George Jung
07-08-2007, 01:17 PM
There's an interesting article in The Economist, discussing where we go now that the Immigration bill is toast. Sounds like it's going to be a hodgepodge of state laws, with little in common state to state, and ranging from draconian to 'sanctuary states'.
.....one likely consequence will be an outbreak of ad hoc law-making in cities and states. Liberal and Hispanic enclaves may follow the example of National City, on the outskirts of San Diego, and declare themselves to be “sanctuary cities” where police officers are told not to quiz people about their immigration status. Others—probably a greater number—will tell the cops to do precisely that, or enact other laws against illegal immigrants and the people who house and employ them.
One such place is Arizona, where Janet Napolitano, the governor, signed a bill this week imposing stiff penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Those who are caught once will have their licences suspended; a second offence will put them out of business. Even the governor admits the bill is too broadly drawn and will be hard to enforce. She signed it, she explained, because the federal government has shown itself to be incapable of dealing with illegal immigration.
One in ten workers in Arizona is illegal, according to the Pew Hispanic Centre......
Laws such as Arizona's will make life more unpleasant and unpredictable for illegal workers. But they will not curtail either illegal immigration or illicit working as much as supporters claim. Subcontracting, which is common both in farming and in the construction business, makes it difficult to punish companies for employing dodgy workers. In any case, the border has been so porous for so long that people now have plenty of reasons to steal across it other than work. Of five aspiring immigrants who spoke to your correspondent in Smugglers' Gulch earlier this week, three were trying to join their families. .....
Americans have made it clear over the past year that they want the federal government to do something about illegal immigration. It is hard to know whom they will now blame for its failure......
but then they go on to note both the Rips who crowed loudest at the bills' defeat, as well as the Dim majority, may feel a backlash, and point out the Hispanic vote is growing rapidly, and leans primarily left.
What a mess.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9443515
.....one likely consequence will be an outbreak of ad hoc law-making in cities and states. Liberal and Hispanic enclaves may follow the example of National City, on the outskirts of San Diego, and declare themselves to be “sanctuary cities” where police officers are told not to quiz people about their immigration status. Others—probably a greater number—will tell the cops to do precisely that, or enact other laws against illegal immigrants and the people who house and employ them.
One such place is Arizona, where Janet Napolitano, the governor, signed a bill this week imposing stiff penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Those who are caught once will have their licences suspended; a second offence will put them out of business. Even the governor admits the bill is too broadly drawn and will be hard to enforce. She signed it, she explained, because the federal government has shown itself to be incapable of dealing with illegal immigration.
One in ten workers in Arizona is illegal, according to the Pew Hispanic Centre......
Laws such as Arizona's will make life more unpleasant and unpredictable for illegal workers. But they will not curtail either illegal immigration or illicit working as much as supporters claim. Subcontracting, which is common both in farming and in the construction business, makes it difficult to punish companies for employing dodgy workers. In any case, the border has been so porous for so long that people now have plenty of reasons to steal across it other than work. Of five aspiring immigrants who spoke to your correspondent in Smugglers' Gulch earlier this week, three were trying to join their families. .....
Americans have made it clear over the past year that they want the federal government to do something about illegal immigration. It is hard to know whom they will now blame for its failure......
but then they go on to note both the Rips who crowed loudest at the bills' defeat, as well as the Dim majority, may feel a backlash, and point out the Hispanic vote is growing rapidly, and leans primarily left.
What a mess.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9443515