* Earlier today on a southern Illinois radio station…
* The governor called the three pieces of legislation “bad bills.” Former Gov. Jim Edgar penned an op-ed earlier this week calling on him to sign the bills. Here’s Edgar’s take on the first bill Rauner referenced today…
The Immigration Safe Zones Act (SB 35) addresses the all-too-common fear among many immigrants of law enforcement agents swooping them up as they go to court, seek medical attention, pursue education, and seek other assistance. This bill would direct the Illinois Attorney General to develop model policies for courthouses, schools, libraries, medical facilities, and shelters on how to handle immigration enforcement activity. These model policies would send a strong signal that education, public health and justice should be available for all Illinois residents, while ensuring that any enforcement activity at these locations meet basic legal standards.
Gov. Rauner said today the “bad” bill was “part of the whole sanctuary concept that I’m against.”
…Adding… I posted the wrong bill above. He’s vetoing SB35, but signing SB3488. Change made in text.
* Edgar…
The VOICES Act (SB 34) would set consistent rules for law enforcement agencies that work with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and certain other crimes. These survivors can seek federal protections if law enforcement agencies certify that they have come forward and actively cooperated in the prosecution of their case, but too often these agencies delay or deny these certifications. By setting standards for handling certification requests, this bill would encourage the untold numbers of survivors who have yet to come forward to report and cooperate with law enforcement, and improve public safety for all.
“That ties the hands of law enforcement,” Rauner said. “It can delay deportations which should otherwise occur. And again, that’s a bad bill and we’re gonna be vetoing that. We don’t want to tie the hands of our local law enforcement.”
* Edgar…
The Immigrant Tenant Protection Act (SB 3103) would protect immigrant renters from unscrupulous landlords who might seek to avoid their legal obligations under Illinois law and local ordinances by issuing threats and illegal evictions based solely on immigration status.
“Again,” Rauner said, Wwe should not be tying the hands of any property owners in the state or supporting illegal immigration in that way.”
* The show’s host then mentioned that Illinois has more illegal immigrants than any other state. Rauner’s response…
That pushes up our unemployment rate, and that holds down wages in Illinois and takes jobs away from Americans.
* Rauner also talked about how the state Democrats “tried to ban E-Verify as a tool for employers to check on legal status of immigrants before they hire anybody.” He said that “fortunately, they lost that in the courts.” The governor said he wants E-Verify everywhere in the country. Click here for background on that fight.
The show’s host suggested that perhaps the alleged murderer of Mollie Tibbetts, who is reported to be an illegal immigrant, might not have even been working in Iowa if his employer had used E-Verify, which is a website that allows employers to determine the eligibility of their employees to work.
Rauner…
Well, you know I did read, I did read that, that that individual, the alleged murderer in that case, who was an illegal immigrant, had been working in the US for a while and the employer did not use E-Verify to check on his status and that may very well have made a difference.
Some Republicans, including former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have been pushing Republican candidates to use the Mollie Tibbetts case in the fall campaign.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
“Bruce Rauner vetoing a majority of the immigration bills on his desk is a cowardly, political move that exploits divisions he and Donald Trump try to make in our society,” said JB Pritzker. “When Trump leads chants to ‘build the wall’ and bans refugees from entering our country, Rauner applauds his administration and follows his lead by vetoing bills even Republicans call ‘practical, common sense solutions to urgent issues that immigrants in our state face.’ We have 1.8 million immigrants in Illinois, and their governor refuses to protect and support them — that’s a disgrace. As governor, I will sign these critical bills, stand with our immigrant families, and work to improve educational opportunities, increase healthcare options, and foster economic opportunity for immigrant youth and their families.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Sen. Sam McCann…
Governor Rauner’s sudden change of heart on immigration is disingenuous and clearly driven by his staggeringly low poll numbers. Rauner willingly signed a bill into law reigning Illinois in as a sanctuary state and has remained silent in much of the national immigration debate. Choosing rather to side with a Chicago liberals rather than POTUS Donald Trump.
Now that polls show him trailing by nearly twenty points, Governor Rauner has decided his only political option is to flip-flop and pretend to be conservative, thinking Illinois voters won’t see right through him.
Illinois voters have one candidate who has been consistently tough on immigration, and they can count on me to stay vigilant in protecting jobs for our citizens.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
The Illinois Senate Latino Caucus denounced statements made by Gov. Bruce Rauner today while announcing his veto of three immigration-related bills on the basis of inaccurate assertions and false generalizations that all undocumented immigrants are murderers.
Senate Latino Caucus members released the following statements:
Latino Caucus Co-Chair Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago):
“These are measures that would have given immigrants basic human rights and protected them from deportation simply for reporting crimes. As we draw closer to November, Rauner gets closer and closer to being a Donald Trump clone than an independently-minded leader.”
Assistant Majority Leader Antonio “Tony” Munoz (D-Chicago):
“The governor’s comments today are misguided. I find it offensive that he would attempt to hurt members of our community to join in with President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. He has completely ignored the intent of these pieces of legislation while failing to lead our diverse state once again.”
Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago):
“The governor is trying to score political points during a week when anti-immigrant rhetoric is high. It’s a shame that he cares more about appealing to certain voters than really reading this legislation and understanding that it is beneficial to the many immigrants living in our state.”
Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago):
“Gov. Rauner chose to side with the racist rhetoric that is spewed from the White House instead of focusing on the people he represents. He was wrong for using such a tragic incident to benefit himself and hurting our community by completely undermining legislation that helps everyone.”
Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin):
“This once again proves the governor is no friend of Illinois’ diverse immigrant communities. Gov. Rauner continues to flock to President Trump’s hostile right-wing agenda instead of embracing the contributions diversity brings to our state and society. Illinois needs a leader, not a Trump follower.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto Friday of legislation intended to improve relations between immigrant communities and law enforcement is a step backward that will punish victims and shield criminals, said Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, the lead sponsor of the proposal.
“This is a slap in the face to crime victims who happen to be immigrants. The whole idea was to foster trust between police and immigrant communities. You want immigrants to report crime, because criminals aren’t checking immigration status,” Cullerton said. “Gov. Rauner’s veto is a misguided step in the wrong direction that will ultimately shield criminals and punish victims.”
Cullerton sponsored the proposed Voices Of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act to add teeth to an existing federal law designed to encourage people to report crimes and help police regardless of their immigration status. Federal law creates special immigration visas for victims of crime.
Here’s how it is intended to work: When victimized immigrants help police and prosecutors bring criminals to justice, they are supposed to, in turn, get assistance from law enforcement with their official immigration paperwork.
That deal already exists in federal law. The problem is there’s no deadline for that paperwork assistance, leading to criticism that immigrant victims are too often left in legal limbo. These are often victims of human trafficking.
Cullerton’s proposal required Illinois law enforcement to sign off on the immigration paperwork within 90 business days.
The VOICES Act, Senate Bill 34, passed the Illinois Senate with bipartisan support.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Press release…
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law condemns Governor Rauner’s veto of SB3103, the Illinois Immigrant Tenant Protection Act. The ITPA protects all Illinoisans by prohibiting landlords from harassing, mistreating, or evicting tenants based on any perceived immigration status. The bill would make Illinois a better place to rent property and a fairer place to live. It is disgraceful that in the year of the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act Governor Rauner has chosen to veto SB3103, putting hateful and discriminatory politics ahead of sound policy.
