WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Senate Bill Toughens Immigration Laws

Senate Bill Toughens Immigration Laws

by Jon Kalahar
jkalahar@wlbt.net

Passing the Senate with only five dissenting votes, Senate Bill 2037 requires businesses under contract with the state of Mississippi to use only U.S. citizens or legal immigrants...or at least make an effort to verify their workers' eligibility.

An agreement couldn't be met last year in Congress on what to do with the possible twelve million illegal immigrants in the United States. Saying they've heard from constituents concerned about the illegal immigration problem, the Mississippi Senate took matters into their own hands.

"If you're doing work for the state of Mississippi, we want you to abide by both the federal and the state law to use legal immigrants and legal citizens," said Senator Joey Fillingane, (R) Sumrall.

State contracted employers must verify an employee's eligibility using the Department of Homeland Security's e-verify system to enter social security numbers or green card numbers. Employers who don't use e-verify or do and hire an illegal anyway face fines, jail time and the likelihood of losing the state contract..

"I want to make sure people in the state of Mississippi are treated fairly, and I want to make sure our businesses who employ Mississippians are treated fairly," said Senator Alice Harden, (D), Jackson.

But despite the almost unanimous passage of this bill in the Senate, one immigrant's rights group fears this could cause discrimination against Latinos, whether they be in the country legally or not.

Bill Chandler with the Mississippi Immigrant's Rights Alliance says the legislation will extend racial profiling to the workplace.

"They will discriminate against people who are here legally as well as Latinos who are born in the United States," said Chandler.

Senator Joey Fillingane disagrees.

"If you don't use the system that we ask for, you're at risk of discriminating just based on skin color or appearance," said Fillingane.

The bill has to make it through House committee before a possible vote on the House floor.

Penalties include fines of 100 dollars for each illegal worker hired, up to 60 days in jail and the lose of state contracted work for three years.