Rhode Island lawmaker files bill that follows Arizona immigration law

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PROVIDENCE –– State Rep. Peter G. Palumbo, saying that he’s “fed up,” and “we’re all under attack” by illegal immigrants, has filed a bill mirroring a controversial Arizona law that is considered the toughest immigration legislation in the country.

Palumbo’s bill, like the Arizona law, gives local police more authority to question and arrest illegal immigrants. It makes failure to carry immigration documents a state crime, and requires police to question people “where reasonable suspicion exists” that the person is unlawfully in the United States. The bill, H 8142, also targets people who hire illegal immigrants, or who knowingly transport them.

Much of Palumbo’s bill is taken verbatim from the Arizona bill, SB 1070, signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer last month, over the objection of President Obama. It would put in place far stricter controls than Palumbo’s previous unsuccessful attempts, or Governor Carcieri’s controversial 2008 executive order cracking down on illegal immigration.

Palumbo, a Cranston Democrat, had stated he had no plans to file such legislation this year. But he changed his mind last week as opposition to the Arizona law — including a spreading economic boycott and legal challenges — continued to mount.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/rhode-island/982435-palumbo-files-illegal-alien-bill.html