Read Blog for Arizona | Politics from a Liberal Viewpoint for more about Immigration

Sen. John Kavanagh to pursue anti-immigrant bill that would cost the state federal money

January 6, 2016 by AZ BlueMeanie

The U.S. Supreme Court currently has pending before it an apportionment/redistricting case from Texas, Evenwel v. Abbott, in which the plaintiffs challenged redistricting on the grounds that the legislature should use eligible voters, rather than total population, as the relevant measure for apportionment. Each district, in other words, should have roughly the same number of eligible voters, not the same number of people.

This would not only exclude non-citizens but also American citizens who are not registered to vote, minor children and felons. As was explained to the Justices in amicus briefs and at oral argument, there is no existing data base that would allow for such a calculation. All states rely on the decennial census population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The U.S. Constitution empowers the Congress to carry out the census in “such manner as they shall by Law direct” (Article I, Section 2). The legal authority for collecting the data resides in Title 13 of the U.S.C. or the “Census Act.”

That Census data is used not just for redistricting but for distribution formulas for federal revenue sharing to state and local communities for health, education, welfare, public safety, housing, transportation, etc.

The twisted logic of Evenwel appears to be behind the latest anti-immigrant nativist proposal from Sen. John Kavanagh, an acolyte of disgraced and recalled former Senator Russell Pearce and crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio. Lawmaker: Don’t let Census count illegal residents:

A state lawmaker wants to block communities trying to boost their revenues through a special interim census from counting residents who are not in this country legally.

The legislation crafted by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would allow cities, towns and counties to count only those who are U.S. citizens, nationals of U.S. territories, or are legally admitted to the United States. More to the point, SB 1044 would forbid counting anyone who is an illegal immigrant.

The Mass Deportation Party wants the U.S. Supreme Court to delay ruling on the Obama administration’s executive orders on immigration

January 3, 2016 by AZ BlueMeanie

You may recall that the Obama administration timely filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel’s 2-1 decision upholding the trial court’s imposition of a stay during the pendency of the trial of the Obama administration’s executive orders on immigration.

The appeal was filed just under the deadline to get the appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this term, with a decision that would likely come in the last week of June, only weeks before the RNC National Convention begins on July 18 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The 26 “red states” that brought the legal challenge to the Obama administration’s executive orders on immigration do not want the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the appeal this term in the middle of an election year. They would rather use the case for political propaganda purposes during the election.

Tea-Publicans vote to take away Americans health care and to defund Planned Parenthood; government shutdown looms

December 6, 2015 by AZ BlueMeanie

With the wall-to-wall media coverage of shootings in America this past week, you may have missed that the Senate used the budget reconciliation process to pass a partial “ObamaCare” repeal and to defund Planned Parenthood. This is part of the Kabuki theater that GOP Congressional leaders must engage in to appease the radical extremists who want to shut down the federal government to take the country hostage and to extort ransom from the Democrats and President Obama — “give us everything we want or we will kill the hostage.”

A government shutdown remains not only possible but likely this Friday, December 11, if the GOP Congressional leadership loses control of their Kabuki theater strategy.

SCOTUS to states on immigration appeal: 8 additional days to respond

December 2, 2015 by AZ BlueMeanie

Just as I predicted last month when the Obama administration appealed the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals immigration ruling to SCOTUS:

Of course, any one of the 26 “Red State” plaintiff’s that brought this case can request a delay for additional time to respond to the appeal, negating the administration’s timely filing.

Any delay could kick this case into the Court’s next term beginning in October 2016. The appeal would not be decided until after a new president takes office in January 2017. I fully expect the Red State respondents to play this delay gambit.

Texas, of course, requested for an additional 30 days to play this delay gambit. Surprisingly the Justices said “no” (we know what you are up to) and granted only an additional eight days, which means it is now more likely that the U.S. Supreme Court — if it grants the appeal — will hear this case in late April and render a decision in late June.

ALEC 2015 States and Nation Policy Summit in Scottsdale today

December 2, 2015 by AZ BlueMeanie

Governor Doug Ducey, the ice cream man hired by Koch Industries to run their Southwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Arizona, will be welcoming the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to the hub of the “Kochtopus” evil empire in Scottsdale, Arizona today for the 2015 States and Nation Policy Summit.

The Agenda has Governor Ducey speaking at the luncheon today at Noon.

The Breakfast meeting for Thursday features former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn. The Thursday luncheon speakers include about to be impeached Maine Governor Paul LePage, and president of the American Enterprise Institute, Arthur Brooks.