AMNESTY LEADER ADMITS FED SUIT WOULD MAKE AMERICANS MORE ANTI-AMNESTY

Amnesty Leader Admits Fed Suit vs. Ariz. Would Make More Americans Anti-Amnesty
By cchmielenski
Created 06/21/2010 - 11:00am
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President of the Pro-Amnesty organization ImmigrationWorks USA, Tamar Jacoby, writes in the Los Angeles Times that the federal government's decision to sue the state of Arizona is a bad idea. Jacoby declares her opposition to Arizona's immigration enforcement law, but argues that the Administration's decision to sue would foster anti-amnesty sentiment.

Monday, June 21, 2010 - 11:00
President of the Pro-Amnesty organization ImmigrationWorks USA, Tamar Jacoby, writes in the Los Angeles Times that the federal government's decision to sue the state of Arizona is a bad idea. Jacoby declares her opposition to Arizona's immigration enforcement law, but argues that the Administration's decision to sue would foster anti-amnesty sentiment.

... a Justice Department lawsuit would be a horrendous mistake — one that could end all hope of passing comprehensive immigration reform as long as Barack Obama is president.

-- Tamar Jacoby, President of ImmigrationWorks USA

Last week, an Ecuadorian television station aired an interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton where she said that the government would indeed sue the state of Arizona. The federal government then confirmed Sec. Clinton's statement on Friday.

Passage of Arizona's immigration enforcement law has re-energized the immigration debate, but poll after poll, including a Washington Post/ABC News Poll from last week, has shown high support for Arizona's law. Jacoby writes that the high number of boycotts and news that the federal government suing is "poisoning the American immigration debate."

President Obama, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, the Los Angeles Times, the Roman Catholic Church, the AFL-CIO and a Who's Who of Latino pop stars have denounced the legislation. . .

Meanwhile, on the other side of the divide, polls show that some 60% of Americans support SB 1070.

Jacoby goes on to argue that the anti-Arizona rhetoric has created a debate over good vs. evil. She writes that while most Americans don't have a problem with illegal aliens, they do take issue with their illegal status. She says that the good vs. evil debate could be intensified by a government lawsuit against Arizona, which could hurt the long-term chances for a mass amnesty bill.

Arizona acted only because the feds hadn't, moving, albeit misguidedly, to handle a problem Washington had left to fester for years. Yet now, instead of stepping up to do its job, Washington is trying to cover its flank by punishing those who filled the vacuum?

"I think Tamar is exactly right that Americans' resistance to a 'comprehensive immigration reform' bill would be become much greater if they see the feds suing to stop Arizona from solving its illegal immigration problem," NumbersUSA President and Founder Roy Beck said.

Read Tamar Jacoby's full op-ed in the Los Angeles Times.