EDITORIAL: Obammigration

OPINION:

It’s President Obama’s policy not to secure America’s southern border. Yesterday, his administration filed suit against Arizona for its new law to try to enforce immigration statutes already on the books. This comes after the administration brought legal action against the Grand Canyon State for a 2007 law that strips business licenses away from companies that violate immigration laws. It’s clear the White House is working to make states defenseless against an illegal invasion.

During a Thursday speech at American University, Mr. Obama again claimed innocent American citizens will be subject to police stops “because of what they look like” and that the new Arizona law “makes it difficult for people here illegally to report crimes.” Such fear-mongering consciously ignores numerous safeguards in the legislation. This comes as little surprise given the president’s recent decision to hire former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to head the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of State and Local Coordination. Mr. Hurtt has been a strident supporter of so-called “sanctuary city” policies, which prevent police from checking immigration status even when crimes are involved.

All this is being done to set the stage for new far-left policies. According to Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican, Mr. Obama told him, “The problem is … if we secure the border, then you all won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.” Mr. Kyl understood this to be an admission that the president is holding border security hostage to an ideological agenda, which may include general amnesty or even a path to citizenship through executive order.

Federal law increasingly is catering to illegals already. The Obama administration promised to ensure illegal aliens get the same labor protections enjoyed by U.S. citizens. This means someone who broke the law to get here can complain to the Labor Department about minimum-wage or overtime violations without risk of deportation. The Labor Department even makes public-service announcements in Spanish. “You work hard,” says one taxpayer-funded Spanish-language ad. “Every worker in America has the right to be paid fairly, whether documented or not. So call us.” Obviously, making sure illegals get higher wages will encourage more - not fewer - illegal border crossings.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat, told Fox News on June 26, “We have the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education that had planned for meetings, had then canceled those meetings with the reason given that it was because of the immigration law.” So, the federal bureaucracy is waging war against Arizona for trying to defend itself. This is change only illegals can believe in.