State legislators introduced 1,592 immigration-related bills and resolutions in the first half of 2011, according to a new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures, an increase of 16 percent over the number of immigration bills introduced in the first half of 2010. State legislatures have enacted 151 new More…
On Monday, the federal government filed a lawsuit seeking to block H.B. 56, Alabama’s new immigration enforcement law. In doing so, the Obama administration is responding to repeated requests from immigrant and civil rights activists to lend their weight to a nationwide effort to push back against state-level “attrition through enforcement” More…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a survey by the Georgia Restaurant Association revealed widespread worker shortages in the state’s $14.1 billion restaurant industry:
Nearly half of the 523 restaurateurs across the state who voluntarily participated in the electronic survey this month are having trouble finding workers, a summary of the
Georgia Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers called the state’s school system “abysmal” this week, proposing a slew of remedies that curiously did not address the high rate of poverty among Georgia students.
Although two of the more controversial provisions of Georgia’s new immigration enforcement were blocked by a federal judge on Monday, other provisions that were not overturned go into effect today. It is now a criminal offense to apply for a job with a false I.D. in Georgia, punishable by up More…
On Tuesday the South Carolina legislature sent a new immigration enforcement bill to the desk of Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said that she will sign it. The law would mandate that police check the immigration status of anyone detained for traffic violations or any greater offense. It would also More…
The recent Supreme Court decision upholding the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act, which penalizes employers that knowingly hire undocumented workers by revoking their business licenses, is the subject of a policy brief released by the Migration Policy Institute today.
The brief argues that the 2007 Arizona case, Chamber of Commerce v. More…
Kris Kobach is the Kansas secretary of state and an attorney who is a pivotal player in the anti-immigration movement. He personally helped write much of the Alabama immigration law that was signed into law last week by Gov. Robert Bentley, a law recognized by both its proponents and opponents More…
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Austin) opened herself up to charges of “elitism” by right-wing conservatives when she referred to her own doctorate degree as evidence that she understands the value of university teaching and research, and Gov. Rick Perry’s lack of a graduate degree as evidence that he does More…
When the question arises of whether Texas’ imminent voter ID law will pass U.S. Department of Justice muster, GOP lawmakers routinely point to the existing law in Georgia, which, like Texas, is subject to federal scrutiny under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. If the Peach State’s experience is More…
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