**NOTE – This is an editorial opinion of the Managing Editor – Richard V. Rodriguez and might not necessarily represent the views of the National Security Law Brief**
Judge Sotomayor via The Huffington Post
Undocumented immigrants? So Judge Sotomayor says: The Huffington post reports that the Court ruled against the employer in the Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter case. Mohawk Industries allegedly fired an employee who notified authorities of his employer’s hiring practice of hiring undocumented immigrants. Mohawk argues that he was fired after an attorney-led investigation found that Carpenter had violated immigration laws. The Court answered the appellate court question: Whether Carpenter would be provided certain documents and information on that investigation.
The case itself is not as important as the substitute of the words. The Supreme Court is notorious for using the term “illegal immigrant.” This is the Court’s first time using the term “undocumented immigrants.”
While effective border control and proper regulation on illegal immigration are national security priorities, many have argued there is a much more racial taint to the laws and regulations of immigration directed at our south of the border friend, Mexico.
I for one, born of a Puerto Rican father and Costa Rican immigrant, do not take much issue with the term illegal immigration, but without question, do agree that there is a racial taint to many of the arguments by proponents of certain regulations. It is this racial taint that prevents adequate solutions to immigration issues, leading to similar 9/11 attacks because we are concentrating on the wrong issues. (Note the myth of terrorists coming in from Canada or Mexico – both of which were false.)
While Sotomayor’s point drew criticism from Justice Clarence Thomas, this change of viewpoints and verbiage by the Court (well really by Judge Sotomayor) is a great step forward in removing the racial taint and, instead, focusing our efforts on correcting regulation in pursuit of an equitable yet strong patrol of our borders for enemies of the U.S., not its friends.
Read More:
Time.com – Racism fueling immigration debates?
Civil Procedure & Federal Courts Blog – on “unanimous decision” tradition
For some despairing “taint” see below: (easily Google-able on the net):
WeaselZippers – calling La Raza- “Pro-Illegal” and Sotomayor’s ties to them as dangerous (pre-confirmation)
Judicialwatch.org – already unjustifiably calling her actions “improper”
**NOTE – This is an editorial opinion of the Managing Editor – Richard V. Rodriguez and might not necessarily represent the views of the National Security Law Brief**