Lawmakers from at least 25 states have pledged to pass copycat laws to Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law. There are a number of reasons these plans might not
“„Scott has allies in the legislature. State Rep. Willliam Snyder, R-Stuart, already announced a drafted immigration bill that mimics Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and would obligate local law enforcement agencies to inquire about a person’s immigration status during a routine stop. [...]
“„In July, state Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, and state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, also proposed legislation modeled after Arizona’s S.B. 1070.
“„State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, told The Florida Independent in July that he would introduce legislation based on the Arizona law during the 2011 session, and state Rep Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee, also supported an Arizona-type law in Florida during his campaign.
“„“I expect there will be an effort to pass an S.B. 1070-type law and several anti-immigrant bills,” says Jonathan Fried, the director of We Count, a community and workers’ organization located in Homestead. “I would hope sensible members of the Republican Party understand what this would do to the state and their party. In the long term, they would be the anti-Latino party.” [...]
“„With the small number of Democrats in Tallahassee, Fried says there is little real opposition to an Arizona-style law. “I hope African-American and Latino legislators will step up and oppose this bill,” Fried says.
“„“We might look at the Arizona law, see how it could fit into Texas law,” he said.
“„He said the state has to do something since the federal government is not securing the border.
“„“We have as many undocumented people here in the state as anybody and we need to figure out how to get them documented, those that are working and doing fine and abiding by the law,” Chisum said. “We need a way to have that work force here. … But it needs to be legal, documented, know where they are, paying taxes and abiding by the law.”