Georgia House Bill 87 will take effect on July 1^st, authorizing law enforcement to investigate the immigration status of individuals they believe have committed state or federal crimes and who cannot produce proper identification.

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/hispanic-gop-group-urges-954917.html

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South Carolina House approves immigration crackdown bill

The State (SC) reports that the South Carolina House approved an Arizona-style crackdown on illegally present immigrants. The bill would require law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of people they pull over for traffic violations or stop on suspicion of other violations. Supporters say illegally present immigrants are a burden on state resources and hope the bill will ensure that jobs go to legal residents. Detractors fear the bill will lead to racial profiling, making a suspect of all Hispanic-Americans in the state.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/25/2233839/sc-house-approves-immigration.html

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CT Senate passes in-state tuition bill for undocumented immigrants

The Hartford Courant reports that the Connecticut Senate passed a bill that will allow illegally present immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at the state’s public colleges and universities. The bill has already passed the House and Governor Dannel P. Malloy said he will sign it.

Supporters of the bill say it is an unfair disadvantage for the children of illegally present immigrants to pay higher rates for education when they were brought to the U.S. through no choice of their own. Critics, on the other hand, argue that the bill will reward people who break the rules and attract illegally present immigrants from neighboring states to take advantage of cheaper education.

http://articles.courant.com/2011-05-24/news/hc-senate-tuition-paid-sick-leave-05220110524_1_undocumented-immigrants-tuition-rates-public-colleges

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Indigenous immigrants stumped by both Spanish, English

The Associated Press reports that many people living in the U.S. of Hispanic American Indian origins speak neither Spanish nor English, but rather ancient indigenous languages that existed long before the first Spanish conquistadores arrived. According to data from the Mexican consulate, 35,000 of the approximately 500,000 Mexicans living in New York City speak some form of these indigenous languages. This language barrier has caused problems for some illegally present immigrants and as a result, there is a growing demand for Spanish classes for Latin American immigrants. The Unit of Volunteers for Adult Education, for example, holds classes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7585644.html

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18,300 Signatures Submitted in Effort to Oust Senator Pearce

Capitol Media Services reports that foes of Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce submitted more than 18,300 signatures Monday to force what would be the first-ever recall of a state elected official. Detractors cite Pearce’s active role in laws aimed at undocumented immigrants as the reason for the recall. The number of signatures that are actually valid, that is from registered voters who reside in his district, remains to be seen and Pearce firmly believes many of the signatures will not be counted. Should there be a vote, it could take place as late as March depending on how quickly the petition moves through the proper state offices.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_aa9d0bdc-3b2a-5c2a-a7b2-0c39ad434164.html

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U.S. Green-Card Lottery Scrutinized After Blunder

The Wall Street Journal reports that the State Department’s Inspector General is reviewing the government’s green-card lottery after this year’s results were thrown out and thousands of people who had been told they won a chance for a U.S. resident visa were later notified they would have to re-enter the drawing. This year, a record 15 million people from around the world submitted applications to the drawing, which offers a quick path to permanent residence for 50,000 people selected by random draw. The lottery is designed to help citizens of countries with low rates of immigration. The 22,000 winners were told by the State Department that the drawing would have to be held again because of a computer glitch which caused 90% of the winners to be selected from the first two days of applications instead of the entire 30-day registration.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304474804576368022419152178.html

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Illinois to Create Private Scholarship Fund for Undocumented Immigrants

Fox News Latino reports that Illinois, which passed its state version of the DREAM Act, is on the verge of becoming the first state to create a private college scholarship fund for the children of undocumented immigrants. The Illinois DREAM Act creates a state fund that would route private donations to as many as 95,000 undocumented immigrants. In addition, the measure would train high school counselors to assist undocumented children forward their educational careers. The Illinois Dream Act has no impact on a person’s immigration status and does not offer a path to citizenship like the proposed federal law by the same name.

http://latino.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=30414&external=938778.proteus.fma

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