In fewer than two days we will know if the most draconian anti-immigrant, anti-Latino proposal this country has seen since the infamous Sensenbrenner bill becomes the law of the land in Arizona. That is the deadline facing Governor Jan Brewer. She could veto, sign or merely allow this outrage to become law by doing nothing.
Expectations are that the Republican governor facing reelection will sign it. It will be a sad day for Arizona and America.
This is what happens when our leaders fail us by allowing a problem to fester. Racial resentment on the right side of the political spectrum is the result of an abdication of leadership in Washington; and it's how you arrive at where Arizona is now, on the cusp of enacting a law that has widely been panned by law experts as unconstitutional on the grounds that it usurps federal authority and would legislate racial profiling.
The law, known as Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act, would among other hideous things, require police to arrest anyone who cannot immediately prove they're in the country legally. So we find ourselves on the verge of converting Arizona, which has one of the largest Latino populations in America into a police state.
The state's Republican leaders say the bill, SB 1070, is needed to fight the violence and crime spilling over from Mexico's drug war. But if that were truly their motive, they wouldn't need this new law. I'm no legal expert but I'm fairly sure Arizona has laws already against kidnapping, murder, trafficking and smuggling. The law's intention, rather, is not to root out crime and lawlessness. There is no question that the law's inspiration and support comes from fear, a gnawing discomfort with seeing a demographic and cultural shift. Let's be clear: at its core this is about racism.
In the view of the fear mongers, this wasn't supposed to happen. The people they lured to their state with construction and hospitality jobs were supposed to be there only to work, not to become part of their community, raise children, go to church and open their own businesses.
The solution cobbled together in the narrow minds of these Republican leaders is simple: hassle people until the leave. The law mandates police verify the immigration status of anyone they have reasonable suspicion is undocumented and arrest anyone who can't immediately prove their status. Amongst the obvious problems with this approach: How is a police officer on the streets of Phoenix supposed to distinguish an undocumented Latino from a citizen?
There's the rub. This is why immigrants and Latinos of every political stripe are opposed to this law. There are no outwardly distinguishable differences between an undocumented immigrant and a citizen. And that is why as a brown-skinned person, this law scares the hell out of me. The only way to root out the undocumented from the citizens and legal immigrants would be to question every dark-skinned person, to trample on the civil rights of people based on race.
It's infuriating to hear people who constantly rail against big government infringement stand in support with a law that would force every Latino and immigrant to show their papers on a whim. It's infuriating to know that even people who acknowledge this law could lead to violations of people's civil rights--Senator McCain, are you listening?-- still support it.
Not all is lost even if the Governor signs this travesty into law. All eyes will turn to President Obama. He can sue Arizona for usurping federal authority, and refuse to deport anyone caught up by this law. And President Obama must move on comprehensive immigration reform. There's been some activity on this front lately with Obama calling Republicans and encouraging them to support Sen. Schumer's efforts to pen a bipartisan comprehensive bill. That's not enough. President Obama must be more active in this fight.
The urgency for comprehensive immigration reform has never been more acute. The madness of racial profiling and scapegoating of immigrants requires moral leadership at the top levels of this country.
The only way to assure SB1070 doesn't happen in Ohio or Colorado, where copycat laws are being tossed around, is to solve the problem comprehensively and federally. In the meantime, we need to stand up to hate, bigotry and racism in Arizona. Nothing less than the future of our country is at stake.
Tell Gov. Brewer to veto SB1079 today.
Follow Deepak Bhargava on Twitter: www.twitter.com/communitychange
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/summary/s.1070pshs.doc.htm
It is important to understand that a majority of the illegal aliens in this country today are from Mexico. An even greater larger majority are from Latin America. The fact of the matter is, however, the reasonable suspicion as outlined in the bill is ... lack of immigration papers, or lack of a drivers license and the suspicion the person is an illegal alien. THEN... THEN, the Arizona Law Enforcement Officer has to see if your claim that you left the drivers license home, or that you lost it, or that you forgot it. Finally.. if all that doesn't work out, the Arizona Law Enforcement Officer notifies ICE that they are holding a potential illegal alien.
BUT... if you have I.D., and your plates are up to date, and you just keep on a trucking. No magic here. And in fact, what has happened with this law is that the folks with immigration papers will have to start carrying them. If you have a fake drivers license, you will be visiting the pokey until it is straighten out.
It is a good law. Good for us.
Illegal aliens are an INTENTIONAL reflection upon YOU - they're the ones making your "community" the scorn of law-abiding Americans.
Racist cultural collectives like LULAC, La Raza, MeCHA, etc. have made this a latino "us-against-them" issue and you're gullible enough to believe their agenda for political gain.
This is a simple "LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST THE CRIMINALS" issue, and if you see it any differently, I suggest YOU are the anti-American racist.
This is the RESPONSE you get from law-abiding Americans when your "community" is so out of control that extreme measures must be taken against your willfull CRIMINAL intrusion into our society.
Illegal aliens have no one to blame but THEMSELVES for this law.
If illegal aliens who are 80% latino don't like being "profiled" - THEN STOP BREAKING THE LAW!!!!
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
MuchMadness - why don't you escort these people back to their own countries and fight for their rights over there. We can't afford ILLEGAL ALIENS - they are sucking our systems dry and taking jobs that CITIZENS and LEGAL immigrants need and WANT!
http://www.azfamily.com/video/featured-videos/Man-says-he-was-racially-targeted-forced-to-provide-birth-certificate-91769419.html
This is so true. For far too long the federal government hasn't enforced the laws that would HEAVILY fine those who hire ILLEGALS and deport ILLEGALS. They haven't been doing their jobs. So now states have to step forward to save themselves. ILLEGAL ALLIENS are sucking our systems dry and costing us BILLIONS of tax dollars. More states should be following AZ I for one hope CA will join in ASAP.
Today in AZ 300 ILLEGAL ALIENS were fired from a large grocery store chain. I am sure that by tomorrow CITIZENS and LEGAL immigrants will be lining up to fill those jobs. Keep up the fight AZ!
Auburn Beige Bistre Bole Bronze Brown Buff Burgundy Burnt sienna Burnt umber
Camel Chamoisee Chestnut Chocolate Citrine Copper Cordovan Desert sand Earth yellow Ecru Fallow Fawn Fulvous Isabelline Khaki Liver Mahogany Maroon Ochre Raw umber
Redwood Rufous Russet Rust Sandy brown Seal brown Sepia Sienna Sinopia Tan
Taupe Umber Wenge Wheat.
It is bigotry to make such accusations without evidence. There is none. It is Bigotry, or racism, and many of these comments are far more racist than merely bigotry.
http://koulflo.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/on-again-immigration-reform-coming/
Last nigh, CNN reported that the Democrats will take up immigration reform before the midterm elections to energize the Latinos, but that they do no expect to pass anything. It must be made clear to the Obama administration that anything less than an all-out effort by Obama himself is unacceptable and that if a bill is not passed, the Democrats must be punished in November.
It's not there today, but here it is from a local phoenix station:
http://www.azfamily.com/video/featured-videos/Man-says-he-was-racially-targeted-forced-to-provide-birth-certificate-91769419.html
Disturbing doesn't begin to describe it.
Let's hope that Arizona does not choose to defy the authority of the United States.
Let's hope that the governor of Arizona vetoes the unconstitutional bill.