KY: Tougher penalties offered in House to prosecute illegal immigrants with felony

[flashl]

Proposal targets illegal immigrants

Illegal immigrants could be prosecuted on felony charges, their employers could be stripped of business licenses and city governments would be required to enforce federal immigration law regardless of local sentiment, under a bill to be discussed Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee in Frankfort.

House Bill 304 is not expected to get a vote Wednesday, but its sponsor said the General Assembly ought to pass it quickly.

"God help us if we don't pass something," said Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville. "If all the states around us pass some sort of immigration laws and we don't, well, talk about your 'sanctuary cities.'"

The bill, the latest effort by Kentucky lawmakers to crack down on immigration, will be the subject of about a half-dozen hearings, said House Judiciary Chairwoman Kathy Stein, D-Lexington. Supporters and opponents will be invited to testify, as will experts, Stein said.

"People are going to have a lot of questions on this. It's a huge and complicated issue," Stein said.

"I think it is the most reasonable of the (immigration) bills that we've seen so far," she added.

Herald Leader

With many states facing budget constraints, how will they pay the for-profit-prisons?

[treestar]

1. Why are people so into "cracking down" in immigration?

Anyone who ever has gotten a traffic ticket is more of a menace to society than one whose worst sin is coming to work when the immigration laws don't allow for it.