Massachusetts: Immigrant Crackdown Is Eased

New York Times: A crackdown on illegal immigrants, passed by the State Senate last month, has been scaled back. The House and the Senate on Thursday approved a less stringent version of the contentious plan, which would have required the state attorney general to set up a hot line for residents to anonymously report businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. The compromise plan, adopted as an amendment to the state budget, only codifies existing state policies. But as part of sweeping budget cuts, the legislature also eliminated health care coverage for thousands of legal immigrants.