Texas GOP Vote

This month has brought several clashes of Constitutional power, delegation of authority and ultra vires acts. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder was cited for contempt of Congress by the House Oversight Committee, President Obama made up new law by creating a new guest worker program, and this week the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on Arizona's fight with the Obama Administration over immigration enforcement, and it will likely rule on ObamaCare. Several conflicts where the showdown of federal authority and jurisdiction are testing the very bounds of our Constitution.   Read more »

Washington – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Arizona v. United States, voting 5-3 to block most provisions of Arizona's controversial policing law but upholding the one of most concern to immigrant rights activists: the section that requires police to inquire about the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons who they suspect are in the country illegally. ImmigrationWorks USA president Tamar Jacoby made the following statement.   Read more »

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld one of the four provisions challenged in the Arizona’s immigration law (S.B. 1070). Specifically, the Court ruled that Arizona’s local law enforcement can ask for proof of residency if they have reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal immigrant. Unfortunately, the Court overturned provisions of the Arizona law that allowed state law enforcement officials to help address illegal immigration in the absence of federal action.     Read more »

Last summer I wrote about the negative economic impact being experienced by states like Georgia and Alabama which had implemented harsh, Arizona style immigration laws and how Texas had "Sidestepped a Landmine" by blocking similar legislation. Now, it seems, Alabama is stepping back and trying to recover from their failed policies by rolling back many of the harsh provisions enacted last year.   Read more »

The following letter was sent in by Immigration Works USA president Tamar Jacoby:

Arizona state senator Russell Pearce, author of that state’s controversial policing law, SB 1070, was defeated Tuesday in a special election. His ouster started with a recall petition signed by more than 18,000 voters in May. Then political neophyte Jerry Lewis bested the sitting Senate president by a vote of 53 to 45 percent.    Read more »

So this is what happens when you allow a pro-abortion, enviromentalist machine like FAIR and NumbersUSA to write your policy proposals, you get recalled and as early reports indicate, voted out. Like George Will, many of us were in wait and see mode when it came to SB 1070.

However the truth came out quickly as to the intentions of the proponents of SB 1070. The revelation came that the entire SB 1070 movement was using its newly found political power to turn into a Birthright Citizenship lobbying movement.

Several states passed Arizona style anti-immigrant laws this year. Texas did not.  Did we sidestep a landmine of unintended consequences? To point, Alabama and Georgia passed laws cracking down on illegal immigrants and employers.  These laws are palliative at best because they don't address the root cause of our illegal immigration problem, a wide open and unsecured border.  But the worst side of these laws are the unintended consequences, which are currently negatively impacting these two states.

The state of Utah has several immigration bills floating through its current legislative session.  Many of these bills were hard-nosed SB1070 type bills. However, according to the Texas Observer, Utah’s legislators are searching a more sensible solution.

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It is refreshing to see my fellow conservative Republican Steve Hotze bring a free market perspective to the issue of illegal immigration. For too long we have allowed outside interest groups funded by zero population growth, abortion and eugenics money to control our message.

Mandatory E-verify, and Arizona style bills, will do nothing to secure the border. They will create unfunded mandates for law enforcement and they will drive undocumented workers away from tax-paying employers and deeper into the underground economy.   Read more »