California Immigration The next legal flash point ?

http://www.kansascitykansan.com/blogs/m ... point/7477 The recent Arizona immigration law has been getting many attention, and many experts believe the next battleground for lawmakers may just be California immigration. As outlined by a report from Reuters, Latinos in California - many of them illegal residents - are stepping up to protest the Arizona law. Liberals consider tougher immigration laws to be a gateway to human rights violations, while conservatives stand fast in their position that illegal immigration has gone too far. Both groups, nevertheless, are almost certain California could be the next to crack down on illegal immigrants.

California deals with immigration in its backyard

California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, who live in San Francisco, support amnesty and welcome the flow of immigrants. Boxer has even gone as far as stating publicly that she would be happy if illegal immigrants became legal through amnesty and came to live in her city. Of course any person with a sense for Real Estate prices knows that to support living in San Francisco, you will need to make more than illegal immigrant wages. Therefore, you need to take Boxer's open-minded invitation with a dash of margarita salt. Issues on California immigration will most likely be among the big talks with the upcoming state elections.

State of California has the highest U.S. population, including illegal immigrants

Because of the large illegal immigrant population, the stakes in California would be tremendously high if California immigration law comes into question. Members of the Latino community who previously avoided political involvement are making their voices heard. Jose Rodriguez of the El Concilio community center in agricultural Stockton, Calif., told Reuters that "It is a large number of young individuals, those under 30, who speak English but realize that it doesn't matter that they speak English. It has to do with the color of their skin."

But as David Frum, former G.W. Bush speechwriter, points out, stopping somebody on the mere basis of skin color is forbidden, as stated within the letter of the Arizona immigration law. George Will brings out a really good point within the Washington Post, saying that what remains to be seen is whether good police officers in Arizona can aid this "worthwhile experiment in federalism" by making un-bias judgments concerning immigration law enforcement. If the experiment proves to be successful, California might determine to go in a similar direction.

Conservatives observe a changing tide

San Diego resident Rep. Duncan Hunter, who's a Republican, has been quotes saying the Arizona law is "a fantastic beginning point," although it remains unclear whether the upcoming California elections will take immigration as a major point for debate. The leading candidates within the California governor's race, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman, agree that the action needs to be done within the federal government concerning the subject.

What it may come down to is whether candidates are too afraid to lose the Latino vote. Will California follow suit if Arizona – which is 30 percent Hispanic by some estimates – gets a majority to agree on tough immigration law? The 2008 census estimate is that 36.6 percent of the state population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, but it is safe to assume that not all of that minority group can be politically active within the California elections