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Jeff Sessions Leads Republican Group to Introduces Tough Immigration Legislation
Office of Jeff Sessions U.S. Senator for Alabama ^ | Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Posted on 03/09/2008 5:43:41 PM PDT by Condor 63

WASHINGTON – In the wake of last year’s failed immigration reform efforts, twelve Republican Senators today introduced 15 specific enforcement bills, each designed to make important improvements to America’s immigration system.

Each bill in the package represents a specific step toward securing America’s borders, increasing enforcement at the workplace, or restoring law and order to our nation’s immigration system. The coalition, led by U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), will call for full Senate consideration on each of the individual bills as amendments to any appropriate legislative vehicle or as stand-alone pieces of legislation.

“The American people have made it clear that they want Congress to take action to limit illegal immigration, secure our borders and restore lawfulness to our immigration system,” Sessions said. “We cannot afford to sit idly and do nothing. This package of legislation represents a series of politically achievable steps that will make real improvements to our immigration system.”

The package of legislation covers a range of issues, including completion of the border fence, establishing English as the national language, discouraging states from granting driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and establishing mandatory minimum sentences for illegal entry into the United States.

Introducing specific bills is necessary due to the failure of last year’s comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The lesson learned from that debate was that Congress must secure the nation’s borders in order to demonstrate credibility to the American people.

(Excerpt) Read more at sessions.senate.gov ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: 110th; aliens; illegalimmigration; illegals; immigrantlist; immigration; immigrationlist; immigrationreform; jeffsessions; senate
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To: devane617

His is my Junior Senator from Alabama and he is one of the very best up there. I’m proud of him. I just wish Shelby had half the convictions and ‘nads of Sessions.


21 posted on 03/09/2008 7:08:29 PM PDT by RatRipper
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To: Condor 63
This is a farce. Congress doesn't need to pass anymore legislation when we already have effective immigration laws that are not being strictly enforced.Passing more legislation will only result in more laws not being executed. All that needs to be done is to enforce the following law.

Federal Immigration and Nationality Act

Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii) Recruitment and Employment of Illegal Aliens Encouraging and Harboring Illegal Aliens Enforcement RICO —Citizen Recourse Tax Crimes Comment

Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii) "Any person who . . . encourages or induces an illegal alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each illegal alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."

Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:

· assists an illegal alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or · encourages that illegal alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or · knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions. ·

Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime. Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his or her work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief.

Recruitment and Employment of Illegal Aliens

It is unlawful to hire an alien, to recruit an alien, or to refer an illegal alien for a fee, knowing the illegal alien is unauthorized to work in the United States. It is equally unlawful to continue to employ an illegal alien knowing that the illegal alien is unauthorized to work.

It is unlawful to hire any individual for employment in the United States without complying with employment eligibility verification requirements. Requirements include examination of identity documents and completion of Form I-9 for every employee hired. Employers must retain all I-9s, and, with three days' advance notice, the forms must be made available for inspection. Employment includes any service or labor performed for any type of remuneration within the United States, with the exception of sporadic domestic service by an individual in a private home. "Day laborers" or other casual workers engaged in any compensated activity (with the above exception) are employees for purposes of immigration law. An employer includes an agent or anyone acting directly or indirectly in the interest of the employer. For purposes of verification of authorization to work, employer also means an independent contractor, or a contractor other than the person using the illegal alien labor.

The use of temporary or short-term contracts cannot be used to circumvent the employment authorization verification requirements. If employment is to be for less than the usual three days allowed for completing the I-9 Form requirement, the form must be completed immediately at the time of hire.

An employer has constructive knowledge that an employee is an illegal unauthorized worker if a reasonable person would infer it from the facts. Constructive knowledge constituting a violation of federal law has been found where (1) the I-9 employment eligibility form has not been properly completed, including supporting documentation, (2) the employer has learned from other individuals, media reports, or any source of information available to the employer that the alien is unauthorized to work, or (3) the employer acts with reckless disregard for the legal consequences of permitting a third party to provide or introduce an illegal alien into the employer's work force. Knowledge cannot be inferred solely on the basis of an individual's accent or foreign appearance.

