My first question is did Attorney General Eric Holder read the bill before they filed suit? I know that he and the president admitted after criticizing the law, that they hadn’t had a chance to read it as of yet.
A few months ago after this law was passed in Arizona, I was discussing the issue with a law enforcement professional from Brigham City. He shared a brief story about a call he had received a week prior. A complaint had been made against an individual selling food without a license out of vehicle in a local parking lot. Since he was a repeat offender and this was an ongoing problem, he was arrested.
As it turns out, this individual had no identification and upon minimal questioning, admitted to be residing in the U.S. unlawfully. Since he could not post the $50 bail he was placed in jail. Federal law already requires local law enforcement to inform ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) about suspected illegal immigrants. As such, this officer contacted local ICE officials and they placed a hold on this individual and he was deported a short time later.
What is the difference between this situation and what Arizona is trying to do? Arizona is simply codifying into state law the already federally approved process. The difference is that when Arizona officials contact ICE, they don’t get a response. Arizona is simply doing the job the federal government refuses to do.
Another example of this is a situation that Congressman Rob Bishop is attempting to remedy with HR 5016. Currently, the BLM and National Parks service do not allow the Border Patrol to pursue the vast amount of drug and human trafficking that is occurring on federally protected lands along the border. This means that even when in hot pursuit of illegal activities, the border patrol must first obtain official permission from the respective agency in order to continue their enforcement activities.
It is such a blatant problem that the traffickers know they can enter the U.S. through these “protected” lands and end up causing more ecological damage than the Border Patrol could ever do. There are literally whole canyons littered with backpacks and clothing from the thousands of immigrants and drug traffickers.
I find it ironic that this administration has trampled on states’ rights with takeovers of the healthcare and financial industries and then complains when a state tires of waiting for the federal government to do the job that actually falls under its jurisdiction.
The reality is that democratic governors are already wary of Obama’s agenda and have warned the administration against pursuing this lawsuit. They know that this lawsuit will backfire and hurt them in this fall’s elections.
The solution is simple but politically unpalatable for democrats. If the president really wants to deflate Arizona’s new law, stop suing and start enforcing.
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