NOVATOWNHALL

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber has ruled that the City of Valley Park, Missouri’s “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” - which makes it illegal to knowingly hire unauthorized workers - does not preempt federal law.

A good overview of the decision is at ImmigrationProf Blog, and
here is a news report from the Examiner.

The city ordinance states:

It is unlawful for any business entity to knowingly recruit, hire for employment, or continue to employ, or to permit, dispatch, or instruct any person who is an unlawful worker to perform work in whole or in part within the City.

This ruling contradicts the earlier federal court opinion (in another district) against Hazleton, PA which is being appealed.

The lead attorney for both cities is Kris Kobach, who has just joined Mitt Romney’s team as advisor on border security and immigration reform issues.

In 2005, Kobach authored the definitive explanation of local and state law enforcement authority to enforce federal immigration law and the limits of federal preemption. (”Preemption” is the number one rationale given by local and state legislators seeking an excuse to ignore illegal immigration.)

The Valley Park decision represents a significant setback for the ACLU, MALDEF, and other pro-illegal organizations which have attempted to employ legal maneuvers to restrict local jurisdictions from enforcing immigration laws. The decision is a huge boost for states and municipalities which are considering or have passed laws against illegal hiring practices. Public officials and citizens groups advocating honest business practices have just received a shot in the arm and can be expected to redouble their efforts to pass such laws and ordinances in an ever widening number of jurisdictions.

It seems most people have no idea what can be done to reverse the illegal immigration trend. Simply informing our fellow legal residents about what these other jurisdictions have done - publicizing the content of these ordinances - will go a long way toward building public sentiment to crack down on illegal hiring practices.