The Washington Post today reports that a federal judge ordered the planned immigration crackdown halted, in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Bush Administration had planned to mail out thousands of “no-match” letters to employers who had workers with problems with their social security numbers.
The order was a victory for the labor federation and the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit alleging that DHS is overstepping its authority to enforce immigration laws and is misusing a Social Security Administration database. They allege that the letters are an effort to pressure businesses to fire workers whose documents are flagged and could expose countless immigrant workers — including law-abiding citizens and legal residents — to job discrimination.
The ruling is hopefully a sign that the immigration crackdown begun by the Bush Administration in response to the Congressional standstill on immigration reform legislation will not be carried out to its fullest extent. We have already seen the negative effects that increased raids and crackdowns have had all over the country, separating families and unfairly targeting Latinos, many of whom are here with documentation. Stay tuned for more updates on these efforts.
Interesting outline. I like to read it Martha