Thread: Immigration Debate in Illinois Heats Up- Whose Job Is It?

The questions of whose responsibility to legislate and enforce immigration issues are being vigorously debated in the Illinois General Assembly.

One faction says that the Federal Government has fallen down on the job and the state needs to get involved and pick up the slack. Lawmakers opposing proposed legislation say that the state does not have the funds necessary to do the job.

In a bill that some are saying shows “hatred against immigrants.â€

Chicago is a sanctuary city and Illinois is a sanctuary state. I'm amazed that some of our legislators would even address the illegal problem in the state. Critics of the proposal again try to confuse immigrant with illegal immigrant, blurring the line between the two.

Rob Paral, an expert on Latino issues who has worked in immigrant integration, said it’s a mistake to address immigration reform on a state level.

The state is not addressing immigration reform, it is seeking to enforce federal law on a local level because our federal government refuses to do so.