Supreme Court Immigration Law Decision Could Force Change Suggests Houston Immigration Lawyer
May 18, 2012
Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) May 18, 2012 – While the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates about what it will do with Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB 1070, journalists and opinion-makers have been pouring over every word from the oral arguments to try and determine what the court’s decision might be.
The press on the day of the court’s oral arguments was that the justices seemed to indicate that they generally agreed with Arizona on the issues. “Closer reads on the day’s events show that only one of the issues before the court had the justices sounding sympathetic to Arizona,” remarked Annie Banerjee, a Houston immigration lawyer.
The court was looking at four provisions of the Arizona law.
1. The law obligates law enforcement to verify the immigration status of people stopped during detentions, arrests or just traffic stops.
2. It would be a state crime to be in Arizona illegally and not have papers explaining your status.
3. The new law makes it a state crime for people to work, look for work or apply for work if they are not in the country legally.
4. The authorities in Arizona can arrest people without first obtaining a warrant if they have cause to think they need to be removed from the country.
Among these provisions of the state’s law, the court is charged with trying to determine if these laws conflict with federal law and therefore would be invalid because of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Many observers believe the court will have a hard time making a case that the last three provisions of the state law do not interfere with the federal governments’ ability to implement its policy. The first provision may slip by, since it does not necessarily interfere with federal government policy.
“It is my sincere hope that the close look this issue is getting from the Supreme Court will finally push Washington to come up with a comprehensive immigration policy that works both for skilled workers and those seeking asylum, as well as otherwise law abiding foreigners that have been living in the United States for years,” said Houston immigration lawyer Annie Banerjee.
“Perhaps all of the attention about immigration will put us in a position to change the rules across the board or separate the policy issues so that legal immigration can be addressed without having to be lumped in with illegal immigration reform,” she added.
The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling in the Arizona case this summer. That decision inevitably will become part of the presidential election-year political landscape.
Annie Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer specializing in helping people become United States citizens. The law offices assist in visas and other legal immigration requirements as well. To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.
Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
131 Brooks Street, Suite #300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-9139
