Why States Shouldn’t Control Immigration
Whatever the Supreme Court's decision on Arizona's controversial law, it should be a wake-up call about why American immigration policy must be established on a national — not state — level
By Adam Cohen @adamscohenMay 07, 2012
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If the Supreme Court upholds Arizona’s law getting tough on undocumented immigrants, as many observers expect, it would not just be approving one state’s crackdown. It would be giving a green light to other states to pass similar laws — and it is likely that at least some would. That would be unfortunate: what Americans need is not state-by-state policies but a comprehensive federal solution to the immigration problem.
The court heard arguments last month in a challenge to the Arizona law. The goal of SB 1070 is “attrition by enforcement†— prodding illegal immigrants to leave the country by aiming a series of harsh criminal laws at them. Arizona made it a crime to be in the state without proper immigration papers. And it required police to check the immigration status of anyone they arrest if they have “reasonable suspicion†the person is not there legally.
http://ideas.time.com/2012/05/07/why-states-shouldnt-control-immigration/
