'Common sense': Robert Reich explains the importance of immigration laws being enforced

Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor under the Clinton administration, is weighing in with his assessment explaining the importance of enforcing immigration laws.

In a new op-ed published by The Guardian, Reich began with the legal tug-of-war between the state of Texas and the Biden administration as an example to explain his concerns.

"Texas has sued the Biden administration over its order to immigration agents to prioritize undocumented immigrants convicted of felonies rather than deport all undocumented immigrants," Reich wrote.

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According to Reich, "Texas argues that federal immigration law requires the government to deport every undocumented immigrant. The Biden administration says it doesn’t have the resources to deport the country’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, so it must develop priorities."

He noted that the Texas legal battle reminded him of another controversy that took place 30 years ago: the debacle surrounding child labor laws.

"The labor department’s chief inspectors, sitting around a large round table in my office, didn’t want me to back down. After all, they said, the law was clear: Children under 14 could not work past 7pm on school nights. Besides, child labor was a serious problem. Children were getting injured working long hours."

So, what is the issue in both cases? Reich argues there's a distinct flaw in both and the governing prioritization standard appears to lack common sense.

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"Laws cannot be enforced without setting priorities for enforcement," Reich argued. "Inevitably – intentionally or unintentionally – the people in charge of enforcing laws determine which cases merit their attention and resources."

He added, "So enforcers must use common sense. Prioritize targeting employers who are hiring young children and putting them in dangerous jobs over, say, a farm team hiring a kid as a batboy."

Reich concluded with a suggestion for the U.S. government as he wrote, "Prioritize undocumented immigrants convicted of felonies over, say, a Dreamer who was brought to America as an infant and has been hardworking and law-abiding for her whole life."

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