It has begun. The lawsuit we all have been waiting for, sort of. The Federal Government has officially sued Arizona over their Immigration law. This was to be expected.
One of our genius readers on Politablog had this to say a few months back on May, 12th, 2010.
Their Screen Name is Nacho. The irony is not lost on me.
This is what they said,
“Nevertheless, AZ’s law is likely unconstitutional but not only because of the racial profiling aspect. In the Constitution naturalization is an enumerated power of Congress. By negative implication an affirmative grant of power to Congress often precludes state regulation in the same area. As a result, I think that it is likely that AZ’s law will be preempted by the Federal Government under the Supremacy Clause. Other attempts of states to pass immigration laws have been struck down. See, Hines v. Davidowitz.”
They are 100% right. The feds are challenging Arizona based on the fact that Arizona cannot make a law directly influencing the naturalization or immigration process. It seems that the Feds will most likely win this lawsuit.
This issue is hard for me to formulate an opinion on because it is easy to understand both sides. Undocumented workers are a problem in the US and that problem has to stop. If we do not stop this immigration then spending on things like welfare, healthcare, military, police, etc will go up. We cannot afford to spend more money on these things, so the quality of the service will decrease.
Is it up to the individual States to make these laws?
Our past citizens decided that the Federal government should have control over the states. This would create a more streamlined process and uniformed code.
But, if our federal government is not meeting the needs of the Citizens of Arizona then it should be up to the state to act upon their interests. I have always been a proponent of States Rights and even though I would never want to see immigration laws like this passed nationally or in Minnesota, it is the right of the people of Arizona to do as they wish.
Another one of our readers, Cynthia Williams seemed to sum up the perspective of many Americans who support this legislation.
“I am tired of seeing immigrants get ahead at the expense of US taxpayers. They enjoy free loans, free healthcare, foodstamps, etc. Things that most of us tax paying citizens don’t qualify for (because we are not immigrants) Something is wrong with this picture. Yes, this is a country of immigrants but if you really think about it all countries are countries of immigrants. There has to be a limit somewhere! We need to become more like Australia in terms of dealing with immigration laws!”
She continued,
“In addition, if you are here illegally you should be deported immediately! Unfortunately, there are many people here that have been here for years illegally and they have children who have known only the U.S. as home. If they have been paying taxes for years then it would be unfair to deport them. However, something needs to be done to stop the influx of illegal immigrants. Yes, I said ILLEGAL. If you are here unlawfully then you are illegal!”
Fernando, another of our readers responded to what Cynthia had to say,
“You know, this is what kills me, Cynthia rapping on about illegals being the only problem on welfare. Its everyone, before you go on making ignorant comments look at the system. Welfare is being taken advantage of by EVERYONE not just immigrants. You have a problem with the welfare aspect blame the government and the agencies that manage that retarded welfare program. Loans are not free, they are LOANS, not gifts. Food stamps and free healthcare is basically the same thing as the welfare. I never said that this was not a problem, however, people that blame immigrants for them not having jobs or being able to get jobs should look closer at themselves and realize that if youre lazy, unmotivated, and a complainer you will NOT have a job. People that do have the necessary qualities will obviously be preferred over someone who doesnt posses favorable qualities. The issue here is; secure the borders, restructure the welfare system, and also pass laws regarding immigrant workers. There are a lot of jobs that pay cash and dont go through the state nor the federal government for those taxes that get usually taken out but this is not limited to only immigrants, I actually know a lot of people that are US Citizens taking advantage of this.”
This issue is complex and I can relate to both sides of the issue. So, why not let Arizona do what it wants if their citizens demand it?
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