In Nebraska, where unemployment is less than 5 percent, where immigrant labor has been a vital part of the agriculture scene for decades, Republican Gov. Dave Heineman ran four years ago on a platform that emphasized his opposition to illegal immigration, and his opposition to granting in-state college tuition for the children of illegal immigrants.
Now, poised to easily win re-election, he’s announced that an Arizona-style immigration law will be a top priority in his next term.
This, in spite of a study released a year ago showing that the net economic effect on immigration in Nebraska has been positive.
The effect of the law in Arizona has also been anything but rosy, for the most part.
Heineman also predicted in an interview with The New York Times that by January every state in the U.S. will have seen a similar law introduced.
A Denver Post/9News poll conducted last week shows that 58 percent of Colorado voters would support such a law, with only 38 percent opposing it. Of the three gubernatorial candidates, American Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo has made his anti-illegal immigration positions a centerpiece of his campaign. Republican Dan Maes also has said he would support such a law. Democrat John Hickenlooper, the front-runner, has said he would oppose such a law in Colorado.
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