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Let’s be prepared for the changes before the changes

There are great expectations about the changes that will soon take places in our country, but almost nothing is being said about the changes that are now taking place (for example, regarding immigration) before the new president is inaugurated.

In Colorado, two years after the approval and implementation of a local immigration reform, a panel organized by the governor recommended the approval of stricter immigration laws, including the training of all jail employees to act as immigration agents to detect the presence of undocumented inmates.

The same panel also suggested to “speed up” the deportation of undocumented people, mainly those convicted of crimes or felonies, and also requested immigration training for all police officers, more cells for undocumented immigrants, and the elimination of bail for undocumented people accused of crimes.

Other recommendations included to facilitate police access to federal databases, to deny registration of vehicles if the owners do not present a valid driver’s license, and to arrest and transfer to the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents all persons without “verifiable identity documents,” including those with driver’s licenses “issued by a foreign government.”

The panel also asked to seize for at least 30 days all vehicles driven by suspected undocumented immigrants if the driver is stopped due a traffic violation, and it was also suggested to create a new “biometric ID” that will incorporate a DNA sample of the individual who requested the ID.

In Utah, the Interim Committee on Immigration recently reiterated its support for a law (already approved) to eliminate the access to all public services and benefits for those unable to prove “legal presence” in the United States. The law also expands the authority of local police departments in immigration issues and requires all employers to verify the documents presented by their potential employees.

The same committee in Utah also supported the proposal made by a legislator from Arizona who said, “The only help an undocumented immigrant should get is to find the way back to his country.”

And in Nebraska, the Immigration Committee in Fremont formally proposed to make mandatory to all local businesses to use the E-Verify federal system to check the documents presented by anybody seeking employment or even wanting to rent an apartment or a house.

The Fremont committee also recommended to create mandatory immigration classes for all business owners to teach them about federal immigration laws as well as immigration classes for all students at local public schools.

A state senator said he will present several bills next January at the Nebraska legislature based on the “efforts and ideas” of the Fremont Immigration Committee.

On November 4, 2008, Nebraska approved the Initiative 424 that now bans local universities from using public money to recruit minority students or to provide scholarships for those students. Initiative 424 also means the cancellation of all programs helping minority businesses, including training services and contracting opportunities.

Change is happening and is not the change we wanted. The audacity of this change leaves us almost without hope.

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