US Immigration System Needs Fixing
As president Obama and Congress fall short of updating the obsolete immigration laws of the nation, more and more states are taking the onus on them. Thanks to the deadlock in Washington over immigration law, state and local authorities are turning a blind eye to the fact that immigration is a federal matter under the U.S. Constitution, and are opting for a patchwork of ever-harsher ordinances and laws.
In recent times, the spotlight has shifted from the draconian law of Arizona to that of Alabama, which has introduced an even more severe law. Signed in June by Robert Bentley - the Alabama Governor, this law would hold those people guilty who drive persons without proper papers to church. The law would also:
€ Cancel or postpone business licenses of employers who hire residents not having proper papers.
€ Annul contracts with persons not authorized to stay in the United States.
€ Allow police to keep people in custody whom they suspect to be staying in the country illegally; this would let them target anyone who sounds or looks like a foreigner.
€ Need school students' citizenship status to be certified by the corresponding public schools.
Though some portions of the law have been rightly overturned by a federal judge, the police detention, employer, and school portions remain - unfairly and unfortunately.
The downside of this law is that it's driving out legal immigrants as well as even citizens. Kids with an illegal parent who are born in this country and are U.S. citizens are also staying out of school. Even restaurant workers and hotel cleaners, field hands, roofers, and construction workers, who are in the country legally, are leaving the state and their jobs as they feel unwelcome or may have friends and family members who don't have the proper papers.
The scenario is not much different in Georgia, where a similar law was passed. The result was the unavailability of workers to harvest crops, which left them rotting in the fields. Though recipients of unemployment compensation were compelled to do the job to save the situation, it didn't work well as these workers were very slow with their work and often left the job midway due to the tiring labor involved.
Such severe state immigration laws are increasingly challenged in the courts, as many people believe that a patchwork as done by the states is not a long-term solution to tackle the situation. Most people and political experts believe that state lawmakers need to be told by citizens that creating state immigration laws is not the ideal solution; rather, the proper way is to go to Congress to bring changes in the immigration law. However, those against going to Congress feel that since legal channels of the U.S. are inadequate and few to meet the immigration situation, it's the states' responsibility to fill the void. Until the situation is given serious thought and proper laws brought into effect, the nightmare for citizens at the wrong end of the state immigration laws and ordinances is slated to continue.
In recent times, the spotlight has shifted from the draconian law of Arizona to that of Alabama, which has introduced an even more severe law. Signed in June by Robert Bentley - the Alabama Governor, this law would hold those people guilty who drive persons without proper papers to church. The law would also:
€ Cancel or postpone business licenses of employers who hire residents not having proper papers.
€ Annul contracts with persons not authorized to stay in the United States.
€ Allow police to keep people in custody whom they suspect to be staying in the country illegally; this would let them target anyone who sounds or looks like a foreigner.
€ Need school students' citizenship status to be certified by the corresponding public schools.
Though some portions of the law have been rightly overturned by a federal judge, the police detention, employer, and school portions remain - unfairly and unfortunately.
The downside of this law is that it's driving out legal immigrants as well as even citizens. Kids with an illegal parent who are born in this country and are U.S. citizens are also staying out of school. Even restaurant workers and hotel cleaners, field hands, roofers, and construction workers, who are in the country legally, are leaving the state and their jobs as they feel unwelcome or may have friends and family members who don't have the proper papers.
The scenario is not much different in Georgia, where a similar law was passed. The result was the unavailability of workers to harvest crops, which left them rotting in the fields. Though recipients of unemployment compensation were compelled to do the job to save the situation, it didn't work well as these workers were very slow with their work and often left the job midway due to the tiring labor involved.
Such severe state immigration laws are increasingly challenged in the courts, as many people believe that a patchwork as done by the states is not a long-term solution to tackle the situation. Most people and political experts believe that state lawmakers need to be told by citizens that creating state immigration laws is not the ideal solution; rather, the proper way is to go to Congress to bring changes in the immigration law. However, those against going to Congress feel that since legal channels of the U.S. are inadequate and few to meet the immigration situation, it's the states' responsibility to fill the void. Until the situation is given serious thought and proper laws brought into effect, the nightmare for citizens at the wrong end of the state immigration laws and ordinances is slated to continue.