Actual specific knowledge is not required. For example, a newspaper article stating that ballrooms depend on an illegal alien work force of dance hostesses was held by the courts to be a reasonable ground for suspicion that unlawful conduct had occurred.

It is illegal for nonprofit or religious organizations to knowingly assist an employer to violate employment sanctions, regardless of claims that their convictions require them to assist illegal aliens. Harboring or aiding illegal aliens is not protected by the First Amendment. It is a felony to establish a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of federal immigration law. Violators may be fined or imprisoned for up to five years.

Encouraging and Harboring Illegal Aliens

It is a violation of law for any person to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection in any place, including any building or means of transportation, any illegal alien who is in the United States in violation of law. Harboring means any conduct that tends to substantially facilitate an alien to remain in the U.S. illegally. The sheltering need not be clandestine, and harboring covers aliens arrested outdoors, as well as in a building. This provision includes harboring an alien who entered the U.S. legally but has since lost his legal status.

An employer can be convicted of the felony of harboring illegal aliens who are his employees if he takes actions in reckless disregard of their illegal status, such as ordering them to obtain false documents, altering records, obstructing INS inspections, or taking other actions that facilitate the alien's illegal employment. Any person who within any 12-month period hires ten or more individuals with actual knowledge that they are illegal aliens or unauthorized workers is guilty of felony harboring. It is also a felony to encourage or induce an alien to come to or reside in the U.S. knowing or recklessly disregarding the fact that the alien's entry or residence is in violation of the law. This crime applies to any person, rather than just employers of illegal aliens. Courts have ruled that "encouraging" includes counseling illegal aliens to continue working in the U.S. or assisting them to complete applications with false statements or obvious errors. The fact that the alien is a refugee fleeing persecution is not a defense to this felony, since U.S. law and the UN Protocol on Refugees both require that a refugee must report to immigration authorities without delay upon entry to the U.S.

The penalty for felony harboring is a fine and imprisonment for up to five years. The penalty for felony alien smuggling is a fine and up to ten years' imprisonment. Where the crime causes serious bodily injury or places the life of any person in jeopardy, the penalty is a fine and up to twenty years' imprisonment. If the criminal smuggling or harboring results in the death of any person, the penalty can include life imprisonment. Convictions for aiding, abetting, or conspiracy to commit alien smuggling or harboring, carry the same penalties. Courts can impose consecutive prison sentences for each alien smuggled or harbored. A court may order a convicted smuggler to pay restitution if the illegal alien smuggled qualifies as a victim under the Victim and Witness Protection Act. Conspiracy to commit crimes of sheltering, harboring, or employing illegal aliens is a separate federal offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or five years' imprisonment.

Enforcement

A person or entity having knowledge of a violation or potential violation of employer sanctions provisions may submit a signed written complaint to the INS office with jurisdiction over the business or residence of the potential violator, whether an employer, employee, or agent. The complaint must include the names and addresses of both the complainant and the violator, and detailed factual allegations, including date, time, and place of the potential violation, and the specific conduct alleged to be a violation of employer sanctions. By regulation, the INS will only investigate third-party complaints that have a reasonable probability of validity. Designated INS officers and employees, and all other officers whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws, may make an arrest for violation of smuggling or harboring illegal aliens.

State and local law enforcement officials have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes without prior INS knowledge or approval, as long as they are authorized to do so by state law. There is no extant federal limitation on this authority. The 1996 immigration control legislation passed by Congress was intended to encourage states and local agencies to participate in the process of enforcing federal immigration laws. Immigration officers and local law enforcement officers may detain an individual for a brief warrantless interrogation where circumstances create a reasonable suspicion that the individual is illegally present in the U.S. Specific facts constituting a reasonable suspicion include evasive, nervous, or erratic behavior; dress or speech indicating foreign citizenship; and presence in an area known to contain a concentration of illegal aliens. Hispanic appearance alone is not sufficient. Immigration officers and police must have a valid warrant or valid employer's consent to enter workplaces or residences. Any vehicle used to transport or harbor illegal aliens, or used as a substantial part of an activity that encourages illegal aliens to come to or reside in the U.S. may be seized by an immigration officer and is subject to forfeiture. The forfeiture power covers any conveyances used within the U.S.

