The Minnesota Legislature sent a clear signal that immigration will be a significant issue this election year when, on the first day of the session, House lawmakers heard a bill to outlaw local "separation" ordinances. A week later, the Senate rolled out its package of immigration proposals.
The House legislation follows the lead of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who before the session vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and singled out the separation ordinances for criticism. The DFL majority in the Senate, in contrast, says lawmakers need to adopt proposals "focusing on the positive contributions immigrants make to Minnesota."
Police support separation ordinances
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have local ordinances prohibiting city employees from inquiring about citizenship status, except in serious criminal cases. Proponents say the ordinances build trust between immigrant communities and government ? particularly the police ? and aid community policing efforts.
Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, authored H.F. 2576 to counter the ordinances, which he said "have the potential to compromise national security."
Knoblach's bill prohibits a city, county or town from adopting or enforcing an ordinance or resolution that prohibits local government employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials. Two government officials ? Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion and Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Cangemi of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ? testified in support of the bill before the House Local Government Committee March 1.
They were followed by dozens of people ? including the police chiefs of Minneapolis and St. Paul ? who said the proposed legislation is a bad idea.
"We lose on all fronts if this bill is passed," said Minneapolis Police Chief William McManus. Currently, immigrants report crimes and even suspected terrorist activity, he said. Knoblach's bill "would impede them, because of fear, from reporting crimes."
St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said the legislation would have "an absolute chilling effect." Immigrants would "stop answering their doors. They stop making those phone calls" that help solve crimes, he said.
Both chiefs said the effect would be the same, whether immigrants were in the country illegally or had residency or citizenship, whether they were Mexican or Hmong or Somali. They reminded legislators that many immigrants are from countries where the police are corrupt and arrest people without cause ? and it has taken years to build a trust relationship with immigrants in Twin Cities neighborhoods.
They also emphasized that they investigate citizenship when a serious crime is involved and to stop international crimes such as human trafficking.
Concern about the state's image
Cheryl Thomas of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights said Knoblach's legislation would do nothing to stem the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States and would make it less likely that women in immigrant communities would report battering and other crimes of sexual violence.
Bruce Corrie, professor of economics at Concordia University in St. Paul, said the legislation sends the wrong message when Minnesota is trying to generate trade opportunities with other countries.
"In this global economy, it's important to project a positive image of Minnesota," Corrie told lawmakers. Proposals like Knoblach's bill create "the perception that policymakers are making immigrants a scapegoat in an election year."
Several speakers emphasized that federal immigration laws are broken and need to be fixed ? but that can't be done at the state level. Speakers also questioned whether Knoblach's legislation, which they characterized as poorly written, would override the current separation ordinances. But those questions were ignored as Committee Chair Mark Olson rushed the measure to a vote after a few hours of testimony.
With all Republicans and several DFLers voting in favor, the Local Government Committee approved H.F. 2576 by 15-3 and referred it to the Civil Law Committee.
Knoblach's bill has no Senate sponsor ? yet. Other bills related to immigrants include a measure to require proof of residency in order to get a Minnesota driver's license.
Senate puts forth package
On March 8, the DFL Senate put forth its own package of immigration proposals aimed at increasing educational opportunities and enhancing the state's workforce.
"The Senate wants to help people become productive citizens for Minnesota," Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson said. "To that end, we are working on a positive approach that will benefit businesses, students and immigrants. We should be focusing on the positive contributions immigrants make to Minnesota."
The legislation includes:
? English Language Learning: To help immigrants master the English language, the funding cap for Limited English Proficiency programs is increased from five to seven years. (SF 357; Sen. Wes Skoglund)
? Adult Basic Education: Funding is increased for Adult Basic Education programs that help immigrants obtain citizenship and language training. An adult literacy grant program is also established for recent immigrants. (SF 894; Sen. Tarryl Clark)
? Dream Act: To give all students an equal chance at a higher education, students who attend for at least two years and graduate from a Minnesota high school will pay in-state college tuition, regardless of the immigration status derived from their parents. (SF 2876; Sen. Sandy Pappas)
? Tax Credits for Businesses: Businesses will receive an incentive to provide worksite educational programs to immigrants through an income tax credit. Employers that contract with nonprofit organizations to provide worksite English, literacy or citizenship classes would be eligible to receive up to $5,000 in credits. (not yet introduced)
? Tax Credits for Citizenship: Income tax credits are made available to immigrants to help remove financial barriers to becoming a U.S. citizen. Credits can be claimed for the total amount of fees paid for naturalization and citizenship applications for a taxpayer, his or her spouse and their children. (not yet introduced)
? Human Trafficking: Three bills target the exploitation of foreign-born individuals by increasing penalties for the trafficking of juveniles and creating a Human Trafficking Task Force; increasing penalties for facilitating sex tourism; and regulating the mail-order bride system. (SF 2870, SF 2574, SF 2575; Sen. Sandy Pappas)
? Accept the Matricula Consular: To help immigrants learn about and participate in U.S. banking and financial systems, the Senate encourages all financial institutions to observe Minnesota Statute 48.512, which allows the Matricula Consular and other legal documents issued by foreign governments to be recognized as valid forms of identification.
"One of the most important roles the state can play is to lobby the federal government to reform immigration laws," said Senate Assistant Majority Leader Ann H. Rest. "We believe state and local resources should not be used to sustain a broken system, and that our time is better spent calling on the federal government to accept its responsibility to monitor and foster immigrants' transition into this country. We can then focus on capturing the positive benefits immigrants provide to our state and local communities."
