Minnesota approach is stricter than neighbors’

01/04/2006

But demographics differ in those states

BY RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER
Pioneer Press

ST PAUL, MN—Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed crackdown on illegal immigration is more aggressive than anything Minnesota’s neighbors have done.

Other states surrounding Minnesota have looked into some immigration issues but none has had such a strong governor-led set of initiatives, said Ann Morse, director of the Immigration Policy Project at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Pawlenty’s proposal Tuesday included creation of a new law enforcement team focused on immigration issues and increased penalties for the trafficking in people or false IDs.

“This is quite innovative … I haven’t seen a whole lot of governor’s-level activity addressing this,” Morse said.
Wisconsin has not had any major proposals like the ones Pawlenty unveiled; neither has the Dakotas. But none of those states has seen as much change in their foreign-born population as has Minnesota in the past decade.

Minnesota saw a 130 percent increase in the number of foreign-born people here between 1990 and 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s more than twice the national average. Foreign-born residents, which include both legal and illegal visitors and immigrants, make up more than 5 percent of Minnesota’s population.

Wisconsin saw a 59 percent increase during the past decade, and the foreign-born made up less than 4 percent of the total population. North Dakota saw a 29 percent increase, and South Dakota saw a 75 percent increase. But in the Dakotas, the foreign-born population made up less than 2 percent of those states’ total population.

Iowa, which has seen a 110 percent increase in its foreign-born population, in some ways, has moved in the opposite direction of that proposed by Pawlenty. Gov. Tom Vilsack and a statewide council have encouraged legal immigration to help fill employers’ needs and make the state a welcoming destination point for new immigrants. They established eight “New Iowan Centers” across the state.

Although Pawlenty may stand out in this region, he isn’t the only state policy-maker to turn his focus on immigrants. In fact, the National Conference of State Legislatures, a national bipartisan organization, recently said immigration would be one of the top 10 issues for states in 2006.

States passed 36 new immigrant-related laws last year.

Lawmakers in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, New York and South Carolina considered measures similar to the one Pawlenty proposed to enact penalties on employers that hire or recruit illegal immigrants. The measures in those states did not become law.

Last year, nine states, including Idaho, Illinois and Kansas, took steps to rein in human trafficking. New Jersey and Louisiana made human trafficking illegal for the first time, something Pawlenty proposed Minnesota do this year.