To the Editor:
“The
Constitution Trumps Arizona” (editorial, July 8) offers sensible
ideas for what the Obama administration should do to support immigrant
rights in the absence of Congressional reform. Of even greater value
would be declaring a moratorium on deportations until Congress chooses
to act.
Despite campaigning as a pro-immigrant reformer, President Obama and his
administration continue to deport undocumented immigrants—the vast
majority of whom do not have criminal records or are low-level offenders—at an unprecedented pace. This “enforcement only” strategy tears
families apart, devastates communities, dishonors the vast contributions
of undocumented immigrants and does nothing to fix a system that
everyone agrees is broken.
By halting deportations, President Obama could lessen the daily terror
felt by millions while showing Congress that if it won’t act, he will.
Michael Mandel
Port Washington, N.Y., July 8, 2010
The writer is an immigration lawyer.
To the Editor:
I hope that more people will come to understand the merits behind the
lawsuit that was filed by the Justice Department against the Arizona
crackdown on illegal immigration. Under our Constitution, no state has
the ability to claim frustration and enact laws that pre-empt the
federal government’s prerogatives.
This country fought the Civil War because individual states wanted to
address issues differently from our federal government. Immigration law
is not a state matter. It is handled by the federal government for many
reasons, including its complexities and sensitive nature.
Daniel Luna
Fresno, Calif., July 8, 2010
To the Editor:
Your editorial describes Arizona’s law as being “pernicious” and
“unjust.” But most Americans would disagree. A New York Times/CBS News poll
published on May 4 showed that 60 percent of the respondents felt that
the Arizona law was “about right” or “doesn’t go far enough.”
Arizona’s law does not symbolize cruelty, but a long overdue reaction to
the federal government’s failure to protect the meaning of American
citizenship.
I am a Democrat and voted for President Obama, but if he pushes for
amnesty for those who have violated our immigration and labor laws, I
will not vote for him again.
Karen Pollack
Greenport, N.Y., July 8, 2010
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 