Is it really “open season” on Latinos in Arizona? Maybe, but that’s partly up to the governor.
The new law, just signed, gives local cops the job of demanding proof of citizenship or a green card from anyone they think might be in the country illegally, e.g., people who look Latino. Those who lack the proper documentation are subject to arrest.
E.J. Dionne quotes Gideon Aronoff, the president and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society: “Arizonans are now living in a world where police may impound vehicles transporting anyone found to be