States' Immigrant Policies

The Washington Post looks at how states have responded to the federal government's inability to enact comprehensive immigration reform. As the piece lays out, not only are the intent and motivation behind these laws varied, but also the potential effect on future comprehensive legislation:

As the Bush administration and Congress sit gridlocked on an immigration overhaul, states are jumping into the debate as never before. In the process, they are creating a national patchwork of incongruous immigration laws that some observers fear will make it far more difficult to enact any comprehensive, federally mandated bill down the line.

Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York cites the failure of the federal government and the necessity of addressing immigration reform to explain his actions:

"The federal government has failed to establish a coherent or rational policy, and as a consequence, we are left to deal with this on a state level. We're left dealing with the reality of up to 1 million [illegal] immigrants in New York. . . . I would prefer to have [them] carrying a legitimate form of identification, a driver's license that allows them to get insurance, allows our law enforcement to track their driving records and brings these drivers out of the shadows."

Unfortunately, not all states have the best interests of immigrants at heart, which is why NDN will continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform.