By Esther Cepeda
Anchorage Daily News
With the on-again, off-again chances of achieving wide-ranging immigration reform, there’s much to be exasperated about. But more frustrating are the smaller, slam-dunk situations that could be settled by other means.
Take the case of Sergio Garcia, who has a law degree and passed the bar exam in California but cannot practice because he is an unlawful immigrant. The state of California is pushing the envelope with a piece of controversial legislation that would allow Garcia to ply his trade even though he’s residing in the U.S. illegally.
A logic-defying law that would allow such immigrants to be admitted to the California Bar is sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk doing a few things: awaiting the governor’s signature, again challenging the federal government’s supremacy over the states on immigration issues, and antagonizing those who are already against any reform that includes a path to citizenship because it seems to reward those who have broken the law.
What’s needed in this case is not a divisive and ridiculous state-based loophole but a bare minimum of common sense.
