LAWSUIT DISMISSED AGAINST SANDERSON FARMS

A lawsuit that accused poultry company Sanderson Farms, Inc., of knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants at a Moultrie, Georgia plant was recently dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Sanderson Farms (Nasdaq: SAFM) is the country's third-largest chicken processor.
The law suit was filed by former employees of that plant, claiming that plant managers and human resources staff conspired in illegal hiring practices, accepting “obviously fake” employment documents from immigrants in order to save millions of dollars in labor costs.
The plaintiffs have filed an appeal of the dismissal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

IMMIGRATION REFORM RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM U.S. CHAMBER AND AFL-CIO

This is some good news for the immigration reform effort in Washington, D.C. Both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO announced they had reached agreement on how to create a visa program for low-skilled workers. I actually like to call these employee highly skilled, because they are very skilled at what they do, but work in jobs that require less educated workers.
This is a key part of immigration reform which would create a work visa program that would meet the demands of employers without hurting the wages or job opportunities for U.S. workers. They agreed on a guest worker program, which is a huge step in the right direction.
Kent Hoover reports that he support of these two powerful organizations -- which fight each other on most issues -- could lead more members of Congress to vote for the bill. Read Kent Hoover's article in full here: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/washingtonbureau/2013/02/21/immigration-reform-gets-a-boost.html?ana=e_du_nat&s=article_du&ed=2013-02-21&u=smOEobGGOoSmz+5vyFsVIcfkh+E&page=all

ACLU OF GEORGIA SENDS LETTERS RE ICE DETAINERS

The ACLU of Georgia has sent letters to Sheriffs across the state of Georgia about ICE detainers and the "show me your papers" provision of HB87 advising them about how local law enforcement detention practices may be violating individuals' constitutional rights.
The letter reminds Sheriffs that ICE detainers are mere requests. Constitutionally, local law enforcement offices are shielded and supported by the right to set protocol under the Tenth Amendment, which prohibits federal commandeering of state officers by the federal government.
It also reminds the Sheriffs that ICE detainers do not have the force of “arrest warrants” and are issued by ICE administratively, rather than typical arrest warrants which are issued by judicial approval.
The letter further reminds Sheriffs that ICE detainers cannot substitute probable cause for arrests without a warrant and that they expire after 48 hours.

HB87 CAUSES LICENSE RENEWAL DELAYS FOR GEORGIA NURSES

WABE reports that licenses for more than 2,500 registered nurses are now on hold.
Who's to blame? HB87, Georgia's anti-immigration law....
The law created additional administrative burdens on each person trying to renew a professional state license (yes even U.S. citizens) to prove their legal status and the Secretary of State's office is faced with problems.
Secretary of State Brian Kemp says he does not have enough staff to handle the flood of renewal documents.
Debbie Hackman, the CEO of the Georgia Nurses Association, says the new requirement has caused a lot of hassle for Georgia’s 110,000 nurses. She also said out of all the licenses they have renewed, there’s only been one attempt by someone who was an illegal. And now these 2500 nurses who are mostly U.S. citizens cannot work.
HB87 needs to go away, another ridiculous consequence.

BIPARTISAN HOUSE GROUP WANTS TO BEAT SENATE ON IMMIGRATION BILL

From the LA Times:
A secretive group of House members from both parties is racing to complete an immigration bill in the next two weeks with an eye toward introducing legislation before President Obama’s State of the Union address on Feb. 12, said two congressional aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
The draft bill, written behind closed doors by three Democrats and three Republicans, so far includes a path to legal status, new border security measures and tighter restrictions on employers. It tracks closely with the blueprint laid out by the bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday, said the aides. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said in a statement that the senators’ principles “are compatible with discussions in the House.”
Diaz-Balart would not give details about those discussions and would not explicitly confirm he is a member of the group. Congressional aides confirmed that along with Diaz-Balart, Republicans John Carter and Sam Johnson, both of Texas, are part of the group, with Democrats Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois, Zoe Lofgren of San Jose, and the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles.