BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A number of Republican-dominated states in the United States have recently pushed for local legislation to give their law enforcement officers greater powers to crack down on illegal immigration. Analysts believe that such local legislation faces the same legal challenges as the new Texas law, which has faced an "unconstitutional" lawsuit.
The issue of immigration is a hot topic in this year's US presidential election and congressional re-election, and it is also one of the focal points of the struggle between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In February, U.S. President Joseph Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the U.S. southern border on the same day to rally voter support and dump each other on immigration.
On April 30, Governor Kevin Stitt of the central U.S. state of Oklahoma signed a bill that includes a new offense against immigrants for illegal presence, which could sentence illegal immigrants to up to two years in prison. The bill, which is set to take effect on July 1, is a misdemeanor for a first offense and a felony for a repeat offense. Oklahoma Republicans have once again condemned the federal government's "failure" in its response to immigration.
Previously, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last December aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, giving Texas law enforcement officers the power to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged the state law with unconstitutionality, and the case is currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Several Republican governors have expressed support for Texas, accusing the federal government of not doing enough to enforce the law. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also signed a bill aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, giving the state's law enforcement officers more leeway to identify, detain and deport illegal immigrants, as reported by the Associated Press on April 30. Another option to increase the penalties for violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants is in the pipeline.
In addition, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill in April, in part similar to Texas' new law against illegal immigration, Louisiana and Idaho are pushing for similar measures, Georgia legislators passed a bill to increase the identification of illegal immigrants, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in March to increase penalties for illegal immigrants who commit felonies and drive without a license.
Kelly Stumple, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said many of these state bills will almost certainly face legal challenges because immigration is a federal issue. The current situation can be described as "chaos", and the system has been "broken". (Chen Lixi)