Does the people’s voice matter in Washington politics?

Not in the case of immigration, it doesn’t. And it’s not just in Arizona, in the news recently for its new law and pieces of it that were removed by a federal judge before it went into effect Wednesday.

In Freemont, Nebraska, a small town in the eastern part of the state where Latino population – many illegal – has doubled over the years because of two meat packing plants there which thrive upon cheap and willing labor from illegal immigrants. The town’s city council considered an ordinance similar to Arizona’s – in which illegal immigrants would be barred from renting a home and employers would be forced to check residency status of anyone they hired.

Fair enough, no? Illegal is illegal.

To rent a residence, isn’t it fair that one would have residency? In many cities, the federal government certainly doesn’t mind that individuals must have an acceptable a credit score to rent – just ask New Yorkers.

When Freemont’s council rejected the new law, proponents called for a special election – got it – and a majority of voters passed it into law. Lawsuits were of course filed, and the town’s law was halted this week before going into effect Thursday.

You already know what happened this week in Arizona – a U.S. judge removed two of the most impacting pieces of that state’s new legislation targeting illegal immigrants.

What’s happened in Arizona and Nebraska is only part of a similar story playing out in all 50 American states. Disturbed that Uncle Sam is unwilling to tackle the illegal immigrant crisis in America, state and municipal lawmakers are trying to take matters into their own hands, backed to popular citizen demand.

Consider only that so far in 2010, more than 1,300 bills have been introduced around the country, tackling the illegal immigration problem. Most haven’t passed, but many, like in Arizona and Nebraska, have. But in Arizona in Freemont, Nebraska, federal courts have gotten in the way.

But here’s the bottom line many America’s see clearly: When it comes to the burgeoning and barely-managed problem of illegal immigration, the federal government isn’t doing its job.

It’s not about what the populous wants. The people aren’t always right. Government is supposed to rise above popular opinions and do the right thing, according to constitutional calling. But this time, the people do have it right.

In airports, we are frisked and secured to points that sometimes feel beyond reason. Fine, we say, yielding to federal authority – fully aware that illegal activity – terrorist activity – must be ferreted out.

Our nation’s borders, though, remain wide open – wide open – with hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants coming here annually, filling American jobs and creating an American social burden that is becoming unmanageable – particularly for health care providers and public school systems.

If this sounds cold-hearted, listen up: I feel for the illegal immigrants and don’t even blame them. It’s hard to not walk through an open door, like the one hinged wide along America’s southwest borders.

No, the problem isn’t the people – it’s the federal government; your government and my government, unwilling to tackle the problem properly and furthermore unwilling to let states and municipalities across the country fill the glaring void of inattention.

Also, consider that many states and municipalities in recent years have refined gun laws, limiting how and where permitted gun owners can carry their weapons. The right to bear arms, as we know, is a constitutional right in America.

Yet where has Uncle Sam been on this one? Oddly, leaving it to the states and municipalities to decide how they want to handle legal gun use, protected by the constitution.

In my book, that is selective governing – at the expense of the citizens. If selective governing isn’t a violation of rights, I don’t know what is. And apparently, Americans throughout the country feel the very same way. So don’t expect the illegal immigration issue to go away any time soon.

Illegal is illegal, and the federal government should not selectively enforce and use its powers. Uncle Sam should either aggressively tackle illegal immigration, or get out of the way. The current path of inactivity and obstruction simply isn’t getting it done.

-DM

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