Traumatized by a tidal wave of illegal immigrants, Arizona last year enacted the nation's most pitiless law to punish employers who hire undocumented workers. Now state lawmakers, having proved that they mean business -- even if it means killing off businesses -- are reconnecting with reality: They want to import Mexican workers.

No state has been as unhinged by illegal immigration as Arizona, where by some estimates undocumented employees comprise up to 12 percent of the state's workforce of 3 million, more than twice the national average. They have also fueled Arizona's supercharged economy, which has...

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Federal agents arrested nearly 300 people Wednesday in raids at Pilgrim's Pride chicken plants in five states, the latest crackdown on illegal immigrant labor at the nation's poultry producers.

In separate sweeps, authorities also arrested dozens of workers at a doughnut factory in Houston and the operators of a chain of Mexican restaurants in upstate New York.

The arrests at Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's largest chicken producer, included charges of identity theft, document fraud or immigration violations. The company went to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with information about identity theft at...

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An Ecuadorean couple facing deportation are appealing a Miami immigration judge's refusal to hear their claim that they were unfairly targeted because their daughter is an immigration activist.

The parents of 23-year-old Gabby Pacheco say they were "selectively targeted" for deportation after Pacheco spoke out about rights for illegal immigrants. Pacheco, a college student, is in the U.S. legally. But her parents and two adult sisters...

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Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen McCartney expects the governor’s order dealing with illegal immigrants will have little effect on police operations throughout the state, although it has “stirred up a firestorm” that, from his perspective, could have negative legislative outcomes.

McCartney is the President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, and said the group would meet this week to draft a position on legislation introduced by Senator Rhoda Perry of Providence. The measure, seen by its proponents as a means to reduce racial profiling, would restrict police ability to question people.

As for the governor’s order to give state police and correctional officers the power to check whether certain people are illegal immigrants, McCartney says, “If individuals are arrested, we...

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An East Texas girl who made an anti-illegal immigration sign for a U.S. history class says she was beaten by other students.

Her sign said: "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration."

The father of 13-year-old Melanie Bowers of Athens says he's keeping her out of classes until probably next week until the situation is resolved.

As a class project, students made "protest signs" about past and current issues.

Melanie Bowers on March 31st took...

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A proposal that would allow police to seize vehicles from illegal immigrants could help remove egregious drivers from the roads, some metro police say.

"I think it has the possibility of being a good thing," said DeKalb County Police Department spokesman Officer J.T. Ware. The seizure powers might be best used to focus on habitual traffic offenders, he said.

The proposed law, House Bill 978, was approved by the state House of representatives this week. It still must pass the senate. The measure would allow police to seize cars of illegal immigrants who are involved in accidents or violate traffic laws.

While the proposal stimulated debate on the House floor, including questions about how police could...

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Businesses caught hiring illegal immigrants face stiffer fines from the federal government.

Federal fines for knowingly hiring illegals and document fraud are both increasing, according to immigration attorneys from the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP.

Companies caught hiring illegals face federal sanctions of $375 to $16,000 per violation, up from a range of $275 to $11,000. The latter range has...

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US immigration officials paid a surprise visit about 15 years ago to Anna Johnson's screen-printing and embroidery shop here.

Though she had carefully checked the papers employees provided when she had hired them, Ms. Johnson recounts, some IDs turned out to be fakes. She lost 28 employees – more than half her workforce – in one day. The loss, she says, cost her business hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Today, she is thrilled to be using the federal E-Verify program, a Web-based system that combines databases of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration so that employers can electronically verify the employment eligibility...

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Undocumented immigrants are pouring into tax-preparation offices and nonprofit agencies across Massachusetts and the nation to file state and federal income taxes, taking a step that some might deem unthinkable: giving their name, address, and financial information to the government.

In Massachusetts, taxpayers here illegally are lining up, despite the fear of deportation that is permeating the state after a massive raid in New Bedford last year and smaller raids in Boston-area cities and towns.

While typical American taxpayers are wary of the Internal Revenue Service, undocumented...

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Idaho-based pro-family activist Bryan Fischer is praising his state's legislature for taking a major step to curb illegal immigration in the Gem State.

Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Family Alliance, is pleased that the legislature has overwhelmingly approved a bill that will prohibit illegal aliens from obtaining a valid driver's license in the state. Lawmakers in Boise, he feels, are taking a responsible approach.

"We see this as an important tool in controlling illegal immigration in Idaho. We don't have a huge problem with...

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