Report analyzes Nebraska’s immigration issues, offers solutions

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BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

Nebraska stands at a crossroads on immigration.

It can do nothing.

Or it can better regulate immigration but risk losing a workforce vital to Nebraska’s economy and small towns.

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Sen. Brad Ashford (AP file)

Sen. Brad Ashford (AP file)

A study by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee released today shows the immigration issue to be complex — and any possible solutions to be highly debatable.

One solution recommended by Judiciary Chairman Brad Ashford could require all employers to verify the status of new hires, an economically risky option.

And there could be other bills introduced in the coming session involving education, ID cards, funding for interpreters and more focus on enforcing federal laws.

Ashford, of Omaha, said the interim study — a result of months of  research and meetings across the state — was an attempt to put the question of immigration and undocumented workers and families into a Nebraska context.

“There’s a … lack of information, and a huge gap about the Nebraska impact,” Ashford said.

In 2006, Nebraska’s immigrant population was estimated at nearly 100,000, many of them here for decades. But a third to a half could be undocumented, according to a  2005 estimate from the Pew Hispanic Center.

Looking forward to the 2009 session, Ashford has come to some conclusions:

* There’s no question Hispanic immigrants have had a significant economic impact on Nebraska communities.

* The struggle for integration in Nebraska communities continues, and discrimination is not diminishing. Foreign-born citizens and their descendants suffer from the broad brush of racial profiling.

* Though the federal government is responsible for immigration matters, no relief or clarity has come from Washington.

Doing nothing as a state could lead to a proliferation of local laws, resulting in the type of controversy and division that occurred in Fremont this summer.

The Fremont City Council, with the mayor breaking a 4-4 tie, killed a proposal to ban giving shelter or renting to undocumented immigrants.

The state doing nothing also could increase discrimination against documented workers and maintain an underclass of employees who have no opportunity to move up, the study said.

Ashford’s recommendation to the Legislature is to seriously consider mandating electronic verification of the legal status of new hires by all employers in the state.

“Employment is what motivated most undocumented immigrants to come here and stay here,” Ashford said in the study report. “It is at that level where the reform should now occur.”

Last year, even though three immigration-related bills were proposed, none made it to debate.

One of those (LB963), introduced at the request of Gov. Dave Heineman, would have ensured that no state, federal or local public benefits would go to illegal immigrants.

Ashford said senators may introduce other immigration bills in the upcoming session.

“I hope the debate will be grounded in constructive dialogue and free from acrimony,” he said.

Meetings this fall in five communities across the state showed immigration has affected education, health care, social services, law enforcement and business.

Public schools must provide education for kids in kindergarten through grade 12, regardless of their legal status. Education is the largest expenditure in the state budget, and school districts get the most local property tax dollars.

People attending meetings in Lexington, Grand Island, Schuyler and Scottsbluff all talked about the growing numbers of Hispanic students, and the cost of providing space for growing populations and classes for students who speak English as a second language.

In Lincoln Public Schools, Spanish-speaking students have been the fastest growing group in the past three years, said Deila Steiner, LPS director of federal programs.

Most are second and third generation children, born in this country. And most speak some English, she said, but still must take English Language Learner classes to be able to participate in academic classes.

Finding enough highly qualified ELL teachers has been a problem, Steiner said. General education teachers also must be prepared to understand the children’s cultures, their family dynamics and the components of academic language acquisition.

It’s the same story across the state, with language barriers stressing teachers and administrators, and parents in need of language services.

But the larger issues still focus on employment. Federal law prohibits an employer from hiring, recruiting or referring undocumented immigrants for work, and employers are subject to fines and prosecution if they do.

Still, thousands of undocumented workers are employed in Nebraska, the report said. And the state’s economy and employers benefit from their work.

Some major employers use the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify, which electronically verifies the employment status of new hires. But there are concerns about the accuracy and effectiveness of the system.

According to the Judiciary Committee study, if the Legislature adopted a mandated E-Verify system, legal and illegal immigrants and businesses could leave the state.

With that possibility, the study said, it is essential that the governor and Legislature develop a plan to determine the cost to losing thousands of undocumented workers and their families.

“Rural Nebraska has significant challenges already,” the report said, “and a reduction of workers and families will not make it any easier.”

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.