December 1, 2005
“Immigrants and the States” Conference Scheduled for Southwestern State Legislators
NCSL, Colorado Legislature sponsor regional seminar December 12
DENVER – Immigrants, both legal and unauthorized, are changing the face of America and states are responding both to their needs and the challenges they present. An upcoming seminar will bring together lawmakers from five southwestern states to learn strategies from each other and from experts. The Regional Conference on Immigrants and the States, jointly sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Colorado Legislature, will be December 12 in Denver at the Capitol.
Lawmakers from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah will attend. The conference will cover: the past and future of federal immigration policy, the economic effects of immigrants in the workforce, and how states can respond both to the needs of the foreign-born population and problems associated with unauthorized immigrant presence.
Susan Martin, executive director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, will discuss The Immigration Crisis: Past and Present. Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, will describe Demographic Trends: A Look at Economic and Labor Effects of Immigrants. Legislators will also hear from Angelo Amador, director of immigration policy at the US Chamber of Commerce, NCSL Human Services Committee Director Sheri Steisel and NCSL President-Elect Leticia Van de Putte, a Texas Senator.
“Immigration issues have been high on legislative agendas across the nation for years now, and we will continue to debate them in the 2006 session,” said Colorado Speaker Andrew Romanoff. “We’re focused on problem solving. We’re looking for solutions.”
In the first half of 2005, state legislators across the nation considered close to 300 immigrant and refugee bills on issues including benefits, education, employment, human trafficking, identification and driver’s licenses, and law enforcement. Thirty-six bills were enacted into law, many in the states that will take part in the upcoming conference.
Arizona prevented cities from constructing day labor centers if the centers would assist unauthorized immigrants. It also allowed local law enforcement to penalize human trafficking and arrest smugglers. Immigration status can now factor into sentencing in Arizona, and a ballot initiative that would deny bail to unauthorized immigrants will appear on its next general election ballot.
Colorado created a task force on human trafficking. Utah now requires proof of lawful presence in the state to obtain a driver’s license and links driver’s license expiration with visa expiration. It also allows unauthorized immigrants to use identification cards for driving but for no other purposes. And New Mexico became the ninth state to grant in-state tuition to certain unauthorized immigrant students.
Four of these states – Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona – are among the ten with the sharpest increases in foreign-born residents between 1990 and 2000, according to the Urban Institute. Nevada’s immigrant population jumped 202 percent, and Arizona’s 136 percent.
"This meeting is an opportunity for us to see how other states are handling the influx of legal and illegal immigrants," said Utah Senate President John Valentine, who will attend the conference. "President Bush announced his plan to curb illegal border crossings. Now, states must find ways to aid in those efforts, and help those immigrants who are here lawfully."
For a preliminary agenda for the Regional Conference on Immigrants and the States, send an email to press-room@ncsl.org. This conference is open to the public. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Old Supreme Court Chambers, on the second floor of the Colorado Capitol.
NCSL is the bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.
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