Ik ben alweer een tijdje bezig met het door spitten van alle issues waarop ik op 7 november moet stemmen. Een van de referenda is gerelateerd aan immigration. Ik weet dat velen van jullie hier vanuit een ander oogpunt tegenaan kijken dan US ingezetenen, en dus ben ik benieuwd hoe jullie hierop zouden stemmen. Dit is een samenvatting van Referendum K op de Colorado ballot (met arguments voor/tegen):
Referendum K proposes a change to the Colorado statutes that:
— requires the state of Colorado to sue the federal government to demand enforcement of existing
federal immigration laws.
Summary and Analysis
Federal immigration law determines which foreign-born individuals may enter the country, establishes
procedures to become a U.S. citizen, and specifies how these laws are enforced. States cannot impose penalties
for violations of federal immigration laws. States can adopt some laws related to immigration, for instance, some
states, including Colorado, have laws prohibiting the expenditure of tax dollars to provide certain government
services to illegal immigrants.
Referendum K directs the Colorado attorney general to initiate, or join other states in, a lawsuit against the
U.S. attorney general to demand that the federal government enforce existing federal immigration laws. These
attorneys general are the main legal advisors and law enforcement officers of the state of Colorado and the United
States, respectively.
Several states have unsuccessfully sued the federal government to demand enforcement of immigration
laws and to recover costs related to the education, incarceration, and health care of illegal immigrants, arguing that
the costs result from the federal government's failure to enforce its laws. The Colorado legislature recently passed
two laws that direct the state attorney general to take all available steps to make the federal government pay state
costs related to illegal immigration. These steps could include suing the federal government.
Argument For
1) A lawsuit makes it explicitly clear that states want the federal government to take action to enforce
federal immigration laws. An independent research group estimates that last year Colorado spent $225 million on
K-12 education, emergency medical care, and incarceration of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants also benefit
from other state services provided to all residents of the state regardless of immigration status, such as public
health assistance and child welfare services. The lawsuit required by Referendum K is an important step in
reducing costs incurred by the state in dealing with illegal immigrants.
Argument Against
1) Requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government for enforcement of immigration laws
could waste state tax dollars and the attorney general's time. The federal government has exclusive authority to
determine which immigrants may enter the U.S. and to remove those who are here illegally. Other states' attempts
to make the federal government enforce immigration laws indicate that Colorado's effort will likely fail.
(Deze en alle andere zaken op de Colorado ballot zijn
hier te lezen)
De vloer is geopend voor discussie...