Immigration law could hurt Arizona's tech industry, keep top foreign students from schools there

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By Patrick Thibodeau

Computerworld - H-1B workers in Arizona that can't immediately prove they're working in the U.S. legally may find themselves detained by police or even jailed under the state's new immigration law.

Legal experts said that an H-1B worker questioned by a police officer that has "reasonable suspicion" about his or her immigration status could be arrested while doing nothing more than going to a restaurant, grocery shopping or even taking a walk around the block if they don't have their H-1B papers at the ready.

Federal immigration law requires that all non-U.S. citizens, including H-1B workers, have documentation showing that they are in this country legally, but visa workers are rarely asked to produce their papers at any time or place, said legal experts.

Many visa holders aren't likely to carry valuable and hard-to-replace paperwork on them at all times for practical reasons -- they could be lost or stolen. Under the new Arizona law, though, every police officer becomes, in effect, an immigration enforcement agent that can demand the paperwork at any time.

http://www.computerw...rt_H_1B_workers

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

A good portion of these foreign students would have been individuals of color, so clearly the law is working as intended

[peejay 327]

Computerworld - H-1B workers in Arizona that can't immediately prove they're working in the U.S. legally may find themselves detained by police or even jailed under the state's new immigration law.

Still cheerleading for illegal aliens again, eh?

Gee, if I leave my driver's license and insurance papers at home and get pulled over by the cops I get a ticket and a lot of close scrutiny that may or may not end with my arrest depending on the circumstances.

If a foreigner gets stopped at a US Border Patrol immigration checkpoint that is all too common in border states and fails to produce the proper documents that they left at home...they get arrested and detained. Happens all the time and they straighten it out later. Illegal aliens cannot straighten it out and are eventually deported as they should be.

So if you do the same thing under the AZ law you get the same treatment that you would get from the US Border Patrol. AZ is a border state. What's the beef?

So what is your point? If a foreigner fails to carry the proper documents that are already prescribed under Federal law and he gets pulled over by the cops and cannot produce them...the cops are supposed to let him go?

What you sow is what you reap. Follow the law or face the consequences.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Still cheerleading for illegal aliens again, eh?

Gee, if I leave my driver's license and insurance papers at home and get pulled over by the cops I get a ticket and a lot of close scrutiny that may or may not end with my arrest depending on the circumstances.

If a foreigner gets stopped at a US Border Patrol immigration checkpoint that is all too common in border states and fails to produce the proper documents that they left at home...they get arrested and detained. Happens all the time and they straighten it out later. Illegal aliens cannot straighten it out and are eventually deported as they should be.

So if you do the same thing under the AZ law you get the same treatment that you would get from the US Border Patrol. AZ is a border state. What's the beef?

So what is your point? If a foreigner fails to carry the proper documents that are already prescribed under Federal law and he gets pulled over by the cops and cannot produce them...the cops are supposed to let him go?

What you sow is what you reap. Follow the law or face the consequences.

Border Patrol are federal agents who have the means and expertise to check and confirm whether a suspect is here legally or not while local law enforcement does not have the authority nor the resources to verify a suspect's legal status so what they will do now under this Arizona law is be able detain a foreigner without bail until immigration can clear them. There is no bail for those detained and they are at the mercy of our immigration services to act in a timely manner to clear them of doing nothing wrong other than failing to convince local law enforcement their legal status.

So basically, any Conditional Green Card holder who is stuck in limbo waiting for their Lifting of Conditions to be processed will have only their expired 2 year GC and possibly a letter that states that their GC is extended until they receive further notice from immigration. If it takes 6 months for immigration to process these cases, how long do you suppose it will take them to clear someone's name who's been thrown in the local jail because their GC has expired?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Border Patrol are federal agents who have the means and expertise to check and confirm whether a suspect is here legally or not while local law enforcement does not have the authority nor the resources to verify a suspect's legal status so what they will do now under this Arizona law is be able detain a foreigner without bail until immigration can clear them. There is no bail for those detained and they are at the mercy of our immigration services to act in a timely manner to clear them of doing nothing wrong other than failing to convince local law enforcement their legal status.

So basically, any Conditional Green Card holder who is stuck in limbo waiting for their Lifting of Conditions to be processed will have only their expired 2 year GC and possibly a letter that states that their GC is extended until they receive further notice from immigration. If it takes 6 months for immigration to process these cases, how long do you suppose it will take them to clear someone's name who's been thrown in the local jail because their GC has expired?

Why do you hate America?

[peejay 327]

Border Patrol are federal agents who have the means and expertise to check and confirm whether a suspect is here legally or not while local law enforcement does not have the authority nor the resources to verify a suspect's legal status so what they will do now under this Arizona law is be able detain a foreigner without bail until immigration can clear them. There is no bail for those detained and they are at the mercy of our immigration services to act in a timely manner to clear them of doing nothing wrong other than failing to convince local law enforcement their legal status.

So basically, any Conditional Green Card holder who is stuck in limbo waiting for their Lifting of Conditions to be processed will have only their expired 2 year GC and possibly a letter that states that their GC is extended until they receive further notice from immigration. If it takes 6 months for immigration to process these cases, how long do you suppose it will take them to clear someone's name who's been thrown in the local jail because their GC has expired?

Me thinks the people the AZ law is targeting cannot even produce an expired GC or even a NoA. Even better reason for cops to detain these individuals for ICE, who will use their means and expertise to determine their status. You are just blowing more smoke.

Local cops have been detaining suspected illegal aliens all over the USA through the 287(g) partnership with ICE for years Nothing new here...including the illegal alien cheerleading from the open borders crowd that want no enforcement of any immigration or workplace laws.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Me thinks the people the AZ law is targeting cannot even produce an expired GC or even a NoA. Even better reason for cops to detain these individuals for ICE, who will use their means and expertise to determine their status. You are just blowing more smoke.

Local cops have been detaining suspected illegal aliens all over the USA through the 287(g) partnership with ICE for years Nothing new here...including the illegal alien cheerleading from the open borders crowd that want no enforcement of any immigration or workplace laws.

You do realize that the largest number of legal immigrants into the U.S. come from Mexico followed by the Philippines, right? So you tell me what happens when local law enforcement question someone and that person has only their Conditional GC that has expired? They're going to detain the person and notify immigration. That person will remain in custody without bail until immigration can clear the matter, which could takes, weeks or perhaps even months.

A record 1,046,539 persons were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2008. The leading countries of birth of the new citizens were Mexico, India and the Philippines.^[5]

Edited May 16, 2010 by El Buscador

[mawilson 2,133]

Legal experts said that an H-1B worker questioned by a police officer that has "reasonable suspicion" about his or her immigration status could be arrested while doing nothing more than going to a restaurant, grocery shopping or even taking a walk around the block if they don't have their H-1B papers at the ready.

That's total BS. Mr Thibodeau clearly hadn't read the law when he wrote that.

[peejay 327]

You do realize that the largest number of legal immigrants into the U.S. come from Mexico followed by the Philippines, right? So you tell me what happens when local law enforcement question someone and that person has only their Conditional GC that has expired? They're going to detain the person and notify immigration. That person will remain in custody without bail until immigration can clear the matter, which could takes, weeks or perhaps even months.

So how do you know this is what is going to happen? This is just your own scare tactic scenario because you dislike the thought of any illegal alien to be arrested and deported. That is just the usual mentality of the illegal alien cheerleader / open borders crowd. Nothing new.

You know damned good and well that 99.99% of the problem in AZ is with illegal aliens that enter the USA through AZ without inspection. These would be illegal aliens that cannot even produce an expired conditional green card and a NoA (notice of action) that they have even filed to remove conditions. Why would the cops even screw around with your expired green card scenario when 99.99% of the problem is with EIW (entry without inpection) illegal aliens?

It sounds like your little scare tactic scenario really only highlights that the Federal government does not fulfill its obligation to legal immigrants by failing to process their applications in a timely manner. Why hasn't your messiah Obama fixed that instead of wasting his time cheerleading for illegal aliens and promising them amnesty?

Riddle me this Batman...what do you think already happens when a holder of an expired conditional green card in the process of removing conditions is stopped at a US Border Patrol checkpoint miles from the border in the US interior? In TX they have them as far away from the border as Corpus Christie. The US Border Patrol already cruises as far east as I-10 in Lake Charles, LA hunting for illegal alien traffic.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

I really don't understand why Steve cheerleads for the illegals so much. Could it be he really doesn't understand the difference between a legal and an illegal alien? Maybe he should just remember that if the federal government had been doing its job over the last 30 years AZ wouldn't have to make such a law. This isn't a problem with AZ, it is a problem with the feds not securing the border and then granting amnesty to millions not once but many times. Rather than railing against AZ he should be up in arms to the feds.

[Niels Bohr 72]

The point of the GOP is to include bystanders in their endeavor to get rid just a group of people. They could careless of who the victim is if they could get the illegals out. So, if the victim happens to be legal - to them, who cares!

[Pooky 3,795]

The point of the GOP is to include bystanders in their endeavor to get rid just a group of people. They could careless of who the victim is if they could get the illegals out. So, if the victim happens to be legal - to them, who cares!

Are you seriously memory-impaired? Which party did the last President to introduce immigration "reform" legislation belong to? This isn't a problem with Democrats or Republicans. This is a problem with Washington, Congress and the White House.

The people who want this issue resolved by removing illegal aliens from this country are the 70% or so of the general population who are generally p*ssed off with Washington for looking after their vested interests, left and right, and not their own country! Americans want the illegal immigrants gone. AZ is an example of representative government, for a change, listening to and representing the people who voted for them.

What's wrong about that?

[Niels Bohr 72]

Pooky,

You are supporting a bill that would simply do whatever it can to get rid of illegals while at the same time result in casualties as well?

[Pooky 3,795]

Pooky,

You are supporting a bill that would simply do whatever it can to get rid of illegals while at the same time result in casualties as well?

No, I am supporting a Bill which allows AZ state and local law enforcement to enforce current Federal law, which Federal authorities are decidedly lax on doing themselves.

Are you advocating ignoring current Federal law, just because it's "too much effort" for the Federal authorities to enforce?

[Darnell 8,478]

I think it's great to keep foreign students out - I'm so tired of masters and phD program 'students' sucking at the uni-teat -it's time for reform on that area, as well.

re: H1-B - that's easily 'looked up' , once the 'perp' is in custody. Will turn into nice 'catch and release' loop.

ComputerWorld Mag - your editors know better - so who was boozing the day this story was approved for publication? F*cktards.