Corzine's panel backs moratorium on raids on undocumented immigrants by Jeff Diamanat/The Star-Ledger
Monday March 30, 2009, 11:55 AM
A panel appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine to examine immigration policies in New Jersey today issued a number of recommendations handling undocumented immigrants, ranging from a moratorium on raids to creating an immigrant welcome center.
The panel also said the state should allow undocumented immigrants in New Jersey to drive legally, though only if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security approves. Corzine expressed less personal support for the driving proposal as he released the report at a news conference in Jersey City.
Other parts of the report advise the state to let undocumented immigrants benefit from lower in-state tuition rates for state universities; to toughen penalties for employers caught paying workers off-the-books; to stress that its public school systems not seek social-security numbers from parents of potential students; and to establish an immigrant welcome center, "either physical or virtual."
It also calls for a moratorium on raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigrants here illegally until immigration reform passes.
With the state and country in economic crisis, it is far from certain that any of the recommendations will be made law. Still, the report is expected to be highly controversial, with critics sure to argue that its recommendations provide multiple incentives for the estimated 400,000 immigrants in New Jersey stay here illegally to stay rather than return to their home countries.
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