For more information
Track legislation at the Legislature's website, www.leg.state.mn.us
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The Minnesota Legislature sent a clear signal that immigration will be a significant issue this election year when, on the first day of the session, House lawmakers heard a bill to outlaw local “separation” ordinances. A week later, the Senate rolled out its package of immigration proposals.
The House legislation follows the lead of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who before the session vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and singled out the separation ordinances for criticism. The DFL majority in the Senate, in contrast, says lawmakers need to adopt proposals “focusing on the positive contributions immigrants make to Minnesota.”
Police support separation ordinances
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have local ordinances prohibiting city employees from inquiring about citizenship status, except in serious criminal cases. Proponents say the ordinances build trust between immigrant communities and government ? particularly the police ? and aid community policing efforts.
Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, authored H.F. 2576 to counter the ordinances, which he said “have the potential to compromise national security.”
Knoblach’s bill prohibits a city, county or town from adopting or enforcing an ordinance or resolution that prohibits local government employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials. Two government officials ? Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion and Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Cangemi of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ? testified in support of the bill before the House Local Government Committee March 1.
They were followed by dozens of people ? including the police chiefs of Minneapolis and St. Paul ? who said the proposed legislation is a bad idea.
“We lose on all fronts if this bill is passed,” said Minneapolis Police Chief William McManus. Currently, immigrants report crimes and even suspected terrorist activity, he said. Knoblach’s bill “would impede them, because of fear, from reporting crimes.”
St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said the legislation would have “an absolute chilling effect.” Immigrants would “stop answering their doors. They stop making those phone calls” that help solve crimes, he said.
Both chiefs said the effect would be the same, whether immigrants were in the country illegally or had residency or citizenship, whether they were Mexican or Hmong or Somali. They reminded legislators that many immigrants are from countries where the police are corrupt and arrest people without cause ? and it has taken years to build a trust relationship with immigrants in Twin Cities neighborhoods.
They also emphasized that they investigate citizenship when a serious crime is involved and to stop international crimes such as human trafficking.
Concern about the state’s image
Cheryl Thomas of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights said Knoblach’s legislation would do nothing to stem the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States and would make it less likely that women in immigrant communities would report battering and other crimes of sexual violence.
Bruce Corrie, professor of economics at Concordia University in St. Paul, said the legislation sends the wrong message when Minnesota is trying to generate trade opportunities with other countries.
“In this global economy, it’s important to project a positive image of Minnesota,” Corrie told lawmakers. Proposals like Knoblach’s bill create “the perception that policymakers are making immigrants a scapegoat in an election year.”
Several speakers emphasized that federal immigration laws are broken and need to be fixed ? but that can’t be done at the state level. Speakers also questioned whether Knoblach’s legislation, which they characterized as poorly written, would override the current separation ordinances. But those questions were ignored as Committee Chair Mark Olson rushed the measure to a vote after a few hours of testimony.
With all Republicans and several DFLers voting in favor, the Local Government Committee approved H.F. 2576 by 15-3 and referred it to the Civil Law Committee.
Knoblach’s bill has no Senate sponsor ? yet. Other bills related to immigrants include a measure to require proof of residency in order to get a Minnesota driver’s license.
Senate puts forth package
On March 8, the DFL Senate put forth its own package of immigration proposals aimed at increasing educational opportunities and enhancing the state’s workforce.
“The Senate wants to help people become productive citizens for Minnesota,” Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson said. “To that end, we are working on a positive approach that will benefit businesses, students and immigrants. We should be focusing on the positive contributions immigrants make to Minnesota.”
The legislation includes:
? English Language Learning: To help immigrants master the English language, the funding cap for Limited English Proficiency programs is increased from five to seven years. (SF 357; Sen. Wes Skoglund)
? Adult Basic Education: Funding is increased for Adult Basic Education programs that help immigrants obtain citizenship and language training. An adult literacy grant program is also established for recent immigrants. (SF 894; Sen. Tarryl Clark)
? Dream Act: To give all students an equal chance at a higher education, students who attend for at least two years and graduate from a Minnesota high school will pay in-state college tuition, regardless of the immigration status derived from their parents. (SF 2876; Sen. Sandy Pappas)
? Tax Credits for Businesses: Businesses will receive an incentive to provide worksite educational programs to immigrants through an income tax credit. Employers that contract with nonprofit organizations to provide worksite English, literacy or citizenship classes would be eligible to receive up to $5,000 in credits. (not yet introduced)
? Tax Credits for Citizenship: Income tax credits are made available to immigrants to help remove financial barriers to becoming a U.S. citizen. Credits can be claimed for the total amount of fees paid for naturalization and citizenship applications for a taxpayer, his or her spouse and their children. (not yet introduced)
? Human Trafficking: Three bills target the exploitation of foreign-born individuals by increasing penalties for the trafficking of juveniles and creating a Human Trafficking Task Force; increasing penalties for facilitating sex tourism; and regulating the mail-order bride system. (SF 2870, SF 2574, SF 2575; Sen. Sandy Pappas)
? Accept the Matricula Consular: To help immigrants learn about and participate in U.S. banking and financial systems, the Senate encourages all financial institutions to observe Minnesota Statute 48.512, which allows the Matricula Consular and other legal documents issued by foreign governments to be recognized as valid forms of identification.
“One of the most important roles the state can play is to lobby the federal government to reform immigration laws,” said Senate Assistant Majority Leader Ann H. Rest. “We believe state and local resources should not be used to sustain a broken system, and that our time is better spent calling on the federal government to accept its responsibility to monitor and foster immigrants’ transition into this country. We can then focus on capturing the positive benefits immigrants provide to our state and local communities.”
For more information
Track legislation at the Legislature’s website, www.leg.state.mn.us