Obama's Costly Immigration Grandstanding

The Obama administration's decision to bring suit against the enforcement of Arizona's new immigration law will only hurt the Democrats at the polls.

Whatever one’s views on immigration it is clear that upwards of 60% of Americans believe that Arizonans were justified in their new law that allows police to ask for proof of citizenship when given cause to do so.  Now it appears that the Obama administration is going to sue Arizona to prevent implementation of the law.  If this pans out the Obama administration will give Republicans a costless issue upon which to run.

The Democrats expect to solidify their advantage among Hispanics and increase turnout from their opposition to Arizona’s law.  That will not be the effect.  First, it places the Democratic party on the side of lawlessness.  It will not enforce the federal laws on immigration. Despite huge majorities it cannot reform immigration.  But it will make Arizona spend money defending a perfectly reasonable law that deals with a problem that disproportionately affects that state.

Every time Arizonans detain another illegal with a criminal record Republicans can trumpet that Obama would have prevented Arizona from finding this out.  On the Democratic side of the ledger such a suit is unlikely to be brief or successful.  The administration will have chosen the course least likely to produce results.  This will add to the President’s growing competency problem.

Finally, there are a host of things the Justice Department could be doing.  Why is this a priority?  To govern is to choose.  The current administration choosing to use scarce resources to tie up Arizona’s popular approach will drive perceptions of the Democrats further left and over the cliff that November is becoming.