States Stepping Up to Tackle Immigration Laws; Bills Seek Stricter Enforcement

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Byline: Jerry Seper, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

State lawmakers are offering more than 500 bills this year targeting state-mandated services, illegal aliens and the employers who hire them, responding to a growing chorus of public opinion nationwide calling for stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

Led by Georgia, where benefits for illegal aliens were cut and stiff sanctions placed on employers who hire illegals, and by Colorado, which banned nonemergency services to those in the country illegally, at least 39 states have either proposed or passed similar legislation.

Lawmakers have focused on constituency concerns regarding an estimated 10 million to …