State Rep. presents "Arizona style" immigration law for PA

PA State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe just introduced an "Arizona-style" immigration bill that would make it a state crime to be undocumented and dramatically expand the ability of state and local authorities to enforce immigration laws.  



Blaming immigrants for everything from the state's deficit to falling wages, Metcalfe thanked Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for her "courage" in passing the most extreme anti-immigrant legislation in the country.



He announced HB2479 Tuesday during a press conference with Dan Stein, president of FAIR, an anti-immigrant organization classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.



“The purpose of this legislation is to offer every illegal alien residing in Pennsylvania two options, leave immediately or go to jail ... once this law is enacted there will be absolutely no economic incentives for you to remain here,” said Metcalfe. 



During the press conference, Metcalfe, who's the rep. for Butler County, was careful to claim the legislation would not lead to racial profiling, supposedly because police officers would only be allowed to check on an individual's immigration status after arresting them on probable cause of committing a crime.



Arizona's SB 1070, the law that this bill is modeled after, originally allowed police to question anyone "suspicious" about their immigration status,and also allowed officers to use race as a factor to determine just who could be considered suspect.



Following a widespread outcry from civil rights and community organizations, both locally and nationally, the Arizona state legislature amended the law. Arizona law enforcement can no longer legally use race as a criteria for arrest, and can only ask the immigration status of a

person who has already been arrested.



But SB2479 contains contradictory legal language;



"A law enforcement officer, with or without a warrant, may arrest a person if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed a public offense that makes the person removable from the United States."



What makes a person removable from the United States? Their legal status. In plain English, the bill states that an officer can arrest anyone they suspect of being undocumented.



Metcalfe said he worked closely with the Immigration Reform Law Institute to pass the

legislation - the same legal organizaion that helped draft Arizona's law.



Pennsylvania HB 2479 includes the following provisions:



Immigration status verification would be a requirement for all forms of federal, state or local public assistance, with a few exceptions that include emergency medical assistance, disaster relief and immunizations.



No county or city within Pennsylvania could pass laws or resolutions that limit the scope of immigration enforcement beyond what's included in federal law.



No limits can be placed on the sharing or storing of information pertaining to immigration status between government agencies.



Individuals can sue public officials or government agencies for not enforcing immigration laws.



The bill would also make it illegal to drive or otherwise transport any undocumented person, and would make it a crime for day laborers to solicit work in public spaces.

 

State representatives Tom Creighton (R-Lancaster), John Galloway (D-Bucks), Scott Perry (R-Cumberland/York) and Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny) were also in attendance.



Read the full text of the bill here.

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