No only is legislation not for the public, its not even made by them. -- Prison corporations and immigration law

Report: Prison Industry Helped Draft Arizona Anti-Immigrant Law

A new investigation has found the private prison industry played a key role in the drafting and passage of Arizona’s notorious anti-immigrant law. According to National Public Radio, the bill was formulated at a Washington, DC meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, last December. The group brings together state legislators and major corporations, including the nation’s largest private prison firm, the Correction Corporation of America, CCA. Attendees helped write the bill, gave it a name, and then voted to approve it. The bill’s eventual sponsor, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, then brought it back to his home state. The ensuing months saw a frenzy of lobbying to enact the bill. According to NPR, thirty of the measure’s thirty-six co-sponsors received campaign donations from lobbyists working for CCA and two other major private prison companies. In an internal document last year, the CCA predicted that contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement would bring in "a significant portion of our revenues."

Poll: Latinos See Widespread Discrimination

A new poll shows nearly two-thirds of Latinos in the United States think they experience discrimination fueled by anti-immigrant sentiment. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the number jumps to 70 percent for Latinos born abroad. Half of respondents say the US has become less welcoming to immigrants in the last five years, and over half say they’re worried they or their family members could be deported.

Angle Criticized for Anti-Immigrant TV Ad

In Nevada, Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle is under criticism for a campaign ad targeting opponent Harry Reid’s stance on immigration. The ad warns of undocumented immigrants threatening US families as it shows Latino-looking men in prison and gang attire juxtaposed with white schoolchildren.

Narrator: "Waves of illegal aliens streaming across our border, joining violent gangs, forcing families to live in fear. And what’s Harry Reid doing about it? Voting to give illegal aliens Social Security benefits, tax breaks and college tuition, voting against declaring English our national language twice, and even siding with Obama and the president of Mexico to block Arizona’s tough new immigration law. Harry Reid: it’s clear whose side he’s on, and it’s not yours."

Several immigrant rights groups have aired Spanish-language response ads urging voters to reject Angle.

Republican Culture War

If we had any sense, the fall elections would be about just one thing: the economy. But we do not have any sense. We are facing what Wall Street would call the “triple witching hour.” Republicans have their finger on three social-demographic hot buttons. The first is illegal immigration (in proposing a review of the 14th Amendment), and the second is Islam in America (inobjecting to the mosque at ground zero). They won’t be able to avoid pushing the third, race, even if they wanted to, given that the two leading congressional Democrats facing ethics charges are African-American. The Democrats, in response, label the GOP xenophobic and intolerant—and those are the nice words. If Barack Obama’s inauguration—could it have been only 19 months ago?—was a moment of proud, blessed calm, we are now looking at a nasty, community-shredding season of fear.

Florida AG unveils Anti Immigrant Measure

Florida Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill McCollum has proposed a new anti-immigrant measure that could be even harsher than the notorious Arizona law that was partially stricken down last month. McCollum’s bill would impose a twenty-day jail sentence for any immigrant who doesn’t carry documentation, as well as longer sentences for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. On Wednesday, McCollum said his bill "goes one step further" than Arizona’s and predicted that Arizona will want to pass a similar measure.

Bill McCollum: "This is our own law, not theirs. And I think when we’re done passing this law, Arizona is going to want our law. They’re going to want to pass our law, because we’re better, we’re stronger, we’re tougher, and we’re fairer."