Federal hypocrisy on state immigration action

The nation's homeland security chief left little doubt Friday that Texas Gov. Rick Perry – rebuffed repeatedly in his demands for more National Guard along the border – can forget about getting more troops.

The federal government has already invested $600 million to tighten security, Secretary Janet Napolitano said, noting that illegal immigration and smuggling are down, while violence from Mexico's drug war remains contained across the border.

"He is a governor. He always has the ability, in a way, to bring up National Guard, if he's willing to pay for them," she said. "That's always an option available to a governor."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-border_18tex.ART.State.Edition1.355c236.html

The federal government hasn't secured our border with Mexico.

Therefore, Arizona passed a law authorizing its cops to enforce federal immigration law. In response, the federal government sued Arizona to enjoin enforcement of the state immigration law, arguing that immigration is an exclusively federal responsibility which preempts state action.

Next, Texas deferred to the federal government, but asked the federal government to increase the clearly inadequate 286 federal troops on Texas' 1,200-mile stretch of border with Mexico. In response, the federal government told Texas' governor to call out the state National Guard.

What hypocrisy! Two months after suing Arizona to establish the principal that any and all state immigration action is preempted, the federal government is telling Texas to call out the National Guard.

There seems to be only one clear consistent federal policy - - they won't secure the border, and they don't want anyone else to secure the border.