FAIR Applauds Supreme Court’s Decision Upholding the Right of State and Local Governments to Protect Citizens against Illegal Immigration

(June 25, 2012 — Washington, D.C.) — Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), called today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding key provision of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law, SB 1070, “an important victory for the people of Arizona and citizens everywhere who want their jobs, tax dollars and security protected from mass illegal immigration.

“The United States Supreme Court has made it very clear that state and local governments have an important role to play in enforcing federal immigration laws. Even if the Obama administration refuses to enforce most immigration laws, states have the power to deter and discourage illegal aliens from settling or remaining within their jurisdictions,” continued Stein.

Coupled with last year’s ruling, upholding Arizona’s requirement that all employers check the employment eligibility of the people they hire using the federal E-Verify system, states now have broad latitude to carry out a policy of attrition through enforcement.

“The Supreme Court has provided state and local governments with clear guidelines of what they can do to discourage illegal immigration and assist in immigration enforcement,” said Stein. “It is now up to them to choose whether to protect the interests of illegal aliens or the interests of citizens. And, it is now up to Congress to hold the Obama administration accountable for carrying out the nation’s immigration laws in a manner that protects the interests of the American people in all 50 states.”

FAIR’s legal team is carefully reviewing today’s ruling and will issue a detailed analysis of what it will mean for the future of immigration enforcement.