By Gina Morton
The Daily Item
---- — Paul J. Ruane said if he is stopped by law enforcement officers, they have the right to ask for his driver's license, so he sees no reason why the same police can't ask to verify a person's citizenship status if the individual is reasonably stopped as well.
"If you're going to be here, you have to be here legally," the Northumberland man said Wednesday. "I don't see anything wrong with that law."
A state representative has proposed an immigration bill that would grant state police the authority to enforce federal immigration laws.
According to the Pennsylvania Independent, House Bill 2479 — or, the Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act — is part of the broader National Security Begins at Home legislative package aiming to provide Pennsylvania law enforcement with "full authority to apprehend illegal aliens."
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, introduced the bill Tuesday.
Ruane said he believed the proposed law would be fine for Pennsylvania.
"Too many people are getting something for nothing," he said. "I favor what they're doing in Arizona. It's not infringing on anybody's right."
Bill Barr, of Milton, agreed.
"I'm all for immigration, but you have to do it legally," he said. "I don't care if you're Hispanic, European, Chinese, if you do it legal, that's fine. If you're illegal, bye."
The law would make it a criminal offense to be in the United States illegally, allow law enforcement to make an arrest for any public offense, create a felony offense for smuggling illegal immigrants for profit, and sanction cities and employers for not using the federal government's system to check citizenship status of potential employees, or employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Employers will be required to use the federal government's e-verify system to check the status of a potential employee's citizenship status.
Kermit Kohl, vice president of human resources at Furmanos in Northumberland, said the company has been using the e-verify system for several years.
A government contractor, Furmanos is required to use the system on every person hired.
"That site identifies and verifies Social Security numbers and permanent residence status," Kohl said. "The number you check comes back good or bad."
The name of every person the company hires is processed to be sure he is a legal resident.
Under the law, however, police officers would not be able to legally interrogate individuals simply on suspicion of their being in the United States illegally. There would first have to be an instigating offense that would require the presentation of documents.
Illegal immigrants do not pose a big problem to his department, Northumberland Borough police Chief Timothy Fink said.
"We really don't encounter that a whole lot," he said Wednesday. "We're a one square-mile borough ... we don't deal with it a lot."
He was unable to recall any recent incidents where officers dealt with an illegal immigrant.
In the proposed legislation, Metcalfe said American citizens would not be required to carry proof of their citizenry and if an individual said he was an American citizen, it would be the end of questioning. If an illegal immigrant lied and said he was a legal citizen, that would be a violation of the law, Metcalfe said.
Barr did not believe illegal immigrants were a problem locally, but still was supportive of the bill.
"I truthfully believe it's time to secure things," he said. "As long as you're legal, I'll welcome you with open arms. If you're not legal — bye."
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