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As discussed here previously, legislators in many states have been introducing legislation mimicking Arizona’s controversial immigration legislation, SB 1070. In the past week, such legislation has progressed, albeit slightly, in South Carolina, but has been taken off the table in Colorado.

In South Carolina, The Sun News reported that S. 20, an Arizona-style immigration bill introduced by Senator Lawrence Grooms, was moving forward. However, after clearing the State Senate Judiciary Committee, the bill failed to garner sufficient votes to set it for Special Order, i.e., moving the bill to the top of the calendar. Accordingly, it is presently unknown when the bill will be voted on by the entire State Senate.

In Colorado, the sponsor of House Bill 1107, Rep. Randy Baumgardner, abandoned his attempt to institute an Arizona-like law, believing that legal challenges would burden taxpayers, reports Fox News Latino. On February 14, the House Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources indefinitely postponed the bill. As we previously noted, a group of Republican Colorado lawmakers recently traveled to Arizona to learn more about its approach to immigration legislation.

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With uncertainty surrounding immigration reform at the federal level, a growing number of immigration reform proposals are being made at the state level, many of which borrow measures from Arizona’s controversial SB 1070. Examples of recent immigration enforcement proposals include:

• A group of Republican lawmakers in Colorado, some of whom traveled to Arizona to learn more about its approach to immigration legislation, are discussing what should be included in immigration-related bills to be introduced in early 2011. One bill is expected to require Colorado employers to use E-Verify.
• In Florida, a senator has introduced a bill that would allow law enforcement officers—during a lawful detention or arrest—to ask for immigration documents if the officer suspects the detainee may be in the country illegally. The bill prohibits officers from using race as a reason for checking the detainee’s documentation.
• In Nevada, an assembly member has asked the state’s Legislative Counsel Bureau to draft a bill based on Arizona’s SB 1070; another assembly member has requested a bill requiring state employers to use E-Verify.
• Two senators in South Dakota are drafting a bill that would prohibit providing transportation or lodging to an individual known to be in the United States illegally. The bill also would prohibit illegal immigrants from asking for employment.
• In California, proponents of an SB 1070-style initiative have started collecting signatures in an effort to put the initiative on the February or June 2012 ballot.

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The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that it will begin to investigate workplaces in all 50 states to identify employers who are hiring undocumented workers. Specifically on July 1, 2009, ICE launched a comprehensive audit initiative and issued Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 652 businesses nationwide. States are also beginning to increase their enforcement efforts so employers should take steps to ensure compliance with both federal and state immigration requirements. Continue reading Littler ASAP "Latest Developments in Employment Verification Enforcement" by Jorge R. Lopez, Chadwick M. Graham and Melissa M. Randall.

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