The New Arizona Law

(Fox News photo)


One of this week's biggest news items on the national front was the signing of a bill in Arizona to make it a state offense to be in the US (Arizona) illegally. Governor Jan Brewer has now signed the bill into law with some revisions to eliminate racial profiling. The outrage from the other side was immediate.

While I agree with the law, I share the concern of many that Americans of Hispanic descent and legal immigrants could be randomly stopped and asked for identification. The southwest United States is populated by millions of Mexican-Americans, US citizens who were born in this country, many of whom don't even speak Spanish. (As I have stated before, my wife is a naturalized citizen, born in Mexico.) I think it would be an outrage if these people are subjected to ID checks.

I don't think that will be the case, however. First of all, I think it is safe to state that police can very quickly differentiate between a Mexican-American and illegal alien. There are many factors that go into that aside from simply the color of one's skin. If, in the course of a cop's work, he or she comes into contact with a Latino, I'm sure they can very quickly decide whether there is sufficient cause to ask about the person's status in the country. I also think, given the furor, that officials in Arizona will work extra hard to avoid any suspicion of random profiling. Will there be such accusations? Of course, and once in a while, the accusation may be justified. Arizona is on notice, however, not to abuse the new law.

It has to be pointed out, however, that federal authorities have given no relief to Arizona, which is the biggest point of crossing for illegal aliens from Mexico. The spill-over of border violence has impacted the state greatly. Phoenix is now the kidnapping capital of the country. More recently, a rancher who lived just north of the border was found murdered. The situation has become intolerable, and Arizona, now freed from former governor Janet Napolitano, has decided to act in the absence of appropriate action from Washington (and DHS chief Napolitano).

This is not racist, nor is it "anti-immigration" as the media likes to phrase it (i.e. "immigration supporters"). Most Americans (like me) have no beef with immigration, nor do they have a beef with Latino people. It is illegal immigration that is the problem. And make no mistake, it is costing the country greatly in terms of its impact on education, health care, law enforcement and prison costs. While most illegal aliens are otherwise decent people looking for honest work to support their families, which they can't do in Mexico, there is a sizable inmate population among them as well the presence of violent gangs. In that regard, the on-going violence-war would be a better description-along the US-Mexican border is just another urgent reason why our borders must be secured. The federal government has not done that.

Ciudad Juarez
(Fox News photo)


I also think that the President's immediate condemnation is indicative of where he stands on this issue, especially if he directs his Justice Department to try and override this new state law. I especially take note of his comment that the absence of "effective immigration reform" has led to "irresponsibilty by others" (He singled out Arizona). What Obama is saying is that we must act to legitimize those already here illegally, not that the federal government should secure the borders.

Is it not time for the federal government to come to the aid of the border states instead of castigating Arizona for doing what they (the Feds) should have been doing all along?