It was a tough session for the immigrant community in Rhode Island, as more than two dozen anti-immigrant measures were introduced in the General Assembly. Their purported aim at “illegal” immigrants was belied by what the main sponsor of these bills called the keystone of the package – making English the state’s official language. The package also included blatantly unconstitutional bills, such as one that would have denied a public education to the children of immigrants not lawfully in the country. Fortunately, none of the bills became law, although two did make it through the House.
Representative Jon Brien’s bill requiring all non-governmental employers to verify work authorization of new hires through the use of Basic Pilot, a federal program reliant on largely inaccurate databases, was voted out of the House by a 46-18 vote in the late hours of the session’s final day. The other bill approved by the House was from Representative Richard Singleton’s package of anti-immigrant legislation, and would have prohibited the Department of Motor Vehicles from accepting any “out of date” documents for driver’s license applications. Although neither bill made it to the Senate floor, it is clear that the continued targeting of immigrants will be a major legislative battle in 2008.
Conversely, no pro-immigrant legislation made it out of committee this year. Despite support from many advocacy groups for both an in-state tuition bill – allowing immigrant children who are long-time residents of Rhode Island to qualify for in-state tuition at the state’s higher education institutions – and legislation that would have restored some immigrant children back to the RIte Care rolls, House Finance Committee took no action on either measure.
