Thread: States take on illegal immigration Feds are Mum

States take on illegal immigration while Feds stay mum
Sylvia Cochran Sylvia Cochran – Sun Jan 16, 1:55 pm ET
President Obama pulled the plug on the virtual border fence that is one of the most well-known federal money pits in recent history. Instead of the promised technological surveillance that would keep illegal aliens from crossing the border between Mexico and the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano advised that border security would now rely on already developed technologies.

Even so, there is precious little other noise coming from D.C. about the problem of illegal immigration. Granted, there are discussions about birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution from the Republican side of the aisle, but there is precious little else. Is it surprising that the states are getting antsy and taking matters into their own hands?

So what's going on in the states' illegal immigration battles?


Kentucky: Senate Bill 6

Critics point out that Senate Bill 6 will likely carry a $40 million annual price tag. The reason for this cost would be the increase in detention costs for illegal aliens who are caught in the state. If the state's senate Republicans get their way, every undocumented immigrant who gets caught is guilty of committing a state crime. Lawmakers do not count on maximum enforcement but instead believe that even only sporadic enforcement will make Kentucky a state that illegal immigrants deem to be an undesirable home.

Texas: Tackling Sanctuary Cities

Governor Rick Perry has placed sanctuary cities on the Texas legislature's calendar as an "emergency item." Noting that Texas will protect its borders even if the feds fail to step up to the plate, Governor Perry nevertheless does not want to go down the road that Arizona went. As a result, he aims for the ensuring that none of Texas' cities become sanctuary cities that curtail law enforcement's cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.

Montana: House Bill 178

A very controversial bit of legislation deals with the employment of illegal immigrants. The Montana legislature is looking at House Bill 178, which makes it impossible for illegal aliens to receive worker's compensation benefits. As a side note, driver's license issuance would be tied to a cross-check with a federal database to verify citizenship and eligibility.

Even if these proposed state laws would make it past the legislators (and the voters), they would still have to face federal scrutiny. In spite of the federal government's inability to deal with the illegal immigration problem head-on, the Arizona showdown has proven that attorneys are quick to file suit if they perceive an encroaching on federal enforcement rights.

On the flipside, how many lawsuits against various states will it take before the federal government registers the need to do something about the unsecured border? As plenty of talk now surrounds -- the as of yet amorphous term -- "comprehensive immigration reform," political animals know that with the presidential election coming up on the radar, this hot potato may just as well get kicked down the curb for President Obama's second term.

Sylvia Cochran offers an insider's perspective of the American immigration system. Having gone through the steps of becoming a citizen -- and currently living in a border state -- she brings hands-on familiarity with hot-button issues to the table.


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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110116/pl_ ... s_stay_mum

attorneys are quick to file suit if they perceive an encroaching on federal enforcement rights

we could deport them along with the illegals. We need fewer lawyers

Of course the answer is for all or most states to really drop the hammer on illegals

That would put the feds in a really bad spot

I'm guessing that 'Bama will save his stonewalling for federal legislation and hope that that deters states from following thru on their own legislation. 'Bama's tack will be No enforcement without amnesty - and he'll paint Repubs as obstructionists when they insist on enforcement first.

A lot depends on the economy and on whether people realize that illegals are between them and a decent job. If the economy remains in the doldrums, it'll be more difficult for Demos to maintain that illegals aren't causing any harm.

Illegals and Healthcare are the 2 things crushing this country, bring our Troops home and stand them on the border, cheap and easy, they're already getting paid and they're all here at home! The rest will work itself out!