Illegal Immigration and the states

Earlier this year, Governor Pawlenty released a report that showed the problems that the state faces as a result of illegal immigration. The report was commissioned in order for policy makers to have the information necessary in order to deal with the costs of illegal immigration. He then released several proposals on what the state could do to combat illegal immigration. The nay-sayers in the DFL were quick to respond - saying that immigration enforcement was a federal responsibility, plus it didn't really bother us as we are not on the southern border. When they finally did get into the discussion, they still refused to address illegal immigration!

Well illegal immigration is an issue that the state needs to address. The number of illegal immigrants in Minnesota has gone up an amazing 467% since 1994 according the the Pew Hispanic Center! More surprisingly was the fact that Minnesota has a higher percentage of illegal immigrants living in our borders than New Mexico (a southern border state) does. More surprisingly - the upper Midwest (Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota) has a combined higher population of illegal immigrants than Arizona, another Southern border state, does.

The states need to step up and take care of what goes on within their borders. The federal government does need to enforce our international borders, but the states need to address the other issues that make illegal immigration a hot button issue with voters. Ignoring it will not make it go away, but it will help you loose elections!