« May 2010 | Main | July 2010 »

June 28, 2010

Paranoia about immigrants: case study in Tennessee


Tennessee law now allows English-only workplaces, according to an article in Business Insurance. The articles reads that Governor Phil Bredesen has signed into law a bill that permits English-only policies in the workplace.

The law, which the governor signed last week, states that it is not discriminatory for an employer to institute a policy that requires all employees to speak only English “at certain times when the employer has a legitimate business necessity for such a policy, including but not limited to the safe and efficient operation of the employer’s business.”

The law also requires employers to provide notice to employees of the policy and the consequences of violating it. The law becomes effective immediately.

“After a thorough review of the legislation, the governor determined the English-only portion of the bill did not change Tennessee law,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “The bill also includes unrelated employment protections for volunteer rescue squad workers, of which the governor was very supportive.

Obama Administration to sue Arizona

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the suit may come as early as next week:

Washington, DC -- A White House showdown with the state of Arizona over its tough new immigration law is likely to unfold next week, when the Obama administration is expected to file a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state's bid to curb illegal immigration on its own, according to people familiar with the administration's plans.

Arizona officials are girding for the legal challenge. The state has raised $123,000 in private donations to defend the law, according to Gov. Jan Brewer's office. Money has come in from all 50 states, in donations as little as $1.

Obama administration officials declined to reveal the basis for the suit. But legal experts say the challenge is likely to include the argument that in passing the law, Arizona violated the Constitution by intruding on the federal government's authority to regulate immigration.

To date, the state has been hit with five lawsuits. The law, SB 1070, was signed in April and is scheduled to go into effect July 29.

By confronting Arizona, the Obama administration would be making a political statement as much as a legal one. Obama has already criticized the Arizona law as 'misdirected.' Criminal action against illegal immigrants is not, by itself, a satisfactory solution to the nation's dysfunctional immigration system, the White House says.

Obama has said that part of the remedy must include a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally. But with mid-term elections approaching, the president has not made the politically explosive issue a legislative priority for 2010.

Brewer and other Republican officials have recoiled at the prospect of a federal suit.

'Perhaps the administration should focus on getting the assets they promised to the border region rather than wasting time and taxpayer dollars on suing the state of Arizona,' said Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

The Obama administration tipped its hand on its plans earlier this month when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an Ecuadoran television interview that a lawsuit was coming. Outraged, Brewer said the administration should 'inform us before it informs the citizens of another nation.'

The Arizona law empowers police, after making a lawful stop, to verify the immigration status of people they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally.

Opponents warn that the law could be easily abused — enforced in a fashion that unfairly targets Latinos.

Lucas Guttentag, director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project and an attorney who is part of a group of civil rights organizations contesting the law, said: 'A legal challenge by the Justice Department would help ensure that Arizona's renegade state law, which will cause racial profiling and undermine effective law en

June 17, 2010

ICE targetting five states

Back blogging after an absence...Five states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee, are targeted by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a workforce inspection.

One hundred and eighty employers received notices that ICE plans to inspect hiring records to determine whether they are complying with employment eligibility verification laws and regulations. The inspections are part of ICE's increased focus on holding employers accountable for their hiring practices and efforts to ensure a legal workforce.

Thanks to Becki Shafer for this news item.