Yesterday Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed what is arguably the most disturbing piece of state legislation in recent memory. It requires all immigrants to this country living in the state of Arizona to keep their immigration papers on them at all times or face penalties, detainment, and “questioning”. I understand there is a huge immigration problem in this country but I can assure you creating new government sanctions to try and stop “the problem” is not the answer. Especially when government is one of the reason the problem is so big! Not to mention government sanctions as the one mentioned do nothing but delegate power where it doesn’t belong and further issues for legal American citizens who will undoubtedly be profiled.
A list of the provisions in the new bill via Below The Beltway:
• Prohibits state, city or county officials from limiting or restricting “the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law” and allows an Arizona resident to sue an official or agency that adopts or implements a policy that does so. The bill contains a “loser pays” provision meant to deter frivolous lawsuits.
• Requires law enforcement to make a reasonable attempt “when practicable” to determine the immigration status of a person if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally. Officers do not have to do so “if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation.”
• Makes it a state crime to be an illegal immigrant by creating a state charge of “willful failure to complete or carry an alien-registration document.”
• Makes it a crime for illegal immigrants to work or solicit work in Arizona.
• Makes it a crime to pick up a day laborer for work if the vehicle impedes traffic and also makes a day laborer subject to criminal charges if he or she is picked up and the vehicle involved impedes traffic.
• Makes it a crime to conceal, harbor or shield an illegal immigrant if the person knows or recklessly disregards the immigrant’s legal status. It does create a legal defense for someone providing emergency, public-safety or public-health services to illegal immigrants.
• Allows law-enforcement officials to arrest a person without a warrant if they have probable cause to believe the person has committed a public offense that makes him or her removable from the U.S.
• Requires employers to keep E-Verify records of employees’ eligibility.
• Reiterates Arizona’s intent to not comply with the Real ID Act of 2005, including the use of a radio-frequency ID chip.
Granting the power of “stop and check” to Police who have no training in immigration issues is not a well thought out move. Police power is already something that needs to be reviewed country wide and moves like this will only make it more difficult for them to do their original jobs. Not to mention it will be more difficult for everyday people to live normal lives. So many issues arise with this legislation. What are the methods of identifying potential “illegals”? What criteria do the police have to follow to pick these people out? Will race and ethnicity have a huge role in this potential identification? Of course it will! What will become of the American citizen of Spanish, Cuban, or Mexican descent who was born here and is just as American as you or I? What will be their plight now? Having to stop and identify themselves at the discretion of the Arizona Police force?
Anytime I think of the term “keep your papers on you” or “show me your papers” I can’t help but imagine a Nazi soldier asking a Jewish citizen of Poland or Germany to identify themselves and produce their papers. This is not the message we want to send. Government immigration is flawed but there are better solutions than this. Not only are there better solutions, there are solutions that do not threaten the liberty and right to privacy for all citizens! The impact of this bill stretches beyond ethnic issues though. We fail to see that this bill now sets a precedent. What is not being discussed by supporters and opponents of the bill is we now have the ground work laid to introduce National ID cards, slowly but surely. Ideas used to “protect citizens” from the “illegal immigrant problem” in Arizona will be the same ideas used to protect the country from a “terrorist threat”. The drum will bang loud the day you are told to register for your “American ID Card” so we can protect all citizens from those who don’t register… and of course those who don’t are obviously terrorists right? Give me a break.
The crime issue is a serious one and I don’t want people to think I am naive and don’t recognize that some immigrants are affiliated with gangs and cartels. There IS an immigration problem but stripping away freedom from the general populous and granting new, unprecedented power to the civilian police is not a way to combat these issues. This will only inconvenience American citizens and do little to deter criminals and border jumpers. The illegal immigrants, gangs, and cartels are still going to get in the country. They are still going to find ways to sell drugs, commit crimes, and most of all avoid the need to “produce papers”. This bill is hurting the illegals who come here and actually help produce for the economy. It is also now illegal for illegal immigrants to solicit for jobs, and work day jobs all together. All this bill is going to do is flatten an already struggling economy. The jobs these people fill are not always the most admirable jobs however they also spark the economy and help move cash. Prohibiting these people from working will now force would be employers to seek a different route in getting the job handled, potentially more expensive. That could mean a rise in prices.
What about the free market? Isn’t the government hindering it again? What if I want to build a fence… are you telling me if I want to hire a couple of Latin American guys looking for work I need to now be a secret informant agent for the Arizona Police force? I first have to verify that they are legal American citizens? What if I think they are and they produce fake documents? Am I going to be held liable? What if I don’t care and I just want the best service for the best price? I can’t spend my money the way I want to spend it? I am now being forced through policy established to “protect me” to turn over MY cash to some giant home improvement conglomerate and pay top dollar to erect a fence? I thought it was my property and my money? I guess not because it is now illegal to utilize the free market!
So you see, a simple bill as the one mentioned above has a gigantic impact on the lives of Americans and our economy, not to mention the way you spend your money. It doesn’t stop illegals, it just stops you from your right to live without being bothered, so long as you aren’t violating anyone else. It will do little but inconvenience everyday Americans who will now have the task of proving they are actual Americans. I can’t even begin to imagine the impending headache many Latin American teenagers living in Arizona will face! I feel bad for them. The powers that be just have another excuse to pull you over, or perform a stop and ID. With any hope this foolish desecration of civil rights will be repealed. I support the Police to stop criminals, however I don’t support violations of freedom and civil liberties. The Arizona legislation will bang this war drum and someone, mark my words, someone eventually will begin to bang it country wide.
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