In a surprising development late last week, Judge Sharon Blackburn did not enjoin major portions of Alabama’s extreme anti-immigrant law, HB 56, leaving many of its sections intact. She is the only judge in the country so far that upholds such a law.
Local police in Alabama can now act as federal immigration enforcement agents by demanding proof of legal status from anyone who appears to be foreign.
Other provisions—that are worse than any anti-immigration law out there—impose on public school administrators to check the legal status of students and their parents and report immigrant violators. Immigrants in Alabama will also have limited access to housing and utilities if they cannot produce the proper documentation.
HB 56 will inflict greater economic damage to Alabama, costing the state millions to implement and defend. Restrictive immigration laws have proven to reduce, not maximize, law enforcement effectiveness, because the police will now be targeting small civil offenses (such as immigration violations) instead of focusing on the real crimes.
An appeal is sure to come shortly.
Monday, October 3, 2011
GEORGIA IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT REVIEW BOARD'S FIRST MEETING
After it's first meeting last week, the Georgia Immigration Enforcement Review Board unanimously elected Atlanta lawyer Ben Vinson as its chairman and laid out plans and procedures to handle complaints.
The chair Vinson said the board will be very narrowly weighing whether businesses and governments are conducting legally required checks before hiring or providing government benefits and will not be seeking out violators, but instead be reactionary to complaints.
The board already received its first complaint, filed against one business by another, which falls outside the board's jurisdiction (which can only investigate state and local government officials).
The chair Vinson said the board will be very narrowly weighing whether businesses and governments are conducting legally required checks before hiring or providing government benefits and will not be seeking out violators, but instead be reactionary to complaints.
The board already received its first complaint, filed against one business by another, which falls outside the board's jurisdiction (which can only investigate state and local government officials).
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
GEORGIA IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT REVIEW BOARD TO MEET TOMORROW
The Georgia Immigration Enforcement Review Board is scheduled to meet Tomorrow (Thursday) noon to 2 p.m. in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Room 606, across the street from the Capitol.
The seven members of the board will be sworn in at the public meeting before they elect their chairman and discuss setting up committees and procedures for considering complaints about violations of state immigration laws. There were public cries against the appointment of Phil Kent to the board.
This board is responsible for investigating complaints that city, county and state officials are violating state immigration enforcement laws. It has the power to hold hearings, subpoena documents, adopt regulations and hand out punishment, including fines of up to $5,000. In summary, it has the ability to harass government officials. Let's wait and see what they do.
The seven members of the board will be sworn in at the public meeting before they elect their chairman and discuss setting up committees and procedures for considering complaints about violations of state immigration laws. There were public cries against the appointment of Phil Kent to the board.
This board is responsible for investigating complaints that city, county and state officials are violating state immigration enforcement laws. It has the power to hold hearings, subpoena documents, adopt regulations and hand out punishment, including fines of up to $5,000. In summary, it has the ability to harass government officials. Let's wait and see what they do.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
NEW ICE TRAINING CENTER OPENS IN GA
DHS has opened a new training center in Georgia to prepare ICE special agents and officers to enforce immigration and customs laws.
ICE's Director John Morton and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center director Connie Patrick opened the ICE Academy last week.
The ICE Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center collaborated on the $2.5 million renovation. The new complex houses four computer labs, nine classrooms and two electronics labs.
I hope they will teach these officers to be fair and to treat people with civility and dignity. These qualities have been lacking in many ICE officers I encountered over the years...
ICE's Director John Morton and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center director Connie Patrick opened the ICE Academy last week.
The ICE Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center collaborated on the $2.5 million renovation. The new complex houses four computer labs, nine classrooms and two electronics labs.
I hope they will teach these officers to be fair and to treat people with civility and dignity. These qualities have been lacking in many ICE officers I encountered over the years...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
SIGN PETITION TO REMOVE PHIL KENT FROM IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT REVIEW BOARD
Following yesterday's post regarding Gov. Nathan Deal's appointment of Phil Kent, the leader of the hate group Americans for Immigration Control (AIC) to his Immigration Enforcement Review Board, there is an online petition which I urge you all to sign requesting to remove him immediately from the board.
Follow this link to sign:
http://signon.org/sign/remove-phil-kent-from?source=s.em.mt&r_by=506177
FYI AIC has been for over a decade listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Kent himself is responsible for using intense racist imagery to support his beliefs. See ate:
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2011/09/02/georgia-governor-appoints-nativist-hate-group-leader-to-immigration-board/
Follow this link to sign:
http://signon.org/sign/remove-phil-kent-from?source=s.em.mt&r_by=506177
FYI AIC has been for over a decade listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Kent himself is responsible for using intense racist imagery to support his beliefs. See ate:
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2011/09/02/georgia-governor-appoints-nativist-hate-group-leader-to-immigration-board/
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
ANTI-IMMIGRANT EXTREMIST PHIL KENT APPOINTED TO STATE BOARD
In an excellent blog post, Jay Bookman of the AJC explains how Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed a bigoted, anti-immigrant extremist to an important state board that has to supervise local government's compliance with HB87 and that the appointment should be withdrawn immediately.
Here is the link:
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/09/06/anti-immigrant-extremist-appointed-to-powerful-state-board/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog
Here is the link:
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/09/06/anti-immigrant-extremist-appointed-to-powerful-state-board/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
ATLANTA CLINIC REFUSES TREATMENT TO SICK IMMIGRANTS
About a dozen immigrants (and another dozen U.S. citizens) suffering from renal failure were refused treatment at an Atlanta clinic operated by Fresenius Medical Care and advised to wait until their conditions deteriorated enough to justify life-saving care in an emergency room.
This is a result of a deadlock in negotiations between Atlanta’s public hospital and the world’s largest dialysis provider.
These patients, rather than receiving dialysis three times a week, which is the standard protocol for cleansing their blood of toxins, they must wait until they are in sufficiently serious jeopardy to trigger the federal law that requires free hospital care in a life-threatening emergency.
About 2 years ago the management at Grady Memorial hospital, Atlanta's main hospital that cared for the uninsured, shut its outpatient dialysis clinic due to severe financial losses, which then cause the displacements of 60 uninsured immigrants.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or any type of government assistance programs, and few qualify for private insurance. Grady continued to pay for the treatment of these patient at Fresenius Medical Care. The contract has now expired between Grady and Fresenius and no one would treat these patients.
Sad matter indeed. Both parties fight on who would be the appropriate party to pay for these and if no one pays, they will probably end up at Grady anyway getting emergency treatments for life-threatening conditions (which will probably end up costing Grady more).
This is a result of a deadlock in negotiations between Atlanta’s public hospital and the world’s largest dialysis provider.
These patients, rather than receiving dialysis three times a week, which is the standard protocol for cleansing their blood of toxins, they must wait until they are in sufficiently serious jeopardy to trigger the federal law that requires free hospital care in a life-threatening emergency.
About 2 years ago the management at Grady Memorial hospital, Atlanta's main hospital that cared for the uninsured, shut its outpatient dialysis clinic due to severe financial losses, which then cause the displacements of 60 uninsured immigrants.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or any type of government assistance programs, and few qualify for private insurance. Grady continued to pay for the treatment of these patient at Fresenius Medical Care. The contract has now expired between Grady and Fresenius and no one would treat these patients.
Sad matter indeed. Both parties fight on who would be the appropriate party to pay for these and if no one pays, they will probably end up at Grady anyway getting emergency treatments for life-threatening conditions (which will probably end up costing Grady more).
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