Thread: A non-solution in Arizona S.D.U.T. EDITORIAL

A non-solution in Arizona / Law will be tougher on police than immigrants

Friday, April 16, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.

When it comes to illegal immigration, the Arizona Legislature has a knack for devising remedies that are worse than the affliction. Now lawmakers have done it again by passing a controversial bill that makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. without proper documentation. The measure also grants local and state police the authority to stop and check the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants.

Those who can’t produce such documents can be fined, arrested or even jailed. Going to jail is one thing, assuming Arizona has the jail space to hold all the violators. But if, in most cases, we’re just talking about fines, then the law makes even less sense. If these are really illegal immigrants who broke the law to come to the United States, what makes anyone think they’ll pay the fine?

Notice that we didn’t say those who couldn’t produce legal documents would be deported. After all, that’s not the role of local and state police. Only a federal agency such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement can remove someone from the United States. And why is that? It’s because, according to the Constitution, the federal government is responsible for enforcing immigration law.

Exactly. And that’s why this bill, even if signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer, may not be long for this world. The courts are likely to strike it down as an improper infringement on the duties of the federal government. There may also be legal challenges that allege a violation of civil rights, since giving local and state police the power to decide who may or may not be in the country illegally is a good way to encourage racial and ethnic profiling. We also wouldn’t be surprised if the Obama Justice Department takes a hard look at the Arizona law.

We understand the frustration that many Arizonans – and many Americans – feel about illegal immigration. They’re not wrong to want to stop it and regain control of the border. They’re also not wrong to want to prevent illegal immigrants from using many government services. But where some of us go wrong is in seizing upon simple solutions to what remains a complicated issue. When we grab hold of feel-good measures that don’t do any good and actually end up doing substantial harm, we haven’t done a thing to improve our lot. All we’ve done is create a new set of problems. And we’ll still have illegal immigration. And we always will as long as U.S. employers are willing to hire the undocumented. That’s the real problem.

By passing this bill, Arizona lawmakers made a terrible mistake. The governor should avoid compounding that error and veto the bill. If that doesn’t happen and this becomes law, then the federal courts should issue a veto of their own by striking it down.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... on-arizon/

The Writer's Point of View is obviously an open borders and amnesty one...The source "San Diego" says it all.

"When it comes to illegal immigration, the Arizona Legislature has a knack for devising remedies that are worse than the affliction"

WRONG

TOUGH LAWS is EXACTLY what we need to combat Illegal Aliens being here and illegal immigration in general. I am betting this writers solution is amnesty and immigration reform that legalizes everyone who is here illegally, not to mention open birders so all 3rd world people can flood into America and completely overwhelm our nation and its infrastructure....

NO WAY....Tough Laws is the ONLY way to go. If our nation DOESNT get tough and say NO some times we will be doomed.

It's just one excuse after another for not enforcing our immigration laws. How many people have to die, get raped, have identities stolen, jobs taken, cars wrecked, graffiti cleaned, guns discharged, dead bodies in the desert?

How many until we are allowed to enforce the laws on the books already. One of our local broadcasters was so annoyed with the fact that we have to pass a law so we have the right to enforce our existing laws.

Job security for legislators.

IF they really broke the law by coming here illegally...? They broke a federal law -- what is so hard to understand about that? And, undoubtedly, they are guilty of continually breaking state, local and federal laws while on the loose in this country!

The Constitution does NOT say that immigration enforcedment is reserved for the Federal Government. That is due to Congressional Legislation which says its -- the Constitution does NOT even menion immigrations. And oddly enought it is not one of the powers listed as specifically reserved for the Federal Government.