The question of immigration enforcement at the state level is coming to a head in the wake of Arizona’s SB 1070. An appeal in the federal case against the Arizona law will be heard on Monday at the 9th Circuit Court, before an interesting three-judge panel. Politico reported this week that one of the federal judges hearing the state’s appeal was at one time ordered deported, an order he beat.
Idaho and other states are watching the case, but states like Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Mississippi are champing at the bit to pass their own versions of the Arizona law, allowing for local enforcement of federal immigration policy. A report from ImmigrationWorks USA , which represents business interests dependent on immigrant labor, categorizes states based on their eagerness to legislate nativism copy Arizona’s SB 1070. (Idaho is a “maybe/maybe not” in the report.)
But it’s not just ICE-envy at the state level that is being tested; yesterday the 9th Circuit struck down another Arizona law that required proof of citizenship for voter registration. The court found that the registration requirement violated the National Voter Registration Act. (A separate provision of the Arizona law, that voters show ID before voting, was left intact; Idaho has a similar ID law that went into effect this year.)
So there are plenty of policy matters regarding this state-federal immigration question to discuss. The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho and College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs at Boise State are holding a public policy forum on November 9 in the Jordan Ballroom at Boise State to explore many of these questions. I’m going to miss the morning sessions on federal and state legislation, the increasing partnerships between ICE and local law enforcement and the impact of Arizona, but I hope to get to the conference in the p.m. for a discussion of immigration and race.
There will be several national figures in the immigration rights movement in town for the event, including Tyler Moran, policy director for the National Immigration Law Center, who actually lives in Boise. ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project staff attorney Andre Segura and Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Policy Director Hans Meyer will also be on hand, as will Boise-based immigration attorney Maria Andrade, who has provided some advice and assistance with my book project.
Tickets and Conference Agenda
8:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m., Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Federal and State Legislative Update
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., ICE and Local Law Enforcement (Working lunch)
1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Arizona and Beyond
3:15 p.m.-4:45 p.m., Race and Immigration
5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Reception and Networking
