Illegal Immigration Watch: March 13

Heroes:

The Missouri House, which voted Wednesday to bar higher education institutions from enrolling illegal immigrants. Of course, it still has to move through the Senate, but it's still a step in the right direction.

The legislation would require higher education institutions to verify to lawmakers that they have not knowingly enrolled illegal immigrants before the institutions can receive state money.

House members gave first-round approval to the bill Wednesday on a voice vote, after defeating an amendment to exempt community colleges from the bill. A second vote is needed to send the bill to the Senate, where it has stalled the past two years.

...

As a result of a 1982 Supreme Court decision, states must provide K-12 public education to all students, whether they are in the U.S. legally or not. But federal law discourages states from providing illegal immigrants a higher education.

Sponsoring Rep. Jerry Nolte said there is a logical reason for the distinction.

"It does not make economic sense to spend taxpayer money to train a work force that is not legal to work here," said Nolte, R-Gladstone.

Amen.

Zeros:

The Kansas State Senate, who massacred a perfectly good immigration bill.

A Kansas Senate committee endorsed an immigration reform bill after eliminating proposals that are most important to those wanting the state to take a tough stand on the issue. The committee stripped from the bill:

•A requirement that businesses check new hires against E-Verify, a federal database of legal workers;

•Criminal penalties for businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants;

•Requirements that local police do more to enforce immigration law.

So let's see if I have this right; they are moving forward an "immigration enforcement bill" that does not give criminal penalties to businesses, does not require businesses to check new employee's legal status, and does not require the local police to "do more" to enforce immigration law.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that every part of the bill that was ripped out deals with enforcement, which sort of seems at least mildly important when you are trying to pass an 'enforcement bill.' Sen. Palmer concurs:

“Every important part of the bill was taken out,” said Sen. Peggy Palmer, an Augusta Republican who is the sponsor of the Senate bill. “They’re listening to big business as opposed to the people of Kansas.”

That chill in the air isn't from the cold weather; it is a dark shroud created by the birth of yet another shamnesty bill.