RICO —Citizen Recourse

Private persons and entities may initiate civil suits to obtain injunctions and treble damages against enterprises that conspire to or actually violate federal alien smuggling, harboring, or document fraud statutes, under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). The pattern of racketeering activity is defined as commission of two or more of the listed crimes. A RICO enterprise can be any individual legal entity, or a group of individuals who are not a legal entity but are associated in fact, and can include nonprofit associations.

Tax Crimes

Employers who aid or abet the preparation of false tax returns by failing to pay income or Social Security taxes for illegal alien employees, or who knowingly make payments using false names or Social Security numbers, are subject to IRS criminal and civil sanctions. U.S. nationals who have suffered intentional discrimination because of citizenship or national origin by an employer with more than three employees may file a complaint within 180 days of the discriminatory act with the Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to the federal statutes summarized, state laws and local ordinances controlling fair labor practices, workers compensation, zoning, safe housing and rental property, nuisance, licensing, street vending, and solicitations by contractors may also apply to activities that involve illegal aliens.

Comment:

A comment and a published quote by Robert Gaffney, Attorney and County Executive of Suffolk County, LI, NY:

The statutory foundation of United States immigration law has always been the jurisdiction of the federal government, Congress and the federal courts. The preeminent laws concerning the employment of illegal aliens are found in the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §~ 1101-1503), as amended by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 CIRCA).

The law states it is a crime to assist an illegal alien who lacks employment authorization by referring him to an employer, or by acting as his or her employer, or as an agent for an employer. 8 U.S.C.S. § 1324a(a)(1)(A) (Lexis 1997). Furthermore, it is unlawful to hire an individual for employment without complying with the employment eligibility requirements for every person hired. 8 U.S.C.S. § 1324a(a)(l)(B) (Lexis 1997). Moreover, conduct tending substantially to facilitate illegal aliens remaining in the United States illegally, where there is knowledge or a reckless disregard of an illegal alien s unlawful status, is a crime, with escalating penalties, encompassed within the provisions of 1324. 8 U.S.C.S. § 1324(a)(l)(A)(iii) (Lexis 1997); United States v. Kim. 193 F-3d 567 (2d Cir. 1999), are considered employees for purposes of immigration law.
22 posted on 03/09/2008 7:09:03 PM PDT by Man50D (Fair Tax, you earn it, you keep it!)
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To: Condor 63
Several things we don't see here.

Felony to hire illegals or persons without credible Social Security numbers--process for employers to safe harbor check numbers; felony to hire persons without the safe harbor check.

Also, it should be a felony to transport illegals from border areas to places of US employment for hire, knowing that they are in the country illegally.

23 posted on 03/09/2008 7:13:13 PM PDT by David (...)
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To: AuntB

Thanks for the PING

Our lovely Senator Cute-as-a-Button continues to lead in this vital area...

God Bless him

:)

Yes I know he is not from TN, but what he does effects us too...

Thank you Alabama for electing Jeff...


24 posted on 03/09/2008 7:15:42 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: Tennessee Nana

I’d love to see Jeff Sessions on the Supreme Court. He’s thoughtful and thorough.


25 posted on 03/09/2008 7:19:45 PM PDT by AuntB ('If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." T. Paine)
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To: AuntB

:)


26 posted on 03/09/2008 7:22:15 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: Condor 63

“The American people have made it clear that they want Congress to take action to limit illegal immigration, secure our borders and restore lawfulness to our immigration system.”
Thank God that those like Sessions, Hunter, DeMint, et.al., get it, but many others just don’t seem to care what we want.

Frustrating how deaf some become when the American people speak.


27 posted on 03/09/2008 7:25:01 PM PDT by tennteacher (Hunter Conservative)
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To: Condor 63
Just like the fence bill before the mid terms, this is nothing more than boob bait for bubba.
28 posted on 03/09/2008 7:31:17 PM PDT by org.whodat (What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
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To: Man50D

Agreed. As I have stated in multiple past postings the laws we have should be enforced. What is the use of creating new laws that won’t be enforced?

Anymore the swearing to uphold the laws of our Nation seems is simply rhetoric. IOW BS.


29 posted on 03/09/2008 7:44:03 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...call 'em what you will...They ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: Condor 63

What's McCain stance on this?


30 posted on 03/09/2008 7:50:40 PM PDT by central_va (Co. C, 15th Va., Patrick Henry Rifles-The boys of Hanover Co.)
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To: Condor 63

Does anyone but me think that Sen. Sessions sounds like Huckleberry Hound?


31 posted on 03/09/2008 7:52:00 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: ARE SOLE

You are so right. And he’s not going to let them try to sneak stuff through during an election year when our attention is being pulled in all directions.


32 posted on 03/09/2008 7:55:46 PM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: PGalt

I agree with you we from Alabama want Jeff Sessions for president but we dont want himto leave the Senate for the VP slot.


33 posted on 03/09/2008 8:54:09 PM PDT by southland (Matt. 24:6)
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To: Condor 63

Why can’t they all be like Jeff Sessions?


34 posted on 03/09/2008 9:17:43 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby (I was born with nothing. So far I have most of it left.)
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To: central_va; AuntB; calcowgirl
"What's McCain stance on this?"

Really, REALLY WIDE!!! Phhhhhhhhhhhht!!!

35 posted on 03/09/2008 9:41:21 PM PDT by SierraWasp (Changing America to an Obamanation is good? I think NOT! A McCaination isn't a whole lot better!!!)
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To: Jemian
Jeff Sessions for President

I second the motion.

Alabama's Senator Sessions is a bright and shining light in a dark Senate chamber dominated by incompetent, self-serving, semi-moronic, greedy, dishonest, lying, unAmerican, anti-Christian, sold-out-to-special interests liberal Democrats and RINOs who couldn't govern tiny little Andorra without royally screwing it up.

IMHO Senator Sessions should be the GOP nominee for president and McCain should be sent back to the AZ desert and into retirement without pay. That's enough ranting for now, I'll say how I really feel in another post.

36 posted on 03/09/2008 10:04:07 PM PDT by epow (The scriptures teach that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, - Noah Webster,1823)
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To: abigailsmybaby
Why can’t they all be like Jeff Sessions?

Because he's an honest, loyal, decent, moral, truthful, all-American patriot, and a large majority of them aren't any of those things and the rest aren't most of those things.

Try comparing Jeff Sessions with that unspeakably vile, loud-mouthed, anti-American, cowardly, lame-brained, girl-drowning, pampered tub of whiskey-soaked lard Kennedy and you'll soon see what I mean.

37 posted on 03/09/2008 10:19:39 PM PDT by epow (The scriptures teach that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, - Noah Webster,1823)
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To: Kakaze
Its Lugar and Bayh that are a waste of time,

How true, and to think that I once thought rather highly of Lugar as one who I thought was a principled, moderately conservative Senator.

I always suspected that Bayh is a 2-faced imposter pretending to be reasonably moderate in order to be elected in moderately conservative Indiana, and so he is. But for some reason that I can't remember now I once thought that Lugar was a much better man than he's turned out to be. Now I say a pox on both their houses.

38 posted on 03/09/2008 10:38:51 PM PDT by epow (The scriptures teach that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, - Noah Webster,1823)
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To: Condor 63

Heard him on Ingraham’s show the other morning talking about this.


39 posted on 03/10/2008 12:41:07 AM PDT by beaversmom
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To: Condor 63

Pardon me, it wasn’t Jeff Sessions I heard, but Inhofe—talking about the same thing though.


40 posted on 03/10/2008 12:42:44 AM PDT by beaversmom
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