Giuliani Sues U.S. Over Welfare Law (Rudy, that law and order conservative)
NY Times ^ | Oct 12, 1996 | staff
Posted on 03/28/2007 7:48:36 AM PDT by pissant
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government yesterday, challenging provisions of the new welfare and immigration laws that allow city employees to turn in illegal immigrants who seek services like police protection, hospital care and public education.
The Mayor called the provisions unconstitutional and said they would overturn a New York City executive order in effect since 1985 that forbids city employees to report illegal immigrants. He argued that the measures violated the 10th Amendment, which gives states those powers not expressly delegated to the Federal Government.
In this case, Mr. Giuliani said, ''it would be the police power to protect the health and safety of people, which is a power that is uniquely granted to state and local governments.''
The Mayor, who announced plans to file the lawsuit last month, said that other local officials, including the mayors of St. Paul and Chicago, were considering similar legal challenges.
Mr. Giuliani repeated his concerns that under the new law, the city's estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants would stop sending their children to public schools, stop reporting crimes and avoid seeking treatment for contagious diseases in city hospitals out of fear that officials would report them to the Federal Government.
hee hee heeeee