Immigration laws going into effect across the country in 2012

Next year, 2012, marks the start of another interesting year for U.S. immigration law. At the beginning of 2012, state laws will go into effect across the country that will make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to find jobs in the U.S.

Later in 2012, the Supreme Court will decide whether Arizona's immigration law and similar state laws are valid under the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, the 2012 elections may forecast the future of immigration reform.

Here are some of the immigration laws that will go into effect in 2012:

• Alabama, which already has the strictest immigration laws in the country, will require all employers to use E-Verify (an electronic identification system created by the Department of Homeland Security) to ensure that new employees are legal immigrants.
• Georgia will require businesses with at least 500 employees to use E-Verify. By July 2013, Georgia businesses with 10 employees or more will be required to use E-Verify.
• Tennessee will require E-Verify for businesses with more than five workers. Businesses with five or fewer workers will need to keep a copy of employees' driver's licenses on hand.
• In South Carolina, officials could pull business' operating licenses if they do not use E-Verify for new hires. South Carolina's law had also required police officers to check the immigration status of all people stopped for criminal or traffic violations, but the federal government has successfully challenged that part of the law.
• On a positive note, California will allow undocumented immigrant students to receive private financial aid when they attend public colleges.

Florida immigration laws remain unchanged moving into the new year; however, expect immigration reform to be a subject in 2012, with potential changes for 2013.

Source: Washington Post, "New laws target abortion, illegal immigration, texting, add regulations to schoolkids' lives," Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2011.