As the States Are Passing Immigration Enforcement Laws at Record Levels, Will Congress Act on Immigration Reform?

Immigration developments at the state and local level are just about impossible to keep up with.  North Carolina's Governor signed a bill that week that will require employers to verify the immigration status of employees through the federal government's E-verify system, which the U.S. Supreme Court recently approved of in upholding Arizona's business licensing immigration law in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting.  The U.S. Department of Justice, which filed its own -- and to this point successful -- challenge to Arizona's S.B. 1070, is reviewing Alabama's strict new immigration law and has scheduled a meeting next week to discuss it with state law enforcement officials. A lawsuit challenging the law may be in the air.  As ImmigrationProf reported, a federal judge issued an injunction blocking implementation of Indiana's new immigration law.  A coalition of immigrant rights and civil rights groups announced that they will file a lawsuit challenging South Carolina's immigration bill if Governor Nikki Haley signs it into law.

When will Congress start working on comprehensive immigration reform that might put an end to the divisive efforts of state and local governments to take the immigration laws into their own hands?

There is a bit of good news.   The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security entitled “The DREAM Act” for Tuesday, June 28, 2011.

KJ