Pawlenty on Monday announced a series of actions he said would strengthen enforcement of federal immigration laws. Just a few days earlier, the Chicano Latino Affairs Council (CLAC) had called for comprehensive immigration reform and awareness of the contributions of immigrants to Minnesota.

Rosa Tock, CLAC legislative director, said that the state agency had not received prior notice of the governor\'s announcement, nor had the governor commented on the CLAC statement. (See text of CLAC statement.)

Pawlenty said he would order Minnesota law enforcement officials to work with the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce immigration laws, require state employees and contractors to verify citizenship through an Internet-based federal system, order the Department of Public Safety to review Minnesota\'s driver license database for possibly fraudulent duplicates among its 11 million photos, and hold law enforcement summits to train state patrol troopers, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents and local law enforcement officers in "targeting criminal activity related to illegal immigration."

The governor also said he would ask the Legislature to pass an immigration law package that would include prohibition of city ordinances that limit local officials inquiries about immigration status.

Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights called Pawlenty\'s plans deeply troubling. Robin Phillips, executive director of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, said, "The governor\'s actions stand to damage community policing efforts, create significant fear in immigrant communities, and prevent victims from coming forward. If one victim of domestic violence is too afraid to call, it could mean her life. We take this matter very seriously."

At the press conference, many Republican legislative leaders stood with the governor. According to the Star Tribune, some anti-immigration activists attending the event said the plan did not go far enough.

The Minnesota DFL Party characterized Pawlenty\'s press release as a "go nowhere proposal" that is substantially identical to the proposal he made in January 2006. In 2006, Pawlenty proposed to "create a Minnesota Illegal Immigration Enforcement Team, allow members of the new 10-officer team to enforce state and federal immigration laws, prohibit "sanctuary laws" — like those in St. Paul and Minneapolis — that prevent local police officers from inquiring about immigration status or enforcing immigration laws, enact new and increased penalties for those dealing in human trafficking or false identification documents, require law enforcement officers to record the country of citizenship and immigration status of suspects arrested in serious crimes, impose fines of up to $5,000 on employers of illegal immigrants, make permanent a state rule that requires noncitizens\' immigration status to appear on their driver\'s licenses. [Pioneer Press, 1/4/06]

Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights pointed out that representatives from the Sheriff\'s Association, the Police and Peace Officers Association, labor, business, immigrant groups, faith-based organizations, human rights advocates, and community organizations all testified against the proposed legislation in 2006.

"It appears to me that the governor only worries about immigration during election years," said state Senator Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis.

Torres Ray pointed out that immigration is the responsibility of the federal government, and that state aid for local police and fire departments has been cut. "At a time when our bridges are collapsing, homeowners are struggling, Minnesota\'s economy is stalled and people are worried about economic future, the governor, again, is trying to grab another headline and distract us from his record of failure," she said.

This article is adapted from one that appeared on the Twin Cities Daily Planet website, www.tcdailyplanet.net

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