Federal Law is Supreme on Immigration
The states are trying to legislate immigration law again. Last time, it was righteous. In 2010, Arizona’s Republicans crafted state law SB1070 which simply mirrored federal law, but, alas, the Supremacy Clause won out. And while it was certainly disappointing to lose it, it was the right decision. Well, this time it’s various state Democrats doing the legislating. They’re trying to legislate ICE out of their states.
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We all know what this is about. They believe in borders all right -- state borders -- around their personal vote and money-laundering plantations. By declaring their intent to take affirmative legislative action, they’ve now officially gone from paying lip service to sane immigration policy, to actually trying to outlaw it.
And it only took 15 years.
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On July 1, 2010, Barack Obama, inspired by Arizona’s then new anti-illegal immigration law, SB1070, gave a speech on illegal immigration which, prior to Biden flooding our country, might have sounded pretty good to MAGA. I dare say we’re all very much in a “throw the bums out” mood right now, and that’s absolutely fair, but read on.
…We have to demand responsibility from people living here illegally. They must be required to admit that they broke the law. They should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine, and learn English. They must get right with the law before they can get in line and earn their citizenship -- not just because it is fair, not just because it will make clear to those who might wish to come to America they must do so inside the bounds of the law, but because this is how we demonstrate that being -- what being an American means. Being a citizen of this country comes not only with rights but also with certain fundamental responsibilities.
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Stipulating that his-lips-were-moving-so-we-know-he-was-lying, Obama still formed the words and sound came out. He actually linked rights and responsibilities. Democrats never do that. He talked about American citizenship being valuable (!) and that’s why we shouldn’t treat it cheaply. He even made the distinction between legal and illegal immigration, which Democrats never do anymore. It’s always just “immigrants.” Democrats no longer do a lot of things that used to make sense. Again, we all knew they were lying, but at least they faked it pretty well and didn’t try to run over ICE agents all over the place like they’re doing now.
According to DHS:
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They [ICE agents] are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against them, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.
We’re all familiar with Democrats declaring sanctuary cities and states. A Democrat gets some power and they simply proclaim it. No legislation needed. After all it (like the proclamation itself) would be wildly illegal and unconstitutional. And again, this is how they used to be. They were nuts, but they just proclaimed their nuttiness, they didn’t try to legislate it into being.
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No more.
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Blue state lawmakers have had it with ICE.
State legislatures across the country are accelerating efforts to shape immigration enforcement policy after the deadly shooting of a Minnesota woman by a federal agent, raising tensions between local leaders and the Trump administration.
From California to New York and Illinois to New Jersey, they’re pushing a range of bills aimed at limiting enforcement and protecting people targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while turning up the rhetoric with comparisons to the Gestapo.
Barack Obama had something else to say in that July 2010 speech, and none of the words were “Gestapo.” Below he was talking about Arizona’s SB1070 specifically:
And as other states and localities go their own ways, we face the prospect that different rules for immigration will apply in different parts of the country -- a patchwork of local immigration rules where we all know one clear national standard is needed.
We can’t have a “patchwork,” indeed. Federal law is supreme. Glad to see somebody knew it, even if it was over fifteen years ago, and Arizona was just desperately trying to do the federal government’s job that they simply would not do. Here today, however, the states are trying to abrogate the government’s job, and that simply won’t do. So these new laws, whatever they turn out to be, will no doubt meet the same fate SB1070 did: gutted.
Leave it to Democrats, the party of secession, slavery, and insurrection, to try, finally, to put pen to paper and memorialize their vile human trafficking for all to see. One might call it a bit more courageous of them to try to legislate rather than proclaim but courage implies nobility. There’s nothing noble in this. It’s brazen, not courageous. It’s foul and cynical. It’s anti-constitutional. As usual.
We will watch it wind its way through court after court, and we will be outraged at the liberal judges when they pencil-whip it through but then we will be relieved when the conservative judges and justices dispense with it. SCOTUS may be many things, but one thing they’re pretty reliable on is the Supremacy Clause. Immigration belongs to the Feds.
Sorry, modern-day-slavers. You didn’t get your slaves in 1865 and you ain’t gettin’ ‘em now. Maybe go back and listen to some of The One’s speeches from 2010. Back when you guys could be reasoned with… sort of.