Common Sense Just Stood Up for Immigration Reform in Illinois Says Miami Immigration Lawyer
Jul 14, 2011
Miami, FL (Law Firm Newswire) July 13, 2011 – Three cheers for the State of Illinois and the return of what appears to be common sense in dealing with comprehensive immigration reform at the state level.
“If Illinois wanted to set an example about using common sense to make decisions relating to comprehensive immigration reform, they took a gigantic step forward when they told the Department of Homeland Security they were not going to be a part of the Secure Communities Program, largely because they find it to be ineffective. On top of that, they also went ahead and passed a state version of the DREAM Act,” said Larry S. Rifkin, managing partner at Rikfin & Fox-Isicoff, an immigration law firm with law offices in Miami, Florida and Orlando, Florida.
At this point in time, it is refreshing to see someone take the bull by the horns and do something with it – time someone stepped up and took some positive action when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform. Illinois may well be the model that other states would like to emulate, and it may not take too long for that to happen given the fact that there appears to be no solid leadership on the issue of comprehensive immigration reform in the White House.
“Finally, someone recognizes that it makes no sense to make law enforcement participate in a program that makes their job even harder, makes no sense to separate families and makes no sense to boot young immigrants out of the state when they are essentially already citizens, but just don’t have the paperwork to prove it. Frankly, this ought not to be a partisan issue, but in Washington, it certainly seems to be. This is a human issue, and a human rights issue, and ought to be treated as such, leaving politics aside,” said Rifkin, the Miami immigration attorney.
What prompted the State of Illinois to say there did not want to participate in the Secure Communities program? Very simply, it boiled down to the fact that the program was supposed to get rid of serious criminals and in reality, over 30 percent of the people deported had never been convicted of any crime. The sad part about this is that ICE knows that and yet they went ahead anyway.
“You need to really look hard at the ramifications of the Secure Communities Program. In doing so, you will realize that it is having a detrimental effect on community policing. A growing number of people and politicians are beginning to ‘get that,’ and other states are making noises about passing a resolution similar to the one Illinois took to heart. It’s nice to see people come to their senses, albeit slowly,” Rikfin said.
To learn more or to contact an Orlando immigration attorney or Miami immigration lawyer, visit http://www.rifkinfox.com.
Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, P.A.
1110 Brickell Avenue
Suite 210
Miami, Florida 33131
Toll Free: (866) 681-0202
