Santa Clara University School of Law professor Pratheepan Gulasekaram has co-authored an editorial with Karthick Ramakrishnan for the Washington Post. The editorial, “Forget border walls and mass deportations. The real changes in immigration policy are happening in the states.” examines federal and state roles in immigration policy.
Curiously, the candidates did not discuss the role of states in regulating immigration, which featured prominently in the 2012 election. So far, GOP presidential hopefuls have offered controversial statements and proposals for national reform that would be difficult to implement, ranging from ending birthright citizenship to building more walls and deporting millions of undocumented residents.
But these proposals for federal immigration reform face little chance of becoming law. Congress will almost certainly be strongly partisan and divided through at least 2020. Federal immigration legislation, whether permissive or restrictive, appears highly unlikely. And states and localities have stepped into the breach.
