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30 states crack down on illegal workers
By UPI Staff
United Press International
July 11, 2006

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Impatience with the U.S. Congress' delay in passing immigration reform has led at least 30 states to pass their own punitive measures for illegal workers.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has recorded at least 57 state laws enacted to make it harder for undocumented workers to find jobs or receive public services, USA Today reported Monday.

Among them is a Louisiana law approved in June that fines businesses that have state contracts and more than 10 employees if they don't fire workers known to be undocumented. Also in June, Colorado enacted a law that prohibits awarding state contracts to businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

Under federal law, states must provide some services to illegal immigrants, such as public education and emergency medical care, but they do not have to provide food assistance, healthcare, unemployment benefits or other services, the report said.