Immigration law a threat to Texas competitiveness

Texas state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, made headlines recently for prefiling an Arizona-style immigration law called HB 17. An Arizona-style anti-immigration law would be disastrous for Texas.

But there are some major differences between HB 17 and Arizona's law (SB 1070). While Arizona's anti-immigration law is 17 pages long, Riddle's Texas bill is barely more than a page and only deals with identifying and removing undocumented immigrants during police stops if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect is in the U.S. without proper documentation.

Sounds mild, but the law makes no allowance for legal immigrants, like refugees awaiting court hearings or H-1B visa holders awaiting word for an extension on their visa. Both groups are legally in the U.S. but cannot prove it to police officers. Therefore, HB 17 would drive away many documented immigrants from the state.

Big chunks of the new Arizona law were declared unconstitutional by a U.S. District Court; an appeal by the state is now pending before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Federal court makes decision on Arizona immigration law

A federal appeals court has ruled against an Arizona law that requires residents to prove their U.S. citizenship to register to vote, but upheld a part of the same law that mandates residents to show identification before voting.

The decision made by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday was part of an ongoing court battle surrounding Arizona's Proposition 200.

Arizona passed the law in 2004, prompting legal challenges.

Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer and Secretary of State Ken Bennett blasted the court's decision Tuesday in a joint statement.

"The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down a simple, common sense protection approved by Arizona voters requiring that all individuals provide evidence of U.S. citizenship prior to registering to vote. This decision is an outrage and a slap in the face to all Arizonans who care about the integrity of their elections," the statement said.

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