Too Tough on Illegal Immigration
In earlier posts I've argued that, as immigration reform continues to stall in Congress, state and local jurisdictions will fill the vacuum by passing their own anti-immigrant laws and ordinances.
Yesterday's Los Angeles Times addressed the subject in an editorial, Too Tough on Illegal Immigration.
The Times noted that, in the past, such regulations were challenged successfully, the courts ruling that immigration was a federal reserve, but that now the courts tend to uphold state and local legislation. Giving special recognition to my favorite anti-immigrant state, the Times said that "The Oklahoma ruling is particularly pernicious." There, the court ruled: "An illegal alien, in willful violation of federal immigration law, is without standing to challenge the constitutionality of a state law, when compliance with federal law would absolve the illegal alien's constitutional dilemma."
The Times' conclusion?
"Harsh laws and deportations may satisfy the popular hunger for instantaneous immigration reform, but the result will be a legacy of anguish and resentment among millions of people who aren't going anywhere."
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