General

Here comes SB 1070

By now everyone know what’s going on in Arizona. SB 1070 has not only cause Arizona to be in the limelight at home but it has caused the state to be a talking point all over the world. Highly controversial it may be, but it will be implemented in a few days. The fact is not lost on many people. In fact the Latino community has reacted very strongly on two fronts.

First there is the mass exodus. The exodus itself is split into two – the legal Latino inhabitants of Arizona and the illegal Latino inhabitants. The illegals know that this law means curtains for them and therefore they have no choice but to leave the state. But the legal citizens are the ones facing the bitterest truth of all – leave your home behind or be discriminated for the race you belong to. For them it seems to be an unjust law as they have done everything right to be a part of the system and have committed no crime. Yet, they could be treated as second class citizens in the eyes of the law. A variety of businesses belonging to Latinos have shut down and yard sales in Latino neighborhoods have suddenly bloomed.

The second reaction from the community is in the form of a lawsuit. However, this lawsuit does not fight the law; in fact it supports the law. The Arizona Latino Republican Association has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department’s lawsuit (which challenges SB 1070). They claim that the true meaning of the law has been distorted by those who want to create fear in the public. Whether they are correct will soon become evident when the law is implemented and enforced in the coming days.

Defending Arizona

The controversial Arizona law is under attack from the federal government. However, there are many who want to see it enacted and they are doing everything they can. With some foresight Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer set up a fund last month to help defend the new law. As of today, that fund has accumulated over $500,000 in donations.

More than 9,000 people have contributed towards the fund, but surprisingly most of the contributions did not come from within Arizona. In fact, almost 7,000 contributions have come in from out of state. This could be a reflection of the mood of the people within the state as well. The law has long been viewed as controversial and affecting people’s human rights.

According to the new law, police can stop and question anyone on the immigrant status in the country. If the person being questioned cannot produce any identification that can prove their legality, an arrest can be made. Police also do not have to have a valid reason to question people; suspicion based on looks or behavior is enough to warrant questioning. This has led to accusations that racial profiling could enter law enforcement in a big way and thus cause lots of discriminatory behavior.

It is perhaps this very reason that has made the people of Arizona wary of supporting Brewer’s fund. However, you can expect this trend to change as the proponents of the law as well as the Republicans step up their campaign to fight the lawsuit in court and outside the court.

Born in the USA – But not a Citizen

Fresh in the wake of the controversial Arizona law is new law that could cause even more issues for illegal immigrants. Legislation has been introduced in Congress, which is supported by two states, that aims to deny a birth certificate to a baby born to illegal immigrant parents.

Previous bills similar to this one in nature have not gotten anywhere in Congress. But this one already has 91 co-sponsors, signaling that it could gather some steam. Historically, the U.S. has not denied anyone the right to citizenship if they were born on U.S. soil. This has been available to people from the aftermath of the civil war.

The 14th amendment addressed this issue and clarified that children of slaves were indeed citizen of the nation. It states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”This has been extended to American Indians, Chinese guest workers, visiting diplomats and others as well. According to immigration lawyers, the birthright citizenship principle has never been challenged successfully.

But Texas State Rep. Leo Berman is arguing that the 14th amendment was never intended for foreigners, but rather for freedmen. He and other opponents of the birthright citizenship point out that the phrase subject to the jurisdiction thereof does not cover illegal immigrants. However, others point out that as long as they are in the country, they are subject to the country’s laws and therefore come under the country’s jurisdiction.
While the debate continues, only one thing is for certain. America is in for another long and controversial debate on illegal immigration.

Arizona’s Anti Immigration Bill

On April 23, 2010, the Governor of Arizona passed the highly controversial bill known as the Senate Bill 1070, while also being described as the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act”. While most Arizonians support the law, the entire nation is up in protest citing this law to be unconstitutional, and one that can result in racial profiling, and in this case targeting Hispanics.

What has made this law so controversial is that in its efforts to keep out illegal immigrants as well as find illegal immigrants in the state, the law gives law enforcement officials the authority to question anyone on the basis of suspicion, and if found without appropriate documentation such as the right visa required to visit or live in the state of Arizona will be detained as the Bill considers it to be a crime.

It is the suspicion that is used to nab offenders that is causing Democrats and Hispanics to stage protests all over the country, where the popular refrain seems to be that this will begin an era in the United States where ‘civil rights violations’ are possible.

Even though the federal government is yet to respond to the controversial Bill, political analysts say that it is due to inaction on the part of the federal government that the states are taking stringent steps to curb the influx of immigrants into the United States.

Will the ramifications of this law turn out to be just as the Democrats and Hispanics fear? Or will it curtail the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Arizona’s Anti Immigration Bill – Colorado to Follow?

Although Colorado has been considering a crackdown on anti illegal immigration activity for some time now but has been deterred by its costs so far, the recent Arizona Anti immigration bill passed by Governor Jan Brewer has encouraged its gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis to make immigration laws in Colorado just as tough if he is elected Governor of the State.

With Democrats and Obama in particular, forging a victory in what can only be a historic event in the United States with the passing of the ‘universal health care’ Bill, this anti illegal immigration law passed in the state of Arizona once again calls the federal government to make good on its promise in overhauling of immigration policy.

Scott McInnis has openly stated that the federal government has been unable to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, and thus, it now lies in the hands of the state government to pass stringent laws that will treat the illegal as being illegal.

With the passing of the Senate Bill 1070 into law, one can immediately be detained into police custody if found without the appropriate visa while in the state. With immigration activists and their bipartisan counterparts in uproar over the legislation that is passed, one can understand the trepidation that Hispanics are going through, as this can lead to racial profiling and the violation of one’s civil rights even if one does have all the required documentation.

Will the federal government follow suit? Will Colorado nominate Scott McInnis and thus, pass another version of this bill?
Only time will tell.

Shakira against Arizona’s Anti Illegal Immigration Bill

With a country divided over the Arizona toughest ever Anti illegal Immigration bill that just reminds one of the late George Carlin’s remarks of the United States going through a situation where people are willing to trade away more of their God-given freedoms for the illusion of safety.

In the case of the recent legislation passed by the state of Arizona, a police officer can legally ask a citizen for immigration or citizenship papers, if suspected to be otherwise.

Since this is a Republican bill, the Democrats and Hispanics are infuriated for obvious reasons, and oppose this law that could result on civil right violations if not handled correctly while it targets the influx of Mexicans across the border as well as seeks to eliminate the one and a half million illegal immigrants in the state, one person at a time.

This authority granted to the police screams ‘racial profiling’ and for most critics is a complete waste of time that will turn out to be a complete failure because of the obvious lack of manpower in the ranks of the police.
Shakira, a native from Columbia and now a popular singer with her latest hit ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ will meet with Mayor Phil Gordon who is openly against the law while being accompanied by the only Hispanic leader in City Council, Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski in protest of the law that is toted by many to be unconstitutional by nature.

What lies in store for the illegal immigrants in the state of Arizona is anyone’s guess, but the on that is for sure is the pressure on Obama to revamp his immigration policy has just begun with a string of weekend protesters all across the United States.