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Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law : NPR.

October 28, 2010

Last year, two men showed up in Benson, Ariz., a small desert town 60 miles from the Mexico border, offering a deal.

Glenn Nichols, the Benson city manager, remembers the pitch.

“The gentleman that’s the main thrust of this thing has a huge turquoise ring on his finger,” Nichols said. “He’s a great big huge guy and I equated him to a car salesman.”

What he was selling was a prison for women and children who were illegal immigrants.

“They talk [about] how positive this was going to be for the community,” Nichols said, “the amount of money that we would realize from each prisoner on a daily rate.”

But Nichols wasn’t buying. He asked them how would they possibly keep a prison full for years — decades even — with illegal immigrants?

Laura Sullivan/NPRGlenn Nichols, city manager of Benson, Ariz., says two men came to the city last year “talking about building a facility to hold women and children that were illegals.”

“They talked like they didn’t have any doubt they could fill it,” Nichols said.

That’s because prison companies like this one had a plan — a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. And the plan became Arizona’s immigration law.

Behind-The-Scenes Effort To Draft, Pass The Law

The law is being challenged in the courts. But if it’s upheld, it requires police to lock up anyone they stop who cannot show proof they entered the country legally.

When it was passed in April, it ignited a fire storm. Protesters chanted about racial profiling. Businesses threatened to boycott the state.

Supporters were equally passionate, calling it a bold positive step to curb illegal immigration.

But while the debate raged, few people were aware of how the law came about.

NPR spent the past several months analyzing hundreds of pages of campaign finance reports, lobbying documents and corporate records. What they show is a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry.

The law could send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a way never done before. And it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to private prison companies responsible for housing them.

Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce says the bill was his idea. He says it’s not about prisons. It’s about what’s best for the country.

“Enough is enough,” Pearce said in his office, sitting under a banner reading “Let Freedom Reign.” “People need to focus on the cost of not enforcing our laws and securing our border. It is the Trojan horse destroying our country and a republic cannot survive as a lawless nation.”

But instead of taking his idea to the Arizona statehouse floor, Pearce first took it to a hotel conference room.

Enlarge Joshua Lott/Getty ImagesArizona state Sen. Russell Pearce, pictured here at Tea Party rally on Oct. 22, was instrumental in drafting the state’s immigration law. He also sits on a American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) task force, a group that helped shape the law.

Joshua Lott/Getty Images

Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce, pictured here at Tea Party rally on Oct. 22, was instrumental in drafting the state’s immigration law. He also sits on a American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) task force, a group that helped shape the law.

It was last December at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. Inside, there was a meeting of a secretive group called the American Legislative Exchange Council. Insiders call it ALEC.

It’s a membership organization of state legislators and powerful corporations and associations, such as the tobacco company Reynolds American Inc., ExxonMobil and the National Rifle Association. Another member is the billion-dollar Corrections Corporation of America — the largest private prison company in the country.

It was there that Pearce’s idea took shape.

“I did a presentation,” Pearce said. “I went through the facts. I went through the impacts and they said, ‘Yeah.’”

Drafting The Bill

The 50 or so people in the room included officials of the Corrections Corporation of America, according to two sources who were there.

Pearce and the Corrections Corporation of America have been coming to these meetings for years. Both have seats on one of several of ALEC’s boards.

Key Players That Helped Draft Arizona’s Immigration Law

Source: NPR News Investigations

Credit: Stephanie D’Otreppe/NPR

And this bill was an important one for the company. According to Corrections Corporation of America reports reviewed by NPR, executives believe immigrant detention is their next big market. Last year, they wrote that they expect to bring in “a significant portion of our revenues” from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that detains illegal immigrants.

In the conference room, the group decided they would turn the immigration idea into a model bill. They discussed and debated language. Then, they voted on it.

“There were no ‘no’ votes,” Pearce said. “I never had one person speak up in objection to this model legislation.”

Four months later, that model legislation became, almost word for word, Arizona’s immigration law.

They even named it. They called it the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.”

“ALEC is the conservative, free-market orientated, limited-government group,” said Michael Hough, who was staff director of the meeting.

Hough works for ALEC, but he’s also running for state delegate in Maryland, and if elected says he plans to support a similar bill to Arizona’s law.

Asked if the private companies usually get to write model bills for the legislators, Hough said, “Yeah, that’s the way it’s set up. It’s a public-private partnership. We believe both sides, businesses and lawmakers should be at the same table, together.”

Nothing about this is illegal. Pearce’s immigration plan became a prospective bill and Pearce took it home to Arizona.

Campaign Donations

Pearce said he is not concerned that it could appear private prison companies have an opportunity to lobby for legislation at the ALEC meetings.

“I don’t go there to meet with them,” he said. “I go there to meet with other legislators.”

Pearce may go there to meet with other legislators, but 200 private companies pay tens of thousands of dollars to meet with legislators like him.

As soon as Pearce’s bill hit the Arizona statehouse floor in January, there were signs of ALEC’s influence. Thirty-six co-sponsors jumped on, a number almost unheard of in the capitol.  According to records obtained by NPR, two-thirds of them either went to that December meeting or are ALEC members.

That same week, the Corrections Corporation of America hired a powerful new lobbyist to work the capitol.

The prison company declined requests for an interview. In a statement, a spokesman said the Corrections Corporation of America, “unequivocally has not at any time lobbied — nor have we had any outside consultants lobby – on immigration law.”

At the state Capitol, campaign donations started to appear.

Thirty of the 36 co-sponsors received donations over the next six months, from prison lobbyists or prison companies — Corrections Corporation of America, Management and Training Corporation and The Geo Group.

By April, the bill was on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk.

Brewer has her own connections to private prison companies. State lobbying records show two of her top advisers — her spokesman Paul Senseman and her campaign manager Chuck Coughlin — are former lobbyists for private prison companies. Brewer signed the bill — with the name of the legislation Pearce, the Corrections Corporation of America and the others in the Hyatt conference room came up with — in four days.

Brewer and her spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

In May, The Geo Group had a conference call with investors. When asked about the bill, company executives made light of it, asking, “Did they have some legislation on immigration?”

After company officials laughed, the company’s president, Wayne Calabrese, cut in.

“This is Wayne,” he said. “I can only believe the opportunities at the federal level are going to continue apace as a result of what’s happening. Those people coming across the border and getting caught are going to have to be detained and that for me, at least I think, there’s going to be enhanced opportunities for what we do.”

Opportunities that prison companies helped create.

Produced by NPR’s Anne Hawke.

Recently, the U.S and Mexican border governors convened to discuss on the reform of U.S. immigration policies. During the meeting, Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor, expressed his opinions stating that Congress cannot be expected to work on the US immigration reform until after the general election, which is to be held in November.

The border governors’ meeting was intended to be held in Phoenix previously, which was then cancelled by Jan Brewer, Arizona governor. The event was cancelled due to the Mexican governors’ planned boycott over the controversial Arizona immigration law. Seven governors participated in the border governors meeting of which Richardson was the only governor from the United States, while the other governors were from six different Mexican states.

The border governors issued a joint statement on the U.S. immigration policies. They stated that the basic premise of respecting the rights and dignity of individuals calls for a complete immigration reform. They also mentioned that there is no coordination or exchange of information between the U.S. and Mexican federal governments and they convened to improvise the border crossings.

Richard expressed hope that Congress would lay the foundation for the US immigration reform after the November general election. He further added that the much required immigration reform will hopefully top the priorities of Congress in the coming year.

Richardson mentioned at a press conference that the US immigration reform should be an over-all effort and not restricted to the partisans. He also stated that the immigration reform should have a tougher impact on those companies who brought illegal immigrants into the United States to work for them. He ended saying, those illegal immigrants who learn or know English and pay the back taxes properly should be legalized through the new U.S. immigration policies.

Immigrants looking for assistance in the preparation of visa applications, can rely on USA-Green-Card to help them through the process.

A sum of $98 million has been allotted by the Department of Homeland Security under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for funding advanced technology (AT) X-ray units and inline baggage screening systems. The announcement was made by the Department Of Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano. The purpose of this fund is to provide support to the ongoing efforts of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to strengthen airport security. It is also aimed at boosting the local economy.

Janet Napolitano expressed his opinions and said that the cutting edge technologies used will help detect and block threats and ultimately help in reinforcing airport security for travelers.

He further added that dedicating funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the technology projects will also potentially provide employment opportunities for the locals. It will also help reorganize the passenger check-in process and bolster security. TSA Administrator, John S. Pistole also expressed similar opinions.

These next-generation AT X-ray systems will be used at checkpoints for screening carry-on baggage for weapons, explosives and other prohibited items at all airports nationwide. The TSA at present make use of more than 940 AT X-ray systems to streamline the bag checking process in all airports. These advanced X-ray units have also been used to screen passengers checked baggage too.

Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will also be used for the completion of inline and checked baggage screening systems in Terminal 1 of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) and Colorado Springs Airport (COS) respectively. Through such critical efforts, the Department Of Homeland Security in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made progress in improving the nation’s airport security.

USA Green Card, a leading worldwide organization dedicated to the professional management of Immigrant Visa applications, provides help to applicants who want to avail immigration benefits.

The 2010 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly referred to as the “Green Card Lottery” or “US Immigration Lottery,” is scheduled to close on November 3.  In previous years, the program allowed submissions of applications during an approximate 2-month period.  This year, however, the entry period has been cut by about half.  The 2010 Visa Lottery opened on October 5.  Because of the shortened window during which entries can be submitted, all interested applicants are urged to act immediately to avoid delays caused by high traffic.  Updated information about the 2010 program, including an electronic registration form, are available from the USA Green Card service site at http://www.usa-green-card.com

Cut deportation business ties, protesters tell Mayor Bloomberg.

Immigration Reform: The Newest Wrinkle in Immigration Reform | U.S. Financial Post.

Texans are trying to redefine language in the US Constitution in an odd twist on immigration reform. Texas state Rep. Leo Berman is seeking to introduce a bill calling for his state to discontinue granting automatic citizenship to US born children of illegal immigrants. At a time when immigrant reform is leaning toward making it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain benefits, employment, and citizenship, this bill is striking out directly at the guarantees of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Lawsuits on the Horizon

It appears that the entire purpose of the bill is to cause a lawsuit. Rep. Leo Berman is hoping in his best case scenario that passing of such a bill will lead to the state of Texas being sued. “If that bill passes, we will be sued immediately. That’s the purpose of the bill,” he said. The reasoning behind this is echoed by a number of lawmakers around the country who seek to redefine how birth certificates are issued and to whom they are issued. If the bill passes the intended outcome is for a lawsuit to reach the Supreme Court and hopefully challenge the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment, as there are no rulings affirming the 14th Amendments current interpretation.

Anchor Babies

The controversy around this proposed bill has generated the rather unappealing term, “anchor babies”. It’s believed that a number of illegal immigrants will try to use their US born children in an effort to gain citizenship for themselves. There is little evidence to support that this occurs on a large scale and most economists will attribute immigration levels to employment opportunities rather than the hope of citizenship, which makes the whole issue more political rhetoric designed to steer thinking.

A Bad Bet

Overall this appears to be a waste of time and resources. Even though the GOP would like to challenge the 14th Amendment in the Supreme Court, most legal scholars seem to agree that the language of the 14th Amendment is very clear. Anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen.

On Sept 17 every year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services observes the Constitution and Citizenship Day in commemoration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in the year 1787. As a part of this celebration, the Promoting Citizenship and Immigrant Integration Conference is held on the same day every year. This year, around $8 million has been recently announced as grants for community based organizations by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the special Constitution Day and Citizenship Day conference.

According to Alejandro Mayorkas, USCIS Director, the new citizenship grant program and the web portal would provide support required for citizenship services. He further added that the integration grant program would encourage immigrants who wish to become the citizens of the United States.

As per the announcement made, USCIS will grant $7.8 million dollars to around seventy-five organizations from around 27 states. This funding has been made to further foster citizenship education programs and to promote immigration integration.

Two funding programs have been included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program.

• Locally based citizenship programs have been strengthened through the first grant program. It has also expanded the naturalization services.

• The second grant program allows national, regional, and statewide organizations to increase the citizenship services with the help of their members or associates across the country.

Around 13 organizations were granted a total sum of $1.2 million for the citizenship programs in the year 2009, which is considerably less compared to fiscal year 2010.

Apart from the $8 million grant, a new Web-based Citizenship Resource Center has also been released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Through this new, free, and easy-to-access web portal, applicants can now understand the citizenship process better. Thus, they can easily get through the naturalization interview.

The new web-based portal features podcasts for applicants, links to the American Literacy Directory, and teaching tools to assist citizenship instructors.

Visit www.usa-green-card.com to receive guidance on U.S. immigration processes.

On Sept. 17, 2010, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated the Constitution day and Citizenship day. In commemoration of the day, USCIS hosted 63 special ceremonies during which more than 9,000 candidates were granted USA citizenship. USCIS collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) and hosted special naturalization ceremonies from Sept. 13, 2010 until Sept. 24, 2010. The naturalization ceremonies were held in 22 national park sites based around the theme, “Embrace Citizenship-Experience America Through Your National Parks.”

Alejandro Mayorkas, USCIS Director stated that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services celebrates the Constitution and Citizenship Day every year in commemoration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. He further added that, although U.S. citizens are diverse in their individual backgrounds, they are brought together by their respect for the Constitution.

As part of the Constitution and Citizenship Day commemoration, USCIS welcomed 25 new citizens at the foot of the General Grant’s Tree on Sept. 15, 2010. This tree is the largest giant sequoia in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park in Three Rivers, California. This ceremony was followed by the naturalization of 60 citizens at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis, Mo on Sept. 17, 2010. Another highlight of this Constitution and Citizenship Day commemoration is the cornerstone ceremony that was hosted by USCIS at the Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 22, 2010.

In addition to these ceremonies, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also held several other national parks ceremonies. Several other locations where USCIS held these special ceremonies include Grand Canyon, Homestead National Monument, the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Lowa, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Mo., the historic Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Angel Island State Park in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

Visa applicants can get all the queries regarding U.S. immigration processes clarified at www.usa-green-card.com.

Around 55 noncitizen members of the U.S. armed forces and 17 military spouses have been recently naturalized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), making up to a total of 196 military members this year. The naturalization ceremony was held at the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea. Since 2004, when the overseas naturalization process was founded, this is the first time that nearly 196 members of the military members have been naturalized in the Republic of Korea. Thus, this naturalization ceremony is considered a milestone in the history of USCIS.

Prior to the administration of the Oath of Allegiance, Robert Looney, USCIS Bangkok District Director made a statement that this accomplishment was solely due to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ efforts to travel to various locations all over South Korea and organize the naturalization process of U.S. military members. Nearly 961 U.S. military members and 134 military spouses have been naturalized by USCIS in the Republic of Korea since the year 2004.

Following Robert Looney, Kathleen Stephens, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea addressed the new U.S. citizens. She stated that, although the new citizens vary in their nationality and backgrounds, they have been united by their act of service, which has enabled them to receive USA citizenship. She also reminded them that along with USA citizenship comes the responsibility of serving and protecting the United States.

She also quoted an incident stating the achievement of a family, which originated in Nigeria. She revealed that last year, the Nigerian woman was naturalized in South Korea for her service in the Army, followed by her daughter who was naturalized on the basis that she is a military dependent child. This year, the spouse has also received USA citizenship in South Korea.

Petitioners who require guidance on immigration processes can log on to www.usa-green-card.com.