Miss. officials eye immigration policy

State requires employers to check legal status of workers by E-Verify

As the nation eyes Arizona's controversial immigration law, some Mississippi officials say they want to see similar legislation here.

Mississippi is one of 14 states that require employers to use the E-Verify system before hiring new workers. E-Verify, an Internet-based service, uses federal databases to check the legal status of potential employees.

Since July 1, all companies in Mississippi with more than 30 workers have had to register. Those with fewer than 30 workers have another year to comply.

Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session to expand the state's immigration restrictions.

"It's pretty much the same bill (as Arizona's)," she said.

The Arizona bill, which both proponents and critics have described as the strictest and broadest immigration effort in years, has come under fire from those who say legal residents and visitors will be unfairly targeted and possibly harassed.

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week arguing Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is unconstitutional. The suit alleges the federal government - not individual states - must regulate immigration. The law is scheduled to go into effect July 29.

The most controversial provision requires law enforcement officers to attempt to determine whether suspected immigrants are in the country illegally and requires legal immigrants carry documentation.

The legislation also places strict penalties against harboring illegal immigrants and directly targets the hiring of workers who congregate at locations, such as home improvement stores.

"It's clearly unconstitutional," Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance executive director Bill Chandler said. "The Arizona bill racially profiles Latinos."

Massive influxes of illegal immigrants and high crime rates have been cited by Arizona officials as the need for the law.

But most Mississippi supporters point to jobs and a potential burden on state resources. Mississippi's unemployment rate was 11.4 percent as of May.

"I'm just more concerned that we put Mississippians to work instead of illegal immigrants," Currie said.

Read the entire story at The Clarion Ledger Online


Immigration