Plan Would Keep More Illegal Immigrants From Jobs

A top immigration official said federal agencies are working on an agreement that could make it tougher for illegal immigrants to get jobs. Jock Scharfen is acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. O n Tuesday he said in Lincoln that his agency is working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take advantage of a computer system used by employers to check the legal status of new hires.

Illegal immigrants are often able to trick the system by using false identification. But Scharfen said the system is close to being able to alert employers to possible identity fraud. The two agencies are discussing which cases should be targeted for enforcement.

Despite Hispanic growth, many Nebraska counties still losing population

Despite growth among minority populations, 73 of Nebraska’s 93 counties have seen their numbers shrink in recent years. Newly-released census estimates show a majority of Nebraska counties lost population between 2000 and 2007.

Madison County is among them, having lost 1,089 between 2006 and 2007 after a Tyson beef processing plant in Norfolk and a slaughterhouse in West Point closed. Neighboring Platte and Dakota counties saw upticks in their numbers. State figures released earlier this year show the growth of Hispanic populations has slowed.

Between 2000 and 2003 the Hispanic population statewide grew 6.4% annually. Between 2003 and 2007 that annual rate dropped to 4.4%.

Nebraska’s Gov. Heineman: Immigration a federal issue

Gov. Dave Heineman says problems of illegal immigration need a unified resolution from the federal government. Heineman spoke Friday at the Fremont Rotary. He says there can’t be 50 states and thousands of cities doing it differently.

Heineman wouldn’t comment specifically on the city’s recently defeated proposed ordinance that would have banned renting to, harboring and hiring illegal immigrants. Heineman talked about his plans to introduce a bill next year to prevent illegal immigrants from getting state and local benefits — which critics say is already the case.

A similar bill was introduced last session, but the Judiciary Committee blocked it from advancing.

Nebraska court orders illegal immigrant’s bills paid

A Nebraska court has backed a 2007 ruling ordering an Omaha employer to pay workers’ compensation to an illegal immigrant.

A three-judge panel of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court has affirmed a ruling made by a Douglas County trial judge in March 2007. It requires Sun Valley Landscapes to pay the man’s medical bills and lost wages.

State Senator: Immigrant laws need federal fix

Cities such as Fremont, Neb., that are trying to pass local laws banning illegal immigrants should instead press their federal elected officials to update the country’s immigration system, State Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island said Thursday. Aguilar is Nebraska’s voice on a bipartisan national immigration task force meeting this week in New Orleans.

In addition to facing legal challenges by enacting conflicting laws, Aguilar said, municipalities are, in effect, contributing to an unwieldy hodge-podge of immigration laws. So far this year, 1,267 bills related to illegal and legal immigrants were introduced in state legislatures across the country. At least 175 of those became law in 39 states.

The top three areas of legislative interest are identity and driver’s licensing; employment; and law enforcement. Aguilar - who is term-limited and leaving the Nebraska Legislature before the next session - passed his task force duties on to State Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue. “Unfortunately you see a lot of knee-jerk legislation, legislation that is very reactionary,” said Cornett.

Nebraska Unicameral Speaker: It Was A Good Session

The 2008 Nebraska legislative session was successful, said Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood of Norfolk. Funding for state roads was a contentious item, due to record high gasoline prices. The Unicameral transfered $14.5 million from the general fund for road projects. Those dollars will be matched by approximately $75 million in federal funds.

Sen. Flood said: “It’s a tough time for people, we recognize that. We didn’t want to make it any worse than we had to. At the same time, we maintained quality infrastructure across the state.” Flood added: “I think that the method of execution will be an issue next session.” The Unicameral will reconvene next January.

Nebraska warns of fake licenses being sold to illegal immigrants

State officials in Nebraska were warning Monday of a scheme to sell fake driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, under the promise that the documents will let people legally drive, buy and sell cars. A Houston-based company has taken out ads in newspapers and distributed fliers to Hispanic businesses in Omaha, Grand Island and Lincoln, offering so-called international licenses and state ID cards for about $200.

“We see these so-called ‘fantasy documents’ or … ‘novelty documents’ fairly frequently,” said Tim Counts, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman. “It’s unfortunate, but I think (it is) another example of the pitfalls that await those that enter the country illegally.” While the claims can be deceptive, Counts said, it was unclear whether businesses that sold them were in violation of federal laws.

ICE agents arrest 25 illegal immigrants in 2-day operation in Nebraska

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official says agents have arrested 25 illegal immigrants in a two-day operation along the Interstate 80 corridor. Of those arrested on Wednesday and Thursday, 19 are considered fugitives, meaning they had defied a judge’s final order to leave the country and were targeted in the operation.

ICE spokesman Tim Counts says the other six are illegal immigrants who will appear before an immigration judge. Counts says the arrests were made in homes, at businesses and other places. Of those arrested, 15 are from Guatemala, eight are from Mexico, one is from El Salvador and one is from Iran. Five of those arrested had criminal convictions other than immigration violations.

Penalties for hiring illegal immigrants advance in Legislature

A bill that would deny tax incentives to Nebraska businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants has been sent out to the full Legislature. The 5-2 vote from the Revenue Committee came on the same day another committee officially reported its decision to kill Gov.

Dave Heineman’s proposal that would have required all state and local government agencies to verify non-citizen’s legal authority to be in the United States before granting them government benefits such as unemployment, welfare or resident tuition rates at Nebraska colleges. The Revenue Committee vote on LB784, however, appeared to be mostly symbolic.

The measure, introduced by State Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha, has not been given priority status. With the legislative session more than half complete, Howard said she doubted any action could be taken on the measure before the Legislature’s scheduled April 17 adjournment.

Nebraska employers of illegal immigrants targeted

At a legislative hearing in Lincoln last week, several Nebraskans testified in favor of a bill to prevent companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants from receiving incentives from the state. Companies applying for business tax incentives under the Nebraska Advantage Act would have to certify that they had not knowingly violated immigration law by employing undocumented immigrants for five years before the application.

If they later were found to have knowingly hired illegal immigrants, the companies would lose all tax benefits and would have to repay any benefits they had received.

The bill (LB784) from state Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha was considered by the Revenue Committee the same day as a proposal (LB895) from Gov. Dave Heineman to expand tax incentives to businesses that create high-paying jobs. “The solution must be shared by employers,” Howard said. Howard said she was not aware of any businesses receiving tax benefits that had hired illegal immigrants.