Posted on December 5, 2005

‘See Ya’ Illegals, Brooks Says

John Peck, Huntsville Times (Al.), Dec. 3, 2005

Lieutenant governor candidate Morris “Mo” Brooks is pushing a bill that would make it a crime for employers to hire illegal aliens. It also provides financial incentives for whistle-blowers to turn in violators.

The “Stop Employment of Illegal Aliens Act, would make it a felony to knowingly employ an illegal alien. Brooks calls it the “See Ya Act,” playing off its acronym, SEIAA.

Brooks, a Madison County commissioner from Huntsville, said the recent shooting death of Huntsville police officer Daniel Golden and a rash of recent traffic fatalities in Huntsville caused by illegal immigrant drivers motivated him.

“It’s been a growing series of events involving illegal aliens that has helped to educate me about the magnitude of the problem,” Brooks said Friday. “Someone needs to take action and do something about it.”

Efforts to reach state Hispanic leaders for comment were unsuccessful.

Brooks, who intends to ask the County Commission to endorse the bill Monday, said states must protect themselves because the federal government has failed to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.

“The cause of Alabama’s illegal alien disaster is simple: Too many people hire illegal aliens despite their illegal status,” Brooks said in a news release. “These people are motivated by personal profit and care not one twit about the damage their conduct inflicts on the rest of Alabama.”

Penalties for each offense would include fines of up to $5,000, up to 10 years imprisonment, court costs and a “wage penalty” equal to whichever is greater: $5,000 or triple the profit made from hiring illegal aliens. The “profit” is the difference between the going wage for that job in the area and what the illegal immigrant was actually paid.

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