“What part of illegal don’t you understand?”

This question—usually launched by immigration restrictionists and aimed at immigration advocates—is a good one. The United States considers itself a country of laws, and letting people off the hook for major legal transgressions isn’t (officially) tolerated or popular.

South Carolina ban on renting to and hiring undocumented immigrants put on hold. Summerville, South Carolina town council voted on Wednesday to postpone a final decision on the ban until an attorney looked at the language more closely. Some councilmen fear passing the ban will “disturb the racial harmony that exists amongst various ethnic groups.” Those council members against the ban hope that people will speak up as to the laws' negative effects before they have to vote again.

Dear Pastors,

This week, a group called NumbersUSA sent out a message to hundreds of thousands of Americans, asking them to please contact their pastor. The email, from the organization’s president, Roy Beck, explained that evangelical, Baptist, and Catholic leaders had testified before Congress this week in support of comprehensive immigration reform. NumbersUSA, whose mission is to “stabilize the United States’s population numbers” by pressuring legislators to “lower immigration levels,” was not pleased with their testimony.