Commentary - La Shawn Barber: Now that amnesty is dead, locals must act against employers

Had the bill become law, it would have paved the way for millions of illegal immigrants — lawbreakers — to become U.S. citizens, jumping ahead of those who’ve spent years legally waiting their turn.

Some say the bill was defeated because angry and concerned citizens called and faxed their senators’ offices, urging them to vote against amnesty. Others, like The Wall Street Journal, credit conservative bloggers with “playing a central role” in helping defeat the bill by “endlessly picking through the evolving immigration legislation” and educating voters.

That’s all very ego-gratifying for us conservative bloggers, but there still is much work ahead. Now that amnesty is dead, state and local governments must aggressively fight illegal immigration and do what the federal government so far has been reluctant to do: focus on individuals and businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

Our southern border is porous, but there would be far fewer border crossings if illegal immigrants had no jobs for which to cross the border. Several states already have made bold moves. Taxpayers in the border state of Arizona, populated with almost half a million illegal immigrants, pay an estimated $1.3 billion annually as a result, including incarceration, medical care and education costs.

Illegal immigration is such a strain on Arizona that earlier this week, Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, signed into law what’s being dubbed the toughest sanction against employers who hire illegal immigrants, the Arizona Republic reports. Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2008, the law will require Arizona employers to verify the status of employees through the Basic Pilot Program. First offenders who “knowingly” hire illegal immigrants will lose their license for up to 10 days. Second offenders (on probation) face permanent license revocation.

Two months ago, Oklahoma’s Democratic Gov. Brad Henry reluctantly signed into law a similar bill.

This isn’t the first time Arizonans have spoken. In 2004, 56 percent of the voters approved Proposition 200, which requires individuals to produce proof of citizenship before registering to vote or applying for welfare. Public officials who fail to report individuals who can’t produce the necessary documents face misdemeanor charges, fines and citizen lawsuits.

State and local governments can apply for 287(g) training, part of The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. This section authorizes the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to “enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions.” The town of Herndon, Va., applied for and was accepted into the 287(g) training program.

Real immigration reform would strengthen immigration law enforcement, streamline the process for becoming a permanent resident or citizen, and clear the immigration backlog. Phony immigration reform — proposed by open-borders politicians — is all about making sure elites have plenty of low-pay Central American workers around to keep wages down.

The next battle should center on correcting the misapplication of “birthright citizenship,” which was never intended to grant automatic citizenship to babies of illegal immigrants.

We can’t stop illegal border crossings. People will continue risking life and limb to enter what truly is a land of milk and honey. But America will cease to be a great nation if we forget that the rule of law — and not just employment opportunities — is why America is great.

La Shawn Barber is a member of The Examiner’s Blog Board of Contributors and blogs at www.lashawnbarber.com.