Expert: State Immigrant Laws Might Fail
By ERIK SCHELZIG Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Legislatures around the country are passing state laws to get tough on illegal immigration, but legal experts say many of those laws will turn out to be unconstitutional.
More than 550 bills relating to illegal immigration were introduced in statehouses this year, and at least 77 were enacted, according to a survey presented last week at the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
However, NCSL analyst Ann Morse told lawmakers at the conference that a 1986 federal law forbids states from enacting stricter criminal or civil penalties for illegal immigration than those adopted by Congress.
‘The federal government decided it was too complicated for the states to enact their own competing laws on this,’ she said.
So what about the laws passed this year?
‘I believe they’ll be tested in court,’ she said.
State bills aimed at illegal immigration this year have included measures on education, employment, driver’s licenses, law enforcement, legal services and trafficking. [more]