Immigration News: Protests, Politics Around the Nation

Immigration rights has been the hot topic in many U.S. cities this week. Thousands of immigrants rights supporters rallied in Phoenix on Friday with concern over Senator Jon Kyl’s approach to immigration reform in the United States. This followed a march in Milwaukee, Wis., on Thursday where protestors labeled their efforts “A Day Without Latinos” to object against Congressional efforts to target undocumented workers. Hundred of Los Angeles students also walked out of their schools on Friday morning to call attention to immigration issues.

Additionally, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reports that the Georgia House of Representatives voted 123 to 51 in favor of the new Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act, a proposal aimed at confronting illegal immigration in the state and concentrating on businesses that employ undocumented workers. As a result, tens of thousands of Georgia workers did not show up to work on Friday in protest of the bill, which would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5-percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants.

The Georgia bill has yet to pass the State Senate, though the AJC reports on polls showing that 80 percent of Georgians want the legislature to deal with illegal immigration.

The national interest in the immigration issue stems mostly from comprehensive immigration reform bills currently before congress. The green industry, too, has become involved in the effort, recently traveling to Washington, D.C. to lobby Members of Congress for an extension to current H-2B legislation. The extension would allow companies exhibiting a seasonal need for labor to have a somewhat easier time filling those needs with foreign workers by alleviating some of the pressure of the program’s 66,000-visa cap.

Currently, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed in January by the U.S. House of Representatives. The committee has been in debate over the bill for three weeks, which has caused frustration among Members of Congress and for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

In response to the Senate’s slow progress, Frist (R-Tenn.) last night introduced his own immigration reform bill, saying he would send it directly to the full Senate unless the Senate Judiciary Committee can approve its bill by Monday. If the committee does not introduce a bill by March 27, Frist says he will stick to a strict, two-week schedule to finish work on what he conceded would be “as challenging a bill as any we’ll have to address this year.”

Senator Arlen Spector (R-Pa.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, was put off by the move, saying it would cause “chaos on the floor” to have the bill debated without the committee acting first.

The Washington Post reports that presidential politics could well be at work behind Frist’s move, as he is a prospective candidate for the 2008 elections. His bill omitted the guest-worker program that was demanded by President Bush and championed by Sen. John McCain.

Be sure to visit Lawn & Landscape Online frequently for updates on immigration issues that could affect your business.