In Virginia, Prince William and Spotsylvania counties have passed or are on the verge of passing legislation cracking down on undocumented aliens. Herndon, also in Virginia, has stopped giving the illegals the opportunity to work in the locality and the state is planning to give police the power to check immigration status of traffic violators.

In Arizona, a tough employer-sanctions bill was passed by the state legislature punishing businesses that hire undocumented workers, therefore eliminating the job magnet that draws the latter to the state, which shares a porous border with Mexico. A few weeks after that, the sheriff of Phoenix launched a hotline for reporting suspected illegal aliens.

Georgia adopted a year-old bill adding new requirements for verifying workers’ citizenship status and cracking down on those who prey on undocumented immigrants.

The New Haven, Connecticut local government has started issuing identification cards to residents who are undocumented. Proponents say the ID system, which also allows the use of the public library and local banks, was created to protect the immigrants from theft because it will obviate the need to carry cash constantly, fact that has made them targets of theft and shakedowns from street criminals.

Immigration advocates have noted that even once pro-immigration legislators have now turned against it because of next year’s election. Surveys show that majority of Americans are now in favor of tough sanctions.

In Omaha, Nebraska, so-called Indian tribes are offering illegal aliens to become members of the tribe as protection against deportation. For prices starting at $50, two nonfederally recognized Indian tribes are offering membership to thousands of illegal aliens, claiming they can achieve legal status by joining the groups.

But immigration authorities insist becoming a tribe member gives no protection against being deported. And immigration advocates condemn the practice, saying it defrauds immigrants of money and gives them false hope.

Some people in Nebraska reportedly pay up to $1,200 to join the Kaweah Indian Nation, which became the target of a federal investigation after complaints about the tribe arose in at least five states. Manuel Urbina, the tribe’s high chief, acknowledged his group has sold at least 10,000 tribal memberships to illegal aliens for about $50 each.

Even the once pro-immigration legislators are singing a different tune.

Recently, Nevada Sen. John Ensign, a Republican, introduced an amendment to an education bill, HR 2669, that would cut off the Social Security benefits of naturalized citizens who could not prove they were work-authorized for every quarter they contributed to the system. It got 57 votes, three short of being passed. And it may be filed again.

Another Republican senator, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, who favored the immigration reform bill, has tried to insert a provision in the homeland security budget bill that would have mandated imprisonment to those who crossed the US-Mexico border illegally after being deported once.

In another funding bill, this time for the department of justice, provisions were introduced denying funds to local agencies that do not enforce immigration laws.

Asia Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) called the failed insertions “part of a disturbing trend” in which the rights of even long-time legal residents are being restricted. “Unfortunately, many politicians are seeking to push anti-immigrant measures as immigration reform," it said in a statement.

“Expect amendments in every appropriation bill to have anti-immigration measures," warned Karen K. Narasaki, Asian American Justice Center president.