Judge bars enforcement of immigration law

Washington Post:

A federal judge barred the Bush administration today from launching a planned crackdown on U.S. firms that hire illegal immigrants, warning of the plan's potentially "staggering" impact on law-abiding workers and companies.

Issuing a firm rebuke of the White House, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer of San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction against the government's plan to pressure employers to fire up to 8.7 million workers with suspect Social Security numbers starting this fall.

...

Breyer said the plaintiffs, an unusual coalition that included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO and the American Civil Liberties Union, had raised such serious questions about the plan to mail Social Security "no-match" letters to 140,000 U.S. employers that it should be blocked from proceeding.

"There can be no doubt that the effects of the rule's implementation will be severe," Breyer wrote, resulting in "irreparable harm to innocent workers and employers."

...

This may be one of the most blatantly irresponsible ruling in history. A federal judge is enjoining the enforcement of a valid law in order to protect people who came into this country illegally. His ruling will have to be appealed to the 9th Circus, before going to the Supreme Court, but the Justice Department should ask for expedited review.

Captain Ed has more thoughts on this really screwy ruling.