A little over a week ago, standing in the courtyard on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, another former prisoner (also a member of the ANC), described the Apartheid era "pass laws" which required black people and all "non-white" South Africans to carry identification with them at all times. He described a kind of in-country passport, which included a photo, personal details like date, and place of birth, employment status and fingerprints. A person could be imprisoned if they were unable to produce the document when asked to do so by the police, who had the right to stop anyone at any time and ask to see your pass. He described people being arrested just steps from their homes because an officer would not even let you step inside your house to retrieve the document. The individual police officer had complete discretion to determine if there was sufficient reason to request to see papers and to make an arrest. The pass laws were part of a series of laws designed to scapegoat blacks and non-whites, isolate and prevent them from broader social and economic participation in society.
On the boat ride back to Cape Town we discussed how much the pass laws sounded like the Nuremberg Laws, implemented in Nazi Germany, which also required people to carry identification papers if they could not prove that they were non-Jews. It was at the discretion of the police officer to "ask" to see one's papers at any time. This series of laws was passed to systematically scapegoat Jewish people and isolate them socially and economically from society. It made me think about Jim Crow laws used to isolate African Americans and a childhood memory of my Dad being pulled over on a Virginia highway late at night coming home from visiting my great-grandfather. I can't tell you to this day what the officer used to make the determination that my father and I (an African American driving a Mercedes perhaps?) needed to be pulled over and questioned.
The Arizona law - now also being considered in Texas - requires people to carry identification or documentation at all times to prove they are in the country legally. A police officer has the full discretion to determine if there is "reasonable" suspicion that a person is in the country illegally. And just to make sure the police are doing their jobs, citizens can bring a lawsuit against officers if they think the police aren't doing their job and enforcing the law. (Can you say frivolous lawsuit?)
History teaches us that these kinds of laws are a slippery slope. Fears of "otherness" are systematically codified in these laws, groups of people are targets of scapegoating as they are isolated socially and economically from our society. Once people begin to accept that taking away this piece of our humanity and values is okay, it becomes easier to push additional steps. Steps like restrictions on where a person can go within the country, that people must have proof of who they are seeing and where they are going; or which groups can marry, restrictions on where someone can or can't be employed. Piece by piece, bit by bit it becomes easier to accept each piece as part of the new system.
That is not America. Illegal immigration is a real problem, but this law in Arizona is not the answer. It is true that for a very long time now the federal government has failed to adequately address the issue. To his credit, President Bush tried, but he was blocked by the same Republicans who now have an opportunity to work with Democrats to pass comprehensive immigration reform that is consistent with our values as Americans.
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In the course of dealing with the police anyone in this country is asked or required to produce ID. A drivers licence has most of the information you listed for SA. So does a green card. There is probable cause to question anyone who cannot present some form of identification.
It is not about race. It is about nationality.
So because 15 million people who came here illegally fear they may be sent back to thier own nations, we should just forget it, give them what others work years for and open the flood gate for possibly 40 million more?
I understand the plight of people in other nations who have problems with thier living conditions. Oddly, though the citizens of Mexico seem desperate to come here, other nations are in far worse shape than thiers and most of the time they don't break our laws and come here without proper paperwork.
Secondly South Africa segregated education which entrenched the racial divides. It was not till democracy returned when the barriers started to get dismanteled and everyone started to get a balanced perspective and how to live together without putting everything in racial terms. AZ is fighting to de-segregate education and getting pounded for that too.
Thirdly the opressed in South Africa were citizens - so this had everything to do with race and nothing to do with immigration or the rule of (just) law. AZ has specifically put into the law that Race may not be used as a criteria - so this is all about the law and little to do with race.
Here the minority is holding the country hostage & making this into something that it is not. The illegal Hispanic community are able to cross the border and reside in the US with impunity. They are now making out as if it their right to stay. At best they are guests in this country - at worst they are criminals. Either way their rights are limited to the courtesey extended by the border population - not the other way around.
Fourthly I gurantee you that there are millions of South Africans who would love nothing better than to come and work here on whatever basis is offered to them. Why should this be eclusive to
What does Arizona's illegal immigration law actually do?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/04/arizona-illegal-immigration-law-jan-brewer.html
Fact Sheet on the New Arizona Immigration Law, SB1070
http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2010/04/fact_sheet_on_t.php
Arizona immigration law sb1070 & Arizona immigration law text: Arizona immigration law ignites protest
http://www.khabrein.info/news/Arizona_immigration_law_sb1070___Arizona_immigration_law_text__Arizona_immigration_law_ignites_protest_1272710046/
The new bill
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf
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Take the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act. In 1986 we were promised the last amnesty ever by Kennedy and many other members of congress if we would allow this one. Against his first judgment Reagan signed the bill. After the amnesty was given the enforcement was never done in any meaningful way.
There have been several amnesties since. Millions of illegal aliens have been rewarded with citizenship for their ability to come here and not get caught.
The result is that we have an ever growing number of illegals. Of course other factors are involved (NAFTA, corruption in Mexico, other rewards like anchor babies, etc).
But the bottom line is that the illegals would not be here in ANY significant numbers if we did several things. Remove the jobs magnet, have the policy of birthright citizenship be clarified under the 14th and amend if needed, deny the ability for sanctuary states/cities to operate, stop family reunification immigration, reduce legal immigration to numbers our environment and infrastructure can handle and never grant amnesty.
We have never tried these things and nothing else will ever work. It wouldn't work for your kids to tell them one thing and then give them candy when they disobeyed why would it work with adults???