The Republican minority spent Wednesday laying down a demand for constitutional immigration reform that even a key proponent acknowledged would be hard to achieve.
On the eve of a special session called by Republican Gov. Bill Owens, House and Senate Republicans gathered to insist that their Democratic colleagues let voters decide on a constitutional amendment limiting state services to illegal immigrants.
When the Colorado Supreme Court threw out a similar citizens’ initiative last month, Republicans said the court denied voters the chance to weigh in.
“I honestly believe that if we do not give the citizens the right to put on the ballot and vote on what they wanted to have (a) vote on, that this legislative session will be a failure,” said Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, sponsor of the revised constitutional amendment.
At the same time, and with little firm evidence that illegal immigrants are a drain on state services, Owens raised identity theft as a new reason the state must crack down on employers of undocumented workers.
GOP leaders didn’t rule out working with Democrats to tighten limits on state benefits for illegal immigrants through new laws, rather than a constitutional amendment.
The amendment would limit state benefits to illegal immigrants for retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, post-secondary education, food assistance or unemployment.
It allows for communicable-disease prevention, treatment and immunizations.
The measure needs two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber to pass – a high hurdle, Harvey said.
Democratic Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said she thinks it is unwise to lock a policy into the state constitution before Congress has acted on the issue. The amendment could end up contradicting federal legislation.
“Frankly, I think we can accomplish the goal of making sure that services are only going to people that should get them in a more practical and efficient manner,” Fitz-Gerald said.
The three Democratic co-chairs of Defend Colorado Now, which supported the now-defunct ballot measure, said they still believe a statutory compromise is the best solution. But, failing that, they would ask lawmakers to put the question on the ballot.
Federico Peña, chairman of the campaign that fought the citizens’ initiative, said Harvey’s proposed amendment has problems similar to the citizens’ initiative.
The language is broad enough that it could deny services like trash pickup, fire and police protection and bus service to illegal immigrants. But Harvey said his measure only bans the services listed.
Meanwhile, Owens and the head of the state labor department announced that a few thousand employers have accepted hundreds of Social Security numbers that had been used to apply for six or more jobs.
The governor called on the legislature to require employers to verify job seekers’ documentation and increase fines for employers who file reports with false information.
And an out-of-state group, Center for New Community, alleged that Defend Colorado Now associated with racist fringe groups.
Fred Elbel, co-chairman of the group, said the head of U.S. Inc., John Tanton, is not a racist and he was comfortable taking campaign contributions from his group.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
