The Savannah Morning News on Arizona's newly enacted immigration law
From the Savannah Morning News editorial page:
President Obama is correct: It would be better to have an immigration policy enforced at the federal level, rather than a patchwork of state measures such as the one Arizona just signed into law.
The problem is, the nation has an official national immigration policy (come here legally or you're not welcome), it's just that there has been no political backbone to enforce it from the federal level. The result? Porous borders.
And, forcing states to do the best they can with what they've got.
Mr. Obama called the Arizona law "misguided" and instructed his attorney general to investigate the state measure to see if it is constitutional. That's the wrong response. After all, it is the decades-long de facto policy of ignoring border security that is misguided.
In reference to the Arizona measure giving local and state authorities the power to arrest illegal immigrants, Mr. Obama said a national policy is needed in order to preclude "irresponsibility by others."
But it is irresponsibility on the part of Washington that has necessitated action by the states.
Arizona has at least 460,000 illegal immigrants; states such as California have many more. Most of these individuals likely crossed the border simply to escape poverty and find work, and you can't blame them. But in doing so, they jumped ahead of the line of those who put in the time and effort to follow the law.
What's more, not all illegal immigration is benign. The cancer of Mexican drug cartel violence has begun to metastasize into U.S. border states. Violent drug gangs have begun to put hits out on rivals and even law enforcement officials within the United States.
Detractors cry that the Arizona law will lead to racial profiling. That's a concern. But the law specifically prohibits race and nationality as sole reasons for immigration checks.
A more reasonable concern is that illegal immigrants are often the victims of crime, and making their status punishable within the state will reduce their willingness to report crimes or assist law enforcement in solving them. That's been a problem in Savannah and Chatham County, where Hispanics have been the targets of armed robberies.
But again, Washington is at fault. You can't blame states for trying to pick up the pieces as best they can.
President Obama is correct: It would be better to have an immigration policy enforced at the federal level, rather than a patchwork of state measures such as the one Arizona just signed into law.
The problem is, the nation has an official national immigration policy (come here legally or you're not welcome), it's just that there has been no political backbone to enforce it from the federal level. The result? Porous borders.
And, forcing states to do the best they can with what they've got.
Mr. Obama called the Arizona law "misguided" and instructed his attorney general to investigate the state measure to see if it is constitutional. That's the wrong response. After all, it is the decades-long de facto policy of ignoring border security that is misguided.
In reference to the Arizona measure giving local and state authorities the power to arrest illegal immigrants, Mr. Obama said a national policy is needed in order to preclude "irresponsibility by others."
But it is irresponsibility on the part of Washington that has necessitated action by the states.
Arizona has at least 460,000 illegal immigrants; states such as California have many more. Most of these individuals likely crossed the border simply to escape poverty and find work, and you can't blame them. But in doing so, they jumped ahead of the line of those who put in the time and effort to follow the law.
What's more, not all illegal immigration is benign. The cancer of Mexican drug cartel violence has begun to metastasize into U.S. border states. Violent drug gangs have begun to put hits out on rivals and even law enforcement officials within the United States.
Detractors cry that the Arizona law will lead to racial profiling. That's a concern. But the law specifically prohibits race and nationality as sole reasons for immigration checks.
A more reasonable concern is that illegal immigrants are often the victims of crime, and making their status punishable within the state will reduce their willingness to report crimes or assist law enforcement in solving them. That's been a problem in Savannah and Chatham County, where Hispanics have been the targets of armed robberies.
But again, Washington is at fault. You can't blame states for trying to pick up the pieces as best they can.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 12:17 PM
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