Supreme Court may uphold parts of Arizona's immigration law

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
4/26/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Justices suggest they're not buying Obama Administration argument that Arizona exceeded its authority

In a surprise move, the Supreme Court seems prepared to uphold part of Arizona's controversial immigration law. This would allow some of the measures currently blocked by lower courts to be enforced. Furthermore, the justices strongly suggested they're not buying the Obama administration's argument that Arizona exceeded its authority. The Obama administration argues that immigration policy is rightfully set by the federal government, not states.

Protesters take part in a demonstration in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.as the court questions Arizona's 'show me your papers' law.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Even some of the court's more liberal justices seem to find no strong objection to the most controversial part of the law, which requires local police to check on the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest.

However, Arizona appeared to have a tougher time defending two other provisions of the law that are now blocked. Making it a state crime to have no federal immigration papers, in addition to making it a state crime for an illegal immigrant to look for work, as neither is currently a federal crime.

Arizona contends that immigration is not exclusively a federal matter and the state has the right to act because federal authorities have not done their job. Key parts of the law have been put on hold by lower courts pending action by the Supreme Court.

Signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in April 2010, the law has inspired similar laws in other states.

The case has become 2012 campaign fodder for both the Obama administration and Republicans. The issue also has the potential to split the Republicans.

Latino Republican, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is a potential running mate for Mitt Romney said last week that he did not "believe that laws like Arizona's should be a model for the country." Rubio added he understood why Arizona had passed the law.

But, crucially, he added, "I would much rather the federal government deal with the illegal immigration issue and modernize our legal immigration system ."

Those remarks put him at odds with Romney, who in February called the Arizona's immigration law "a model." Romney also has said he hoped the law "will be implemented with care and caution not to single out individuals based upon their ethnicity."

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Keywords: Supreme Court, Arizona, immigration law, federal law

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

Rob
1 year ago
Tech, it seems in modern history all of our AG's have had problems. Seems every administration has some sort of AG scandal. I'm suprised he's lasted this long.
techwreck
1 year ago
The Supreme Court will uphold parts of Arizona's immigration enforcement law because the actions of the Obama administration are clearly based on partisan politics, not constitutional law. The Holder Justice Department has become a political tool of the Obama administration, rather than a protector of civil rights, as shown by their refusal to defend DOMA, the Defense of marriage Act, against attack from left-wing activists, Fast & Furious, failure to prosecute the Black Panthers for voting law violations, etc.,etc. Eric Holder is a national embarrassment as Attorney General and tarnishes an office held by many legal lions who fought for the constitutional rights of Americans.
Rob
1 year ago
I don't think any administration in our modern history can defend their record in securing our border. I just hope that this law is really intended to try and do that. The ties of private prison corporations to the Brewer adminstration are very troubling. No one can blame a state for wanting to secure it's borders, but passing a law because someone tells them illegal immigrant detention is the next big private prison boom? I'm really not sure how I feel about that. Almost all the states that have passed similar laws have the exact same lobbying backing. However this issue is ultimately dealt with, I just hope we do so in a humane manner because these are human beings, not a commodity to be jailed so someone can profit.

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