Penn. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
Penn. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe


Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has offered a bill similar to Arizona's new immigration enforcement law that would give police in the state power to enforce immigration laws. Rep. Metcalfe said the state has an estimated 140,000 illegal aliens.

HB2479 would provide state and local law enforcement with full authority to apprehend Pennsylvania’s estimated 140,000 illegal aliens and several other sweeping reform measures, including:

  • Creating a new criminal offense for illegal aliens who violate federal law by either willfully failing to register as an alien or failing to possess proper proof of such registration when stopped for another primary offense such as a traffic violation.
  • Requiring law enforcement officers to attempt to verify the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens.
  • Creating a new criminal offense for persons who are unlawfully present in the United States and are an unauthorized alien applying for work.
  • Allowing law enforcement officers to arrest illegal aliens for any public offense which would warrant removal from the United States.
  • Creating a new felony offense for intentionally smuggling illegal aliens for profit; and authorizing law enforcement officers to impound any vehicle driven by an illegal alien, or used to transport illegal aliens.

“With the federal government currently AWOL in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities to protect American lives, property and jobs against the clear and present dangers of illegal alien invaders, state lawmakers from Arizona to Oklahoma, Georgia to Utah and now Pennsylvania are left with no choice but to take individual action to address this critical economic and national security epidemic,” said Metcalfe. “The purpose of this legislation is to offer every illegal alien residing in Pennsylvania two options, leave immediately or go to jail. Whether you came to steal Pennsylvania jobs or to leech off of our state’s fraud-ridden, ‘close your eyes and verify’ welfare system, once this law is enacted there will be absolutely no economic incentives for you to remain here.”

For more information, see the press release issued by Rep. Metcalfe.

Interior Enforcement
Illegal Immigration
state policies

Updated: Tue, May 4th 2010 @ 12:46pm EDT