The Immigration Debate Stays Alive
During the 2009 session, the debate surrounding controversial domestic issues – like immigration – has taken a back seat to the State’s economic woes. The immigration rights conference at the Capitol attempted to bring the issue back into public focus. And opinions on both sides of the issue still burn white-hot.
That was State Representative Leo Berman, who has filed bills to make it harder for undocumented immigrants to live in Texas. The Tyler Republican says those immigrants are breaking the law.
Shapleigh and others claim that the bills filed this session go beyond what is accepted federally. Some of the proposals include requiring employers to verify the citizenship of their employees, restricting non-citizen access to public universities and increasing local law enforcement authority over immigration law.
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