state to give legal residents priority
for subsidized housing.

The amendment will now be part of negotiations with the House as part
of the entire state budget.

Supporters, especially Republicans, struck patriotic notes and spoke
of the sanctity of the law as they spoke on the Senate floor.

“It was President Lincoln -- and I’m going to paraphrase here -- who
suggested that respect for the law should be preached from every
pulpit taught by every mother to every child,” said Senator Bruce
Tarr, a Gloucester Republican.

But one supporter said that the measure was being passed for practical
purposes and would hurt people.

Senator Frederick E. Berry, a Peabody Democrat, complained that one of
the Republican sponsors acted like the "Patriots had just won the
Super Bowl. ... I am going to vote for it, but I don’t think we ought
to rejoice."

Democrats had resisted such a sweeping proposal, but spent last
evening negotiating today’s measure, shortly after a new polled showed
84 percent of the liberal-leaning state’s voters supported tough
immigration rules barring state services to illegal immigrants.

Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Boston Democrat who opposed the amendment, said
the measure had not been properly vetted and would add undue
obligations to businesses and state government when they could ill
afford it. She said it would cost the state money, while programs for
children and public safety are being cut and people in her city are
being shot at.

"I just don't think this is an appropriate time to be enforcing an
additional cost burden on the state, doing things that are not our
job," Chang-Diaz said.

The measure would also close what supporters say is a loophole that
allows businesses to register cars under a company name, without
identifying the owner by Social Security number and federal tax
identification number. It would also crate a toll-free hot line for
anonymous reporting of companies that employ illegal immigrants.

The measure comes weeks after immigration measures failed in the
House, and amid heightened debate over illegal immigration fueled by
the state's election season and Arizona's passage in April of the
toughest immigration law in the nation.

Recent polls have found that, while voters supported blocking illegal
immigrants' access to public benefits, they were split over whether
the Bay State should have a law such as Arizona's.

Thursday's Senate amendment would also authorize the state attorney
general's office to broker an agreement with federal authorities to
help enforce immigration law. That would be a stark departure for
Attorney General Martha Coakley, who has increased outreach to
immigrants, encouraging them to file employment complaints, regardless
of their legal status. Scores of immigrants whose bosses allegedly
failed to pay their wages have turned to her for help in recent years.

The legislation also would increase penalties for driving without a
license, one of the main problems facing illegal immigrants in
Massachusetts. In November, a panel commissioned by Governor Deval
Patrick urged him to push to grant driver's licenses and in-state
tuition for illegal immigrants, among many other recommendations.
Patrick sent the recommendations to his cabinet for study and pledged
to return with a proposal in 90 days, but the results have not been
made public.

Most immigrants in Massachusetts are here legally, but an estimated
190,000, or 20 percent, are here illegally, according to the census."

By Noah Bierman and Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/mass_senate_pas.html