Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's SB 1070, which allows law enforcement officials to stop, question, detain and report individuals based on suspicion of undocumented status, establishes a dangerous precedent in normalizing racial and ethnic profiling and does little to fix our broken immigration system.
As a Japanese American who spent part of my childhood in an internment camp, I know all too well the effects of scapegoating and racial profiling. I suffered through what happens when governments pass policies based on fear and misguided attempts at law and order.
This law is un-American as it unjustly targets communities of color, in particular immigrant communities, which have been critical to the economic growth of our country throughout our nation's history.
The law's enactment also demonstrates the urgent political and moral imperative for the federal government to act now on comprehensive immigration reform.
Comprehensive immigration reform is particularly important for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. There are currently 1.5 million undocumented Asian immigrants who contribute to our communities and economy everyday and who could contribute more if they were legalized. Millions of families are separated for years, sometimes decades, waiting in the backlogs of our broken family visa system.
Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform, and we must do it now to avoid a patchwork of state measures that do not fundamentally fix our country's broken immigration system, and that will lead to profiling and discrimination in our communities.
As legislators, we have the responsibility to nurture a united America, one that is based on respect for the richness of our diversity, not one that is divided based on our worst fears.
Congressman Michael Honda is chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
The last great Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Simpson-Mazzoli) was supposed to be a compromise.
The People would agree to amnesty for those here illegally and the Government would agree to enforce laws against employing illegal immigrants.
After the law passed, the Left and Right turned around fought every enforcement measure to completely eliminate employer sanctions. Kennedy was one of the worst.
So lets finish implementing our current Immigration Reform (Simpson-Mazzoli) and enforce “no-match” letters and require E-Verify for a while and be fair.
The Government needs to show some good faith and keep their promises from Simpson-Mazzoli act. Enforce our current law for a while before you ask the American people to once again trust you when you say your willing to actually do any of the enforcement that will be part of any new Immigration Reform.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Verify
http://www.ssa.gov/employer/noMatchNotices.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Reform_and_Control_Act_of_1986
When people come to this country as immigrants (500,000 lawful immigrants per year) they begin with the status of Lawful Permanent Resident. After 5 years, they can become citizens. But during the period that the immigrant is a Lawful Permanent Resident, they are issued a status card, commonly called a green card, which proves they are lawfully here, and have the lawful right to work. The immigration laws further require that in order to retain the ability to live here, each Lawful Permanent Resident must carry their green card with them at all times.
Doesn't it seem ironic that nobody got hysterical about lawful residents being obligated to carry (and show if requested) their identity papers. Yet the thought that someone who is not here legally would be asked about their status is considered a great outrage. The reason it's considered an outrage is because some people claim anyone who is not here legally will be pushed into trains and dragged off to death camps (the law is just like the Nazis, some protest). Others are hysterical that some citizen might be asked. All of these responses are creating an atmosphere of hysteria. Calm down.
FEDERAL code section 1304...
"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times
carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate
of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to
him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails
to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of
a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined
not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or
both."
http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/cheech-chong/born-in-east-l-a--2168232
— Theodore Roosevelt
Both US and Arizona laws are in place to deal with abuse from racial profiling. When it happens, let's deal with it. Until it happens, stop being Chicken Littles.
I have actually hardly met any whites who dislike Mexicans based on their skin color.
If you're white, though, you'd be well advised to stay out of the Mexican section of town--where they have congregated together to separate themselves from the other members of the community and stake out their own "turf"--if you value your health. (Why isn't anyone here lecturing the Mexicans about this?)
It seems to already be working. Even though the law hasn't taken effect yet, check out this news story Mike:
"Standing near potted trees and bushes for sale at a Home Depot in east Phoenix, Diaz, 35, says he may follow three other illegal alien families in his neighborhood who have moved to New Mexico because of the law. Diaz says he has too much to lose by staying - his home is in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas. "I'm not going to wait for police to come and arrest me.", he says.
Jose Armenta, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico's western coast, is already planning to move to Utah within the next 20 days because of a combination of the economy and the new law.”
Once again we see an example of the bait-and-switch being used, trying to divert attention from the issues being discussed by injecting a completely different subject--one which is pointless, hypothetical and in no way addresses anything we have been talking about--into the mix.
But hey, if you feel so badly about us "stealing" the country from America, perhaps you should go live somewhere else. Be a man of integrity, stand up for what you believe in and leave this horrible place immediately in favor of a nation which is more suited to your pseudo high-mindedness. Just remember, it can't be any nation which was originally stolen from bears, deer or any other type of animal or your conscience will never be able to be at rest.
So I guess it's going to be...where? Antarctica? Drop us a line, won't you? :-)
How do you think Mexico would respond it any of you entering Mexico "illegally"?
You bet. They would throw your butt in jail. For who knows how long.
Folks who can't leave their homes for illegals breaking into them. Slave trades as importers take advantage of illegals, drug crime. And now this Congressmans wants to condemn a law that he clearly didn't read and has no proof that the police have acted in way wrong. Congressman look in the mirror, part of this is your fault. Shame to you for being so arrogant.
Fanned