2011 Will Bring Slew of State Immigration Bills

Get ready for the onslaught. Almost every state legislature across the continental US will be taking-on immigration law proposals in 2011. Most of them, as you’d imagine, parrot Arizona’s sb1070. The Republican sweep of congress and state houses across the land is of no help to the pro-immigrant cause. Bloomberg reports that:

“About 300 immigration-related bills were introduced in statehouses in 2005, said Ann Morse, who directs the Immigrant Policy Project for the National Conference of State Legislatures. In each of the last two years, the figure reached about 1,500, she said.
In 2011, state legislators could push the number higher. “Every indication I get is, they’re not done,” (Immigrant Policy Project for the National Conference of State Legislatures Director Ann) Morse said.”

Not only that, some newly elected Republican state governors are intent on making their mark on immigrants backs:

In some states, newly-elected Republican governors want to press ahead with more stringent immigration laws. Governor-elect Nikki Haley of South Carolina said she wants to sign into law a measure like Arizona’s next year. She also wants to boost state funding for immigration enforcement and press for increased deportation of illegal immigrants within her state’s borders.
Florida’s Rick Scott campaigned on copying Arizona’s approach, as did Georgia’s Nathan Deal — who also wants to revoke birthright U.S. citizenship for babies of illegal immigrants.
In other states, Democratic chief executives may find themselves at odds with Republican-controlled legislatures over immigration policy. Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri and Governor-elect John Hickenlooper of Colorado have said they oppose an Arizona-type “probable cause” law that some Republican legislators in their states have suggested they might propose.”

And in the midst of it all, still no decisive movement  form the White House in the immigration front.