AZ Senate Says NO To More Immigration Bills
May 21, 2011 | Government
Thursday marks the day the Arizona Senate rejected five immigration bills. This will make it difficult for additional laws to be passed cracking down on illegal immigrants.
The bills voted down by the Senate sought to provoke a reevaluation by the U.S. Supremem court of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
Other defeated measures sought to ban undocumented students from studying at state universities, as well as requiring hospitals and schools to check the legal status of patients and students respectively.
The votes came despite the Senate having a majority of Republicans, generally more sympathetic to such measures than Democrats.
“This was a clear statement that Arizona needs to focus on its priorities, not try to solve the immigration problem,” Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo told Reuters.
Last year state lawmakers grabbed headlines after Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed a controversial state immigration bill requiring state and local police to investigate the immigration status of anyone they suspected was in the country illegally.
Controversial parts of the law, which kick-started a vigorous national debate over what to do with nearly 11 million illegal immigrants living in the shadows stateside, were stayed by a federal judge before it came into effect. Arizona is appealing the ruling.
Despite the state Senate defeat, there is a possibility the laws could be revived during this legislative session in the form of amendments to other bills, or through calls for a revote.
It appears that Arizona’s immigration problem could be spreading to other parts of the US. As the laws in Arizona get tougher, those affraid of deportation have started to move to other states. Soon the state laws
This article was written by: Cindy Peters
