Will The Next Legal Flash Point Be Focused California Immigration?
Will The Next Legal Flash Point Be Focused California Immigration?
The recent Arizona immigration law has been nothing short of controversial, and many experts believe that California immigration could be the next battleground for lawmakers. Reuters reports that Latinos in California - numerous of them illegal residents, others not - are stepping forward to protest the Arizona law. Liberals consider tougher immigration laws to be a gateway to human rights violations, when conservatives stand fast in their position that illegal immigration has gone too far. Both groups wonder if California will be the next to crack down on illegal immigrants.
Right from its backyard, California deals with immigration
Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, who live in San Francisco, are two California senators that support amnesty and welcome the flow of immigrants. Boxer has even gone as far as stating publicly that she would be happy if illegal immigrants became legal through amnesty and came to live in her city. Of course anyone with a sense for Real Estate prices knows that illegal immigrant wages will never be able to support living in San Francisco. With that, take the open-minded invitation from Boxer with a dash of margarita salt. Issues on California immigration will most likely be among the big talks with the upcoming state elections.
California has the highest population within the U.S., illegal immigrant or otherwise
In California, the stakes would be tremendously high if California immigration law comes into assessment. Members of the Latino community, who generally kept from political involvement, are now making their voices hear. From the El Concilio community center in agricultural Stockton, Jose Rodriquez told Reuters that "It is a large number of young people, those under 30, who speak English but realize that it doesn't matter that they speak English. It has to do with the color of their skin."
But as David Frum, previous G.W. Bush speechwriter, points out, stopping someone on the mere basis of skin color is forbidden, as stated in the letter of the Arizona immigration law. George Will brings out a really good point within the Washington Post, saying that what remains to be seen is whether good police officers in Arizona can aid this "worthwhile experiment in federalism" by making un-bias judgments regarding immigration police force. California might decide to go in a comparable direction if the experiment proves to be successful.
A changing tide seen among conservatives
Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, a San Diego County resident, has called the Arizona law "a fantastic starting point," although it remains uncertain whether the upcoming California elections will take immigration as a major point of argument. Leading candidates within the California governor's race Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown agree that the federal government needs to take action.
But losing Latino vote may just be the main concern among candidates. Will California follow suit if Arizona – which is 30 percent Hispanic by some estimates – gets a majority to agree on tough immigration law? As outlined by the 2008 census, an estimated 36.6 percent of the state population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, but it is safe to guess that not all of the minority group will be politically active in the California election.