Luke Witman

Tucson Immigration Examiner
December 31, 2011

From electrified fences to gunwalking, from Arpaio to Pearce, 2011 has been a year filled with dramatic moments surrounding immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the past several years, the border region has risen to national prominence as a figurative battleground between those seeking to close off our nation’s borders to immigrants and those fighting for comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration policy. As this battle begins a new year, what can we expect to see in the news in 2012?


The presidential election. Unlike in years past, the Latino vote could be up for grabs in the 2012 presidential election, and we can expect to see both Obama and the Republican nominee actively reaching out to these voters. Whether this will lead to any substantive changes to U.S. immigration and deportation policy or whether Latino voters will come out en masse for a particular candidate or will split up their votes among various parties is yet to be seen.


Joe Arpaio’s fight to remain in office. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has until January 4 to agree to cooperate with the Justice Department in making sweeping changes to the ways in which immigration law is enforced in his county. If he fails to agree to these changes, both Arpaio and the county could face federal lawsuits. Regardless of the outcome of this struggle, Arpaio’s days in office could well be numbered, as he is up for reelection in 2012, and organizations like the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Citizens for a Better Arizona are actively seeking his ouster.


Deportation cases under review. A pilot program begun in 2011 in Baltimore and Denver where officials are reviewing existing deportation cases in order to expedite the expulsion of criminal immigrants and possibly drop some “low priority” cases, will most likely expand to other cities in the coming year. Should the review come to Arizona, it is likely that the Department of Homeland Security will find itself at odds with local prosecutors attempting to circumvent the dropping of any deportation cases in the state.


Fast and Furious investigation continues. The ongoing congressional investigation into failed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gunrunning sting Operation Fast and Furious continues in 2012 with some in the Republican Party seeking to make the operation a prominent election issue. Whether former ATF head Kenneth Melson, Attorney General Eric Holder or any other U.S. officials are to be held accountable for their actions or inactions regarding Fast and Furious remains unseen.


SB 1070 goes to the Supreme Court. This month the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would hear Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer’s appeal of the current federal injunction issued against several key parts of anti-immigrant law SB 1070. This Supreme Court’s ruling in this case could be monumental, as it may provide some definitive answers regarding the constitutionality of state immigration laws in general. The case is likely to go to court this spring.


Immigration battles in South Carolina and beyond. South Carolina will be the latest state to jump into the anti-immigrant legal fray, as its law SB 20 is set to go into effect on January 1. There is already a battle underway in the state over the law’s constitutionality, as a federal judge recently issued a preliminary injunction against several key provisions of the law. In addition, 2012 is sure to see continuing battles in Alabama and Georgia over their prospective immigration laws, HB 56 and HB 87.


Read more about the major immigration and border related stories of 2011 in my year-in-review series here.

http://www.examiner.com/immigration-...-watch-out-for