Opinion surveys find that most Americans support Arizona’s tough new immigration law. Some, of course, do not support it, and there is nothing wrong with those on both sides making their arguments vigorously and trying to persuade others to see their point of view.
What is wrong is that a federal court intervened and put the law on hold. Arizona and other states and some cities have enacted various laws and ordinances against illegal immigration precisely because the federal government has not done its constitutional job in that arena. A court should not prevent Arizona from defending itself against costly illegal invasion.
Now, however, a bad situation may be well on its way to getting worse.
Arizona is appealing the suspension of its law, and 11 Latin American nations want the ultraliberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to let them submit filings expressing opposition to the law.
Not surprisingly, Mexico – from which more illegal aliens come to the United States than from any other nation – is on the list, which also includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru.
The nations claim that their relations with the United States will be strained if Arizona’s law is allowed to take effect.
But if international relations are strained because of the actions of millions of illegal aliens pouring into our country from those nations, that is not the fault of the United States nor of Arizona.
What’s more, the court should rule strictly on the basis of the U.S. Constitution and U.S. and Arizona law – not on the basis of how Arizona’s law might affect our ties with foreign countries.
The court should reject the foreign nations’ attempt to interfere in matters of American law – and it should allow Arizona’s commonsense anti-illegal-alien law to take effect.