Immigration bill would bring Arizona-style law to PA

Marvin Zindler · May 6, 2010

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_15017379

Immigration bill would bring Arizona-style law to Pa.
Rep. Scott Perry supports a proposal that would give police the power the check immigration status. An immigration lawyer said its overly simple.
By JEFF FRANTZ
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 05/04/2010 10:43:28 PM MDT

A state representative proposed legislation Tuesday -- backed by several local lawmakers -- that was inspired by a controversial law passed last week in Arizona to combat illegal immigration.

If passed, the bill by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, would charge local law enforcement with checking immigration status, investigating businesses suspected of knowingly employing illegal immigrants and requiring businesses to verify a potential employee's legal status.

The proposal came a day after state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, introduced a bill in direct opposition to Arizona's law.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Carroll Township, supports Metcalfe's effort and said he will likely join as bill co-sponsor.

The federal government has failed to enforce the nation's immigration laws, Perry said, which is now forcing states to act because illegal immigration fosters crime, lowers wages and puts an added burden on taxpayers.

"What do we gain having cheaper tomatoes in the short term to sell out our security and sovereignty in the long term?" Perry said.

Both Perry and Metcalfe said the proposal doesn't target any one ethnic or immigrant group.

José Colon, president of the board for the Centro Hispano José Hernández, said much of York's Hispanic community agrees too many illegal immigrants abuse the system. He said he supports people stopped for violating the law having to prove who they are, saying it only makes sense in an age of terror.

But Colon said the necessary immigration laws already exist, and the federal government needs to better enforce them. The federal government is more equipped to properly deal with the issue than states or municipalities, he said.

Colon was also bothered by the rhetoric Metcalfe used introducing his proposal, when he spoke of murders and rapists. The vast majority of people here illegally came to work, Colon said, and it makes it harder to have the serious, necessary discussion of the issue with such inflamed rhetoric. And, he added, such talk could create friction between the Hispanic community and others.

Craig Trebilcock, a local immigration attorney, said the federal government has failed to create a working immigration policy.

But Metcalfe's policy is "still ridiculous," Trebilcock said. "The people pressing these laws don't understand how complex it is to determine the immigration status of someone."

There are 42 types of visas, Trebilcock said, and that's before counting those granted asylum and others. Local law enforcement, no matter how well meaning, are not trained or equipped to become primary immigration enforcement officers, Trebilcock said.

"You'll end up with a bunch of lawsuits," Trebilcock said. "A bunch of municipalities getting sued because of the thousands of people getting stopped, there's going to be a couple problems."

Instead, he said, the law will discourage legal immigrants -- doctors, scientists, laborers, students -- that the country needs from every coming here.

About the bill

If passed, House Bill 2479, would:

# Require an employer to verify a prospective employee's immigration status. Lying about immigration status would be a second-degree misdemeanor.

# Require a law enforcement officer to verify a person's immigration status if the officer reasonably suspects that a person legally stopped, detained or arrested is in the country illegally. An officer could not inquire about people's immigration status if they were not first stopped for another offense.

# Require county district attorneys to investigate companies suspected of employing illegal immigrants. Companies caught knowingly doing so could lose access to state grants and their licenses to operate.

# Create a third-degree felony for intentionally smuggling illegal aliens into Pennsylvania. Police would be able to impound smugglers' vehicles.

According to the office of the bill's sponsor, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Ron Miller , R-Jacobus; Will Tallman, R-Reading Township, Adams County; and Seth Grove , R-Dover Township, are co-sponsors. Rep. Scott Perry has said he will likely also be a co-sponsor.

Click here to read the full proposal.

Political outlook

In 2007, state Reps. Daryl Metcalfe and Scott Perry were part of a group that introduced a series of bills that would have changed some of Pennsylvania's immigration laws. Those never made it out of committee.

Metcalfe said Tuesday his proposal has bipartisan support but is not likely to receive much support from House Democratic leadership or Gov. Ed Rendell. However, he said, with a budget fight looming and representatives up for election in November, there could be an opportunity to muster the political will necessary for passage.

But Metcalfe's bill isn't the only piece of immigration legislation now in Harrisburg.

State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, introduced a proposal that would reinforce current laws and, in the event of future changes to federal law, stop local law enforcement to serve as immigration officers.

"It is very important that we make it clear that Pennsylvania does not support racial profiling," Leach said.

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Immigration bill would bring Arizona-style law to PA

Marvin Zindler Jewish Media Mogul

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