"We must first secure the border...." United States Representative Candice Miller

Recently in Huron County there have been many issues dealing with possible illegal aliens.

The Michigan State Police and the Huron County Sheriff's Department, along with other county law enforcement agencies are charged with the protection of Huron County residents and visitors and enforcing the law.

"Each year, approximately 40,000 migrant and settle-out farm workers travel to Michigan to live and work within our communities to assure that crops are harvested for sale and consumption throughout the world," according to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

According to the Department of Civil Rights, law enforcement agencies throughout Michigan support the position that bias enforcement practices, whether real or perceived, are detrimental to the relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

In Michigan, migrant workers are treated basically the same as anyone else in Michigan; they may need to provide identification.

Samples of this identification may include a Michigan or other state driver's license or identification card, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.

Other samples of identification used in confirming identification include a birth certificate, rent or utility bills, pay stubs, Mexican "matricula" or other pictured documents, according to the Department of Civil Rights.

Immigration is not only a topic one may hear discussed in a Huron County coffee shop, but it is also a topic of discussion within the State of Michigan and throughout the United States.

In the past couple months, immigration discussion and possible reform is a hot topic.

Recently, the United States Senate showed a bill pertaining to "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill." This bill recently failed.

"Illegal immigration is a serious problem that has been growing for decades. Past efforts to address it have failed because they did not do enough to secure our Nation's borders, failed to address the underlying economic reasons behind illegal immigration, and failed to provide sensible ways for employers to verify the legal status of the workers they hire," according to the whitehouse.gov website.

"I view this as an historic opportunity for Congress to act for Congress to replace a system that is not working with one that we believe will work a lot better. In other words, this is a moment for people who have been elected to come together, focus on a problem and show the American people that we can work together to fix the problem," President George W. Bush said, referring to Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

State Representative Terry Brown recently announced a plan to require the State of Michigan to compile rules and regulations that govern farming operations so that farmers can easily find out what their legal responsibilities are.

He introduced a bill to that affect to the members of the House Agriculture Committee, which voted unanimously to

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advance the bill to the full House, according to Brown's office.

"Our farmers take pride in being good citizens and stewards of our land, and they are asking for an easier way to find out how to meet their responsibilities," said Brown.

He added, "Farmers often have a hard time knowing exactly which rules and regulations they must follow, especially in this rapidly changing world."

In regards to the recent arrests and "raids" to area farms and contractors regarding illegal immigrants, Brown feels these individuals are called illegals for a reason. "They are illegal," said Brown.

"The Michigan State Police are doing their job. They have taken an oath to uphold the law," said Brown.

He added, "I have heard comments from many people regarding this issue, I have heard they must go and hire only legals, I have heard no one is willing to do the jobs the illegals are doing."

"(When hiring illigals) you are gambling that no one will get caught. We have heard there are false documents being pushed off. I think if you have a questionable employee, get a hold of the police and check their identification," said Brown.

"I am pushing everything I can for employment, I would rather prevent the problem before it happens," said Brown.

He explained he is using many methods to bring the farming industry together to do the work.

"We are looking on the State level with these issues, however we need the Federal Government to take the lead," said Brown.

He feels it is the obligation for employers to have the correct paperwork and documentation for their employees and feels there are ways for employers to check the documentation.

United States Senator Debbie Stabenow agrees. "I am very please that the Senate passed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, which strengthens security at our borders and improves the visa entry process to enhance our homeland security," said Stabenow.

But United States Representative Candice Miller has a different view. "I am seriously concerned that the immigration deal struck in the United States Senate would reward those who have broken our laws to enter the nation with permanent residency," she said.

Miller added, "In my opinion this is amnesty, which I cannot support."

She feels some of the border enforcement measures within the agreement are "promising," however, they are overwhelmed by other portions of that particular agreement.

"The Senate amnesty plan will not only reward those who have broken our laws but will punish American taxpayers with a crushing new burden on our education, health care, law enforcement, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security systems," Miller explained.

United States Senator Carl Levin added, "Our immigration system is broken and needs reform. Undocumented immigrants flow through our porous borders. Employers hire them with near impunity."

"Our government lacks the ability to adequately detect unauthorized employment, while employers in sectors such as agriculture, Michigan's second largest industry, fear that their crops will go unpicked for lack of legal, authorized workers," said Levin.

"We need a more secure, more sensible, and fairer system of immigration."

Note: Look for a follow up article, dealing with local law enforcement and immigration, in next week's issue.