ARIZONA NOT PROSECUTING EMPLOYER SANCTIONS CASES

My last post discussed one of two parts to the Arizona immigration law - the requirement to use E-Verify. The more controversial part of the law allows the state to revoke business licenses for employers who employ unlawfully present workers. According to a report in the Arizona Republic, after a full year in force, not a single employer has been prosecuted. That part of the law is very possibly unconstitutional and the courts are still in the middle of sorting out the issues. But the federal government is responsible for enforcing immigration law and that's where the focus needs to be rather than at the state or local level.

Comments

[Another voice]

All this is part of the hypocrisy in the way the handle immigration. Come on according to these people the only bad part of all of this are the immigrants, the employers they can do what ever they want, is sort of like Wall Street they can defraud all of us and we still do not put them in jail on the contrary we give them more tax payer money, hey welcome to the US.

[George Chell]

With the economy so bad, and immigrants legal and illegal and even citizens who "look like immigrants" leaving the state, there may not be anyone to prosecute. As a result, Arizona has the highest stock of unsold homes in the country. Its unemployment rate is set to rise faster than most states in the country and by 2013 it could be the country's next Michigan...and no one may want to come to that state.

[Greg Siskind]

There are about a half dozen cases pending around the country including a challenge of the Oklahoma law at the Circuit Court level and a challenge of the Hazleton case (which held the opposite opinion of the Ninth Circuit. And expect the case to come back en banc at the Ninth Circuit. If you think this is not ultimately heading to the Supreme Court, you're the one whose on a different planet.

[Law1]

The courts "are still in the middle of sorting out the issues." What planet are you on, Siskind? The September 17, 2008 Ninth Circuit - Ninth Circuit!! - decision seems pretty unambiguous to everyone else.