Not like Arizona

The ruling is a partial victory for President Barack Obamas administration and signals support for his recently-announced policy to suspend deportations of undocumented migrants who came to the US as children. With Hispanics constituting a significant electoral block,immigration policy has become an election issue,particularly with Republican nominee Mitt Romneys endorsement for the now largely defunct Arizona model. The SCOTUS ruling reaffirms the primacy of the federal government in framing immigration policy.

More,the ruling upholds the essential promise of America. Pared to its core,it is that of a nation built on migrant labour,where anyone can achieve success if they work hard enough. Arizona may just be one state,but its law set a dangerous precedent other states seemed keen to mimic. The American dream is shared and shored up by about 1.6 million Indian immigrants to the United States,the third-largest immigrant group in the country after Mexican- and Chinese-born immigrants. Though aimed at undocumented migrants,had the Arizona model prevailed,even those who are in the country legally would have faced discrimination and harassment from local officials.