Undocumented
immigrants being deported from the U.S.: Will
the
U.S. Supreme Court strike down anti-immigrant laws that
displease
corporate interests that depend on migrant labor?
La Jornada, Mexico
Undocumented on
Edge Before U.S. Supreme Court Ruling
"Once again, the fate of
undocumented immigrants will depend on considerations that go beyond the intrinsic
need for recognizing their fundamental rights, one of them being the right to
walking the streets freely without fear of being jailed or deported on the
basis of their appearance."
In
less than a month, the United States Supreme Court has handed down three
rulings, the essence of which is the Court’s carefree indulgence of conditions
that favor the corporate world. The first ruling dismissed the sexual
discrimination case against Wal-Mart, as was covered previously in this space.
In
the second, the Court overturned a California state law banning the sale of
violent video games to children under the age of 18. It decided that
prohibiting the sale of such games curtails the freedom of expression enshrined
in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The decision was celebrated by
the gaming industry, the annual sales of which exceed $10 billion in the U.S.
alone. One of the peculiarities of this decision comes is the way judge
described the lack of precedent for the ruling, citing the example that
expressions of violence found in stories like Snow White or Cinderella have
never been banned in the country.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The
third judgment had to do with the electoral arena. In Arizona, a law that
promotes public funding for election campaigns and restricts unlimited private
campaign contributions was struck down. Something similar happened last year,
when a ruling allowed for unrestricted corporate contributions to political
campaigns. In that case, the five conservative justices on the Court of nine
justified their decisions under the First Amendment, which guarantees the right
of freedom of expression.
If
the Supreme Court proves consistent with its tendency of protecting corporate
interests, it would be logical for it to override the anti-immigration laws
that have been passed in several states, and which been frozen by several
district courts that have deemed them unconstitutional. These laws pose a
hindrance to corporations that require migrant labor, including immigrants
without papers. You will recall that the Chamber of Commerce, which represents
major corporations in the country, has emphasized the need to legalize
undocumented immigrants.
But
neither can we rule out the possibility that 19th century conservatism will
prevail in the Supreme Court, which could find reason to endorse the legality
of these laws.
Once
again, the fate of undocumented immigrants will depend on considerations that
go beyond the intrinsic need for recognizing their fundamental rights, one of
them being the right to walking the streets freely without fear of being jailed
or deported on the basis of their appearance.
