One area in which state laws can conflict with the goal of deterring illegal immigration is a state's authority to grant commercial, professional, and occupational licenses.
Such licenses are required in many states to work as teachers, lawyers, nurses, electricians, cosmetologists, and more.
In too many states, including some of those whose AGs have cried foul on Biden's legally dubious parole and work permit giveaways, state lawmakers have allowed illegal border-crossers and other inadmissible aliens waved in by Biden to be eligible not only for a work permit, but also for commercial and professional licenses - even though they don't qualify for these benefits under the controlling federal law.
On its face, it is inconsistent for AGs to challenge Biden's expansive temporary work permit programs, but then ignore the push for new state laws that allow public benefits such as professional licenses to go to these same inadmissible aliens.
Paradoxically, lawmakers in each of these states have granted eligibility for state commercial and/or professional licenses to work-authorized but inadmissible and potentially removable aliens who have no lawful immigration status.
A recent CIS analysis of the U.S. Senate border bill emphasized the "Pull factor" of work authorization and its role in inducing illegal immigration and strongly counsels against state laws that tie eligibility for public benefits to work authorization.
These state laws also undermine the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed in 1996 intended, in part, to cut the link between illegal immigration and the availability of public benefits - specifically including state-issued professional and commercial licenses.
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