July 27, 2007
Immigration smackdown
A US District judge has struck down the anti-illegal alien statutes passed by Hazelton, Pa. The opinion isn't up on Westlaw as of today--it's a 206-page opinion and was only handed down yesterday--so I can't say much about the legal reasoning used, but I'm betting that the judge found that immigration is an issue preserved entirely for the federal government, regarding which state and local governments may not legislate.
Still, given the length of the opinion, it's likely that he's touching on a number of issues. I'll go into a deeper discussion when the opinion is available.
Regardless, I believe this is the correct ruling. I do believe that the penalties for illegal immigration should be much harsher--though I believe being a legal immigrant should be much easier--but state and local government should not be able to touch this or any other issues related to international law.
