The Nevada State Senate recently passed an unanimous resolution calling on Congress to work towards the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.
As reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal, the resolution is non-binding document and is headed to the Nevada General Assembly for review:
The measure seeks changes that would implement a guest worker program and create a pathway to citizenship for legalized immigrants.
The Legislature does not have the power to change immigration law, but Democratic Sen. Mo Denis said the measure would respectfully ask congressional representatives to do so.
While the symbolic act is certainly indicative of what Nevada State Senators think about our broken immigration system, there is a much darker side to the story.
The state of Nevada is currently one of the 26 states, led by a coalition of Republican Governors and Attorneys General, suing to derail President Obama’s immigration programs. Known as DACA+ and DAPA, the programs would provide relief to 49,000 on undocumented Nevadans, specifically parents of U.S. citizens, parents of legal permanent residents, and 18,000 immigrant youth who meet certain criteria.
Back in February, Nevada’s Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt was questioned by the House Judiciary Committee. “This suit is not about immigration. It is not about politics. It is about the rule of law and our constitutional system,” Mr. Laxalt told members of the committee.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Laxalt seemed to have acted on his own when signing up Nevada for the lawsuit. As Reuters reported back in January:
“The president cannot bypass the people’s elected representatives in Congress just because they do not pass the laws he wants,” Laxalt said in a statement on Monday.
However, Laxalt joined the lawsuit without the backing of Nevada’s top elected official, Governor Brian Sandoval, a popular moderate Republican who easily won re-election.
While Mr. Laxalt continues to defend his stance on the federal suit, referring to the measure as not “anti-immigrant,” it has become clear that the home state of immigration champion Democratic Senator Harry Reid has a different opinion on the matter.
In addition to reading the Nevada Senate resolution, perhaps Mr. Laxalt could also take a look and learn how the programs he is actively working to block could in fact bring between $700 million to $1.7 to his state over the next ten years.
This is one of the latest developments in DACA+ and DAPA lawsuit saga. Much like Nevada, the Florida State Senate tried to defund the efforts of Attorney General Pam Bondi. The move was ultimately defeated, largely in part by senators who prioritized “tradition” over policy.