Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Sen. Pearce on illegal immigrant trespassing bill

SB1175 to eliminate sanctuary policies has passed out of the Senate and is over at the House. Folks I need everyone to call the Speaker of the House Rep. Kirk Adams and make sure he assigns SB1175 to Government Committee. It is a committee that will vote the bill out of committee. Rep. Adam Driggs is the Chairman of House Judiciay and not very friendly to immigrtation enforcement. www.azleg.gov

The following is from our friends Bob & JoAnn Hartle at ID Theft Services, Inc. www.idfraud.org



Arizona Bill, SB1175, Would Criminalize the Presence of Undocumented Immigrants in the State
June 11th, 2009


PHOENIX, Arizona – Undocumented immigrants in Arizona could face jail terms for simply being in the state under a series of bills gathering momentum in the state legislature.



Sen. Pearce, author of the SB 1175 bill
A bill approved Wednesday by a Senate committee (SB 1175) would allow any police officer to arrest an undocumented immigrant under charges of trespassing on state land. Those jailed would have to pay the cost of their own incarceration.


“If this bill passes, it would be the first state in the nation making illegal presence a crime,” said Alessandra Soler-Meetze, Executive Director of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The implications are tremendous. What it means is that anyone who is in this country without proper documentation is going to be charged and arrested.”


Soler-Meetze argues that the bill is unconstitutional because states don’t have the power to enforce federal immigration laws. She cited a case in 2005 in which police in New Hampshire used state law to arrest undocumented immigrants on trespassing charges. A court later dropped the cases because they conflicted with federal law.


The Arizona bill includes a number of provisions, among them one against “sanctuary policies” that would restrict any government agency or city from limiting immigration enforcement.


The legislation is part of a package of bills being pushed by Republicans in the Arizona House and the Senate, who want to grant more powers to local law enforcement to detain, prosecute and incarcerate undocumented immigrants.


“There’s no greater threat to our community than the illegal immigration invasion,” said Republican Sen. Russell Pearce, author of SB 1175. Story

Remeber, don't forget to call or e-mail the Speak of the House and give just a friendly reminder to assign SB 1157 to the Government Committee. Then be sure to pass this on.

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