Will Senate Amnesty Bill Trump State Efforts To Curb Illegal Immigration?

"Special Report

By Steve Elliott, President Grassfire.org

 

The real impact of illegal immigration is not felt in Washington, D.C. It is felt in the states -- the cities and towns across the nation being forced to foot the bill for the runaway costs and local impact of illegal immigration.

 

That’s why it should be no surprise that, with the Senate and the President pushing through an irresponsible blanket amnesty plan, our state legislatures are taking matters into their own hands. As USA Today and others are reporting, 30 states have passed legislation this year to crack down on illegal immigration. Go here  to see if your state is taking action.

 

State laws with teeth

These laws are wide-ranging -- from cracking down on employers hiring illegals to requiring state contractors to ensure that their employees are legal. There are laws against human trafficking, requiring citizenship or legal status to receive health benefits, making English the official language, establishing fines for counterfeiting documents, and more. One law in Texas has real economic teeth -- it prohibits businesses from deducting as a business expense wages paid to illegals.

 

In all, some 57 laws have been passed in these states, with more pending. I believe if left to our own devices, “we the people” would eventually solve this illegal immigration crisis. The 57 laws are evidence of that.  Just one problem....

 

Senate Amnesty Bill Will Trump Your State

If the Senate amnesty bill passes, virtually all illegals  will quickly migrate to some form of legal status, and ultimately the “path to citizenship” that the President is touting. Which brings us to one of the most damaging possible consequences of a federal amnesty bill -- what happens to the state efforts to control illegal immigration.

 

Once an illegal is granted legal status, how can state laws against illegals apply? It is clear that these laws will not apply to the 12-20 million who get legal status, or the tens of millions more who will be coming to our nation under the Senate amnesty plan.

 

Hidden danger of Senate amnesty plan

This is one of the least advertised dangers of the Senate amnesty bill. Yes, the very idea of granting amnesty to millions of illegals is repugnant. Yes, our porous borders are a national security threat. Yes, many communities are literally being torn apart by the influx of illegals. Yes, our hospitals and schools are being stretched to the breaking point.

 

As if these factors were not bad enough, our fearless leaders in the nation’s capital are trying to trump everything we can do at the state level and totally federalize another issue. Undoubtedly, this outrageous amnesty plan will concentrate more power at the federal level. Further emasculate our state and local governments and ultimately result in more taxes and spending at the federal level. Just to make the problem worse.

 

Once again, Washington, D.C., is on the wrong side of an issue, totally out of touch with what most Americans want. If the situation were reversed and 30 states had passed bills supporting amnesty, you can bet that the pressure would have already forced the House to cave in to the Senate amnesty plan. The President and some in the Senate are out of touch. But unless we stand strong, their amnesty plan will trump our state-level efforts to control this crisis.

 

Other resources: Christian Science Monitor - States target employers."

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