Governor Gregoire hopes Congress will act on immigration reform
Jun 25, 2012, 2:38 PM | Updated: 4:35 pm
Journalists wait outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 25, 2012. Following a Supreme Court ruling on immigration reform, Gov. Gregoire released a statement urging Congress to act on a national level to solve the problems surrounding immigration.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Immigration reform needs a national solution, according to Governor Christine Gregoire.
A divided Supreme Court threw out major parts of Arizona’s tough crackdown on illegal immigrants in a ruling, Monday. The justices unanimously approved the law’s most-discussed provision – requiring police to check the immigration status of those they stop for other reasons – but limited the consequences.
Although upholding the “show me your papers” requirement, which some critics say could lead to ethnic profiling, the justices struck down provisions that created state crimes allowing local police to arrest people for federal immigration violations. They also warned against detaining people for any prolonged period merely for not having proper immigration papers.
That part of the legislation isn’t something Gregoire is worried about.
“Our law enforcement community in this state, as diverse as we are, really is trained and understands that you can’t misuse or abuse the law profiling people.”
Gregoire released a statement on Monday, amid concerns that an immigration policy needs to be in place that allows for agricultural workers in areas where they are needed.
Bumper crops are expected for apples and cherries this year in Washington. Last year, More than 100 minimum-security inmates have begun to pick apples at an orchard in Grant County, helping to fill a shortage of pickers that threatened this year’s crop.
“When our products are ready for picking it means they have to have a workforce that can do it both timely and preserve the quality,” said Gregoire, “because that’s our international reputation.”
The ruling from the supreme court is a “wake-up call” for Congress, according to Gregoire. “It is they who must step up to this issue and do comprehensive immigration reform in this country so we can respect people, we can do the right thing. It doesn’t mean amnesty, it does mean we’re going to help our employers be successful and we’re going to respect people.”
