Colorado taking immigration matters into own hand

Illegal immigration is mostly a federal issue, but Colorado is showing — for good or bad — that states can take some matters into their own hands. Colorado lawmakers are agreeing on a law to restrict nonemergency benefits — such as food stamps and Medicaid — to legal residents of Colorado who are 18 years or older, The New York Times reported. The state also plans to have to two referendums on the ballot in November to allow the Colorado attorney general to sue the federal government if federal immigration laws are not enforced, and to require businesses to confirm the legal status of their employees to receive deductible business expenses.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

12 Comments

  1. raptor
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    Interesting thought, but California tried that a few years ago. Proposition 187 would have barred free education, health care, food stamps, etc., to any illegal resident.

    President Fox of Mexico came out against it, claiming it was ‘racist’. (it didn’t bar any one group except those who are ILLEGAL).

    It passed by over 70%…and was promptly thrown out by the extremely liberal court in CA.

    I wish Colorado luck…

  2. Right Angle
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 12:00 pm | Permalink

    Colorado was alway ahead of Kansas in leadership. First in TABOR and now this.

  3. Tony
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 12:08 pm | Permalink

    I was just in Colorado and I did notice quite a bit of support for these laws…

    Its not surprising… I bet if CO is successful they will start a trend that will start in the north and move south… Hum, sound familiar?

  4. Ian Santiago
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 12:27 pm | Permalink

    Phillip,

    Does it bother you that Colorado is cutting off taxpayer funded services to the invaders? Or, is it the concept of state’s rights that troubles you, or is it both?

    Viva La Raza Blanco!!!

  5. Dingus
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    Ian, you mean beaner invaders like you, just because you floated over on a rubber raft instead of jumping a fence makes you supeior. BTW which would make you more of a wetback? Why not stay and make Cuba better instead of fleeing like a coward?

  6. Right Angle
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 4:53 pm | Permalink

    BTW which would make you more of a wetback? Why not stay and make Cuba better instead of fleeing like a coward?

    Posted by: Dingus | July 13, 2006 at 01:38 PM

    I would suspect why is that when they tried to, your great president John Kennedy SCREWED them!!

  7. J R
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 5:28 pm | Permalink

    A step in the right direction but a small and half hearted one. More an attempt to look like something is being done then actually doing anything.

    I don’t wish to seem uncompassionate as to these people. (Illegals) But consider that Mexico just had a VERY CLOSE election. The candidate who promised reform lost. The people who voted for him are not happy and there is some civil unrest.

    If the illegals had been back in Mexico, that election might have worked out differently.

    The problem is in Mexico. It can only be fixed by Mexicans. And they cannot fix Mexico and have no incentive to if they are not there.

  8. mrbill
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 5:58 pm | Permalink

    Colorado is far from alone. Georgia has their own version passed a few months ago and many other states are now on the bandwagon. A city in PA is going to revoke business license if any illegals are found at the business and they are trying to require anyone renting to verify SS# are correct before renting and if anyone found not complying will get 1000.00 fine. Florida is looking at same. I have presented my Kansas rep with a list of the other states actions and they are hoping to address the same here.

    With Open Borders apologists such as Brownback we will have to approach it at the state level. Last Monday Brownback was speaking in Calif. at the Hispanic Supremacist group La Raza (the Race) with Bill Clinton and Rove. It was quite a show. This group is also tied to MeCha the radical Reconquest Group that supports the retaking of the SW for Mexico. This needs to be taken into consideration at next voting time. Its especially odd for such a right wingnut as Brownback to be pals with George Soros Open Border groups that have supported getting rid of all national borders.

  9. Right Angle
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 6:06 pm | Permalink

    Don’t forget the great Wichita Eagle!!

    I never thought I would say this, but here goes: I’m proud of Sam Brownback. I don’t agree with the conservative Kansas senator on many issues, but he deserves credit for his brave and compassionate stand on immigration.Randy Scholfield is an Eagle editorial writer. His column appears on Fridays. Reach him at (316) 268-6545 or rscholfield@wichitaeagle.com

  10. CrusaderX
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    Dingus,You’re an asswipe. Perhaps you were unaware that the U.S. government grants immediate amnesty to Cubans who reach the United States. They are refugees who fled a communist dictator who shoots people who disagree with him politically.

  11. Tony
    Posted July 13, 2006 at 11:03 pm | Permalink

    CrusaderX

    Cubans only gets amnesty IF they can make it to land… if they get stopped at sea, they are sent back… cool huh?

  12. JWink
    Posted July 14, 2006 at 7:21 am | Permalink

    Kansas needs to set up an immigrant reception department to register, check I.D.’s, give information, check health and shots, verify background information, etc., etc.

    Clearly, the federal government is only doing minimal on this so the States must take up the slack for safety of all concerned.