Governor releases statement on the immigration ballot title

"While I oppose illegal immigration, I cannot support this initiative. All of the major provisions it proposes are already covered by Federal or State laws, and this ballot title will create bigger government and cost Arkansans money. Passing this initiative would merely re-state these same laws and add additional bureaucracy to Arkansas in the process.

"We need stronger enforcement of the federal laws that our taxpayers pay the federal government to uphold. What we don't need is to duplicate laws and place additional burdens on our State without getting to the roots of this national problem of illegal immigration. If some of the principles of this ballot title make sense to you, it may be because they are already the law of the land." -- Governor Mike Beebe

The ballot title, of course, is the proposal to require anyone older than 13 to sign an oath stating that he or she is a legal resident before receiving state benefits, excepting many benefits that include public education, emergency medical conditions, organ transplants, disaster relief, treatment of disease, prenatal care, soup kitchens, crisis counseling and short-term shelters.