The new immigration laws

In the following states, immigration legislation has been proposed to:

ALABAMA – HB 56

Require public schools to check the immigration status of students
Criminalize the act of giving an undocumented immigrant a ride
Require all employers to use the federal E-Verify program to confirm work authorization of new hires
Instruct police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop if they suspect the person is in the country illegally (If a person is driving without a license, a check must be performed since illegal immigrants are not allowed to receive driver’s licenses in Alabama)
Make it illegal to knowingly rent to or hire an undocumented immigrant
Make it a felony crime for illegal immigrants to enter into “business transactions” in the state

ARIZONA – SB 1070

Mandate that law enforcement check individuals’ immigration status if “reasonable suspicion” exists that the person is in the country illegally
Charge immigrants who do not have documentation with a misdemeanor
Make it a crime to knowingly transport undocumented immigrants

GEORGIA – HB 87

Require law enforcement to check the status of people who cannot provide identification when requested
Make it a crime to: transport an undocumented immigrant in Georgia, entice an undocumented immigrant to enter Georgia, and conceal or harbor an undocumented immigrant
Allow legal residents over age 21 to file civil actions against officials or agencies to require that these new laws be enforced
Criminalize the act of using false identification to acquire work

INDIANA – SB 590

Allow law enforcement to request identification/immigration status verification from individuals who have been lawfully detained
Require that public meetings (of governing bodies of public agencies) be conducted only in English and requires that only English be used on documents or communication issued from the state
Require all state and government agencies to use E-Verify. Private employers, though not required, are offered protections and incentives to do so
Allow law enforcement to arrest a person with probable cause that the person is undocumented

SOUTH CAROLINA – SB 20

Require law enforcement to determine the immigration status of any person lawfully detained if there is “reasonable suspicion” the person is in the country illegally
Prohibit transporting or harboring undocumented immigrants
Require that undocumented immigrants always carry their federal certificates of registration
Require all businesses to use the E-Verify system

UTAH – HB 497

Require that police verify the legal status of those they arrest for misdemeanors and felonies
Allow suspected illegal immigrants to be arrested without a warrant
Make it illegal to harbor undocumented immigrants

This is a web-only sidebar that accompanies Houses divided: How the new immigration laws are bad for families, which appeared in the March 2012 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 77, No. 3, pages 22-26).