This Wednesday Mexico, and 10 other Latin American Countries presented amicus briefs against Arizona's new immigration law to the 9th circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit Court allowed them to submit the briefs, and Arizona Govenor Jan Brewer is understandably irritated. Before I comment on the precident of foreign nations sumitting legal documents to American Courts in American Cases, I would like to look at another issue that is developing at the same time.
On September 30th, David Hartley and his wife Tiffany were jet skiing on Falcon Lake, which sits on the American-Mexican Border, when they were attacked by members of the mexican Zeta drug cartel. David was shot in the back of the head, and fell into the lake. His wife tried to turn around and get him, but was driven off by gunfire from the cartel members. In the last few weeks, Mexican authorities have done little, and have denied the little help our government has offered. The few who have tried to help have suffered the consequences, such as Rolando Flores Villegas who took up the search for Hartley's body and was found beheaded on Tuesday. The State Department has remained for the most part silent on the issue.
If the Mexican government really cares about the welfare of the people of Mexico, they should spend more time and energy on stopping drug cartels and less time worrying about Arizonan's limiting illegal immigration. The drug cartels are doing more damage on the border than anything else. The Mexican government has no interest in slowing down illegal immigration, a decent amount of money comes into the country from jobs made possible by America.
If you take a second and think about it, what kind of precedent is set by a foreign nation submitting legal documents to a civil court dealing with a constitutional case? American Law lives on precedent (It's always easier to say 'they said it first' when you are critisised) and what is used today will be abused tomorrow. If mexico can submit amicus briefs in this case, then why should Canada not submit amicus briefs against gun rights, Pakistan against women's rights, any African nation against business ethics? Foreign nations have no jurisdiction in domestic maters of our nation. If anything, Mexico should be apologizing for the number of it's citizens who violate our law on a daily basis, and not just by crossing the border.
Priorities people, priorities. Get them in line, and your problems will begin to diminish.
