Alberto Gonzales: Changing the 14th Amendment won't solve our immigration crisis

[pampango]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081904783.html

Like most Americans, I am a descendant of immigrants and a grateful beneficiary of the opportunities available to our nation's citizens. My grandparents emigrated from Mexico in the early 20th century seeking a better life, and they found it working in the fields and dairy farms of Texas. Diversity is one of the great strengths of the United States -- diversity fueled by the migration of ethnicities, cultures and ideas.

Obama administration officials went to court recently to stop Arizona from enforcing federal immigration laws through a newly enacted state law, arguing that the Constitution gives them sole authority in this arena. How the courts will ultimately decide this question is unclear, but with the federal government's claim of authority comes responsibility -- and so far, our national leaders have failed us.

President George W. Bush pushed for comprehensive immigration reform, but Republican members of Congress refused to join him. Although President Obama and the present congressional leadership have used their majority to enact sweeping health-care and financial reform, they seem to lack the will to try to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. Even my apolitical and saintly 78-year-old mother wonders whether the Democrats are keeping this issue on the table for political reasons, hoping that Republicans will propose enforcement measures that alienate Hispanic voters. (Note to Roberto: It is still the republicans who refuse to support comprehensive immigration reform-as if you didn't know that. And all repubs do know how to do is propose more and more draconian enforcement measures. They don't really care if that alienates Hispanic voters since their fear-based campaign is targeted at white voters.)

I do not support such an amendment (changing the 14th Amendment to eliminate birthright citizenship). Based on principles from my tenure as a judge, I think constitutional amendments should be reserved for extraordinary circumstances that we cannot address effectively through legislation or regulation. Because most undocumented workers come here to provide for themselves and their families, a constitutional amendment will not solve our immigration crisis. People will certainly continue to cross our borders to find a better life, irrespective of the possibilities of U.S. citizenship.

Of course only republicans not running or holding office will take such a position regarding the 14th Amendment.

[ejpoeta]

1. and he is of hispanic origin. he actually makes a good argument.

but republicans will just say he says that because he is hispanic or something.

[napi21]

2. Did he ever find a job? I admit, I haven't thought about him since he left.

The last I recall hearing was he was having a real problem finding a job anywhere.

[Wounded Bear]

3. He may be right, but for the wrong reasons...

In AZ, I would look at the influence of the for-profit prison industry, which stands to make beaucoup bux incarcerating and processing "illegal immigrants" if the law stands.

This may be the first beneficiary of the SCOTUS decision to allow unlimited corporate funding of election issues.

[UTUSN]

4. K&R #3 for, wow, he discovered "Law"?!1 It's a long hard slough to STUDY, maybe he can START!1

But, frankly, this smacks of personal-shoe-on-his-own-foot kind of thing, not "conviction" or "principle" on its own. Iow, it's the correct conclusion from all of our points of view, but he couldn't find reasoned and objective justifications AGAINST his string-pullers on other issues such as, oh-I-don't-know-TORTURE?!1