Illegal Immigration and the Federalist System

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Illegal Immigration and the Federalist System

The influx of illegal immigrants into the United States affects every level of government in a significant way. Although the actual effects of illegal immigration are hotly debated, it remains the government's difficult duty to balance the massive amounts of data and diversity of public opinion in order to best accommodate the overall will of its people. In recent times we have witnessed a vast disconnect between what constituents want for their state versus what the nation as a whole considers Constitutionally justifiable. And therefore the necessity of a federal system, wherein the national government is playing a virtual tug-of-war with its states, comes to light. Using the issue of Illegal Immigration as our model, we can see how the national government and state governments are forced to cooperate and sometimes facilitate the success of policies when solving relatively complex matters of law .

First through a system of checks and balances, the national government proposes and passes laws that are eventually implemented both at the federal and state level. The passage and implementation of these or any type of laws is arduous to say the least and requires the coordination of all three branches of government. The president's duties are relatively simple and straightforward: a proposal is passed by congress and he either signs the bill into law or vetoes it. As with the example of Illegal Immigration, President Barack Obama signed into law February 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act wherein "$400 million in funds [will be budgeted] to strengthen security and infrastructure for ports of entry on the Southwest border" (“Immigration ”). Previous to that particular bil...

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...gov > "Legislative Archive" > "Bill Text - 109th" > search key term "REAL ID".

United States of America. Cong. 112th Legislature. 1st session. "A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to United States citizenship. S.J. Res. 2." Washington: GPO, 2011. Print.

United States of America. Cong. 112th Legislature. 1st session. "Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2011." HR 100 IH. Washington: GPO, 2011. Print.

United States of America. National Conference of State Legislatures. "NCSL REAL ID Act of 2005 Driver's License Title Summary." Ed. Cheye Calvo. PDF File.

Wood, Daniel B. "After Arizona, Why Are 10 States considering Immigration Bills?" CSMonitor.com. 10 May 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. .

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