USA Today: House moves to tighten immigration law at border, workplace

[Eugene]

Posted 12/15/2005 10:06 PM Updated 12/16/2005 10:35 AM

House moves to tighten immigration law at border, workplace

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House continued to struggle Friday over how best to shut down illegal
immigration, approving the construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border but putting off
debate on an explosive proposal to deny citizenship to babies born in this country to illegal
immigrants..

The legislation on strengthening border controls and cracking down on the hiring of illegal
immigrants headed for a vote Friday after the House Rules Committee, which determines allowable
amendments, rejected the birthright amendment.

Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., had proposed that, within the bounds of the 14th Amendment, birthright
citizenship be granted only to children of U.S. citizens and permanent legal aliens.

<snip>

Late Thursday, the House passed a measure, 260-159, calling for construction of a fence in parts
of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The measure is an amendment to a larger immigration
enforcement bill backed by the White House.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-12-15-immigration-usat_x.htm

[NanceGreggs]

1. Shut down the companies that hire illegals ...

... and slap them with fines that will make their fat heads spin. That will do more than anything else.

[CottonBear]

Many of our back citizens in GA are being replaced by Hispanics

in the construction and poultry processing trades. The new immigrants work for less.

[CottonBear]

2. Here in Georgia, Republican developers hire 1,000s of Hispanic workers

for construction jobs. Funny, but none of the developers and contractors are ever fined for hiring illegals. However, Hispanmics are rounded up and arrested (almost 30 at once last week in Oconee County) for loitering and supposedly bothering (white, upper-middle class) women while waiting to be picked up for day labor jobs.

[Elwood P Dowd]

3. Rich repukes here in Alabama getting worried

They're making a fortune paying illegals peanuts - often cash under the table. Locals who use to work these jobs for 6-8 bucks an hour are out of luck.

[CottonBear]

4. Exactly. Same here in Northeast GA.

Immigrant workers have farm work for many years in south Georgia. However, the Hispanic population in NE GA has exploded. Someone had got to be hiring these people and I'm convinced that they are mostly Republican.

[NaturalHigh]

5. I'm all for the crackdown...

so long as it includes some stiff penalties for the employers who hire illegals.

[NanceGreggs]

6. Time to bring in the actuaries ...

... who can calculate the average dollar amount that hiring an illegal actually costs American taxpayers; e.g. free health care at local hospitals who can't turn them away, the cost of educating their children in US-taxpayer funded schools, etc.

Add to that the dollar amount it costs to arrest, detain, try and deport illegals, as well as the cost of illegals who commit crimes while in the US and wind up in penitentiaries on the taxpayers' dime.

Add it all up, and come up with an average cost to the US taxpayer per working day, which would be in the thousands. Then fine the companies that hire illegals based ON THAT AMOUNT. If you've been caught hiring illegals for even a few months, THAT FINE could literally put you out of business permanently.

Facing fines like that, few companies would be willing to take the risk.

[NaturalHigh]

7. Great idea.

[realFedUp]

8. but who's gonna build that big fence????

and how are we gonna get rid of the fruitcakes
after Christmas?

[NanceGreggs]

9. Send the fruitcakes to the White House ...

... the "fruitcake for a fruitcake" campaign.