Immigration law SB 1070 is one that the government is trying desperately to fight in court. Americans continue to give their opinions on the subject as well. CBS News and Rasmussen report the support of SB 1070 is 57 and 65 percent of Americans when The New York Daily News reports CNN giving a 55 percent rate of support. Now that SB 1070 is on the verge of going into effect in Arizona, an interesting wrinkle emerges- Arizona authorities can round up illegal immigrants, but the state will not have the power to deport them. Attorney General Eric Holder with the ability to make that happen doesn’t seem like he wants it to.
SB 1070 is useless
SB 1070 will empower local law enforcement officials across Arizona to enforce illegal immigration law if there is “reasonable suspicion,” but the federal government’s opposition means that it will not be deporting illegal immigrants. The Wall Street Journal wonders if Arizona is going to let this problem slide and put up illegal immigrants in jail or if they’ll forget about the whole thing through this. If illegal immigrants are detained, Arizona law enforcement can contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement to verify the person’s residency status. ICE’s decision on the person will probably mean an immigration judge can have to be involved. However, the federal government will not detain the individual. Hearings might take years to really occur and make a decision.
ICE effected by SB 1070 as well
The Department of Homeland Security reports about 460,000 illegal immigrants living in Arizona state. If SB 1070 passes, the ICE will start getting constant phone calls from Arizona alone. This won’t be able to happen, unless the ICE and Arizona put it together on their own, unless the Justice Department cooperates.
Maricopa County didn’t wait for the law
A federal-local partnership plan is what an Arizona county used to do this themselves. Since 2007, Maricopa County, reports the Associated Press, has taken credit for the “deportations of forced departure” of about 26,146 illegal immigrants. The 287 (g) program deputized a limited number of law enforcement officers in Maricopa County to help enforce immigration laws.
Law can be enforced only in Arizona
The 287 (g) provision is a section of the 1995 U.S. law called the Immigration and Nationality Act. SB 1070, as outlined by its supporters, is intended to pick up where Section 287 (g) left off – it will deputize many more police force officers to look at for illegal aliens and enforce the law. This would possibly address the concerns of critics who claim that the old 287 (g) provision was poorly supervised by Homeland Security and provided insufficient training. Also, the problem with officials stopping people from being deported will lessen at the least, if not stop entirely with SB 1070. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa explained to ABC, “If they want to block my jail, I’ll put them in jail.”
The benefits for taxpayers
The Journal reports that from 2006 to 1010, immigration programs have grown in cost from $ 5 million to $ 68 million. Perhaps effective enforcement – instead of a countless array of special interest groups and a spineless federal government – would ensure that those taxpayer dollars are well-spent.
Further reading
Associated Press
hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_LOCAL_ENFORCEMENT?SITE=WDUN and amp;SECTION=HOME and amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
New York Daily News
nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/28/2010-07-28_arizona_immigration_law_sb_1070_has_support_of_55_of_americans_new_poll_shows.html
Wall Street Journal
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703292704575393690850825662.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_Section_287%28g%29
Expansion of federal fingerprinting program for illegal immigrants
youtube.com/watch?v=HEkfMccuDVI
