Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Arizona law that fines firms in the state which hires illegal migrants. The law revokes the business licenses of such companies.
The justices, on a 5 to 3 vote, rejected the argument that Arizona’s law impinges on Washington’s power to control immigration.
In dismissing the arguments raised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, civil rights groups, labor unions and the Obama administration, the court said states were given that option.
Although the 1986 federal Immigration Reform and Control Act general prevents states from imposing sanctions on employers to control immigration, Arizona used a clause in that act to punish companies that knowingly and intentionally hired undocumented employees.
Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito Jr. voted in favor of Arizona. Justices Ruth Baden Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, while Justice Elena Kagan did not participate in the case because she worked on the law when she was solicitor general of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Roberts pointed out that seven states recently enacted a similar law to the Legal Arizona Workers Act, which required employers to check the status of new workers through a federal database.
The court’s ruling paves the way for other states to play a greater role in addressing immigration problems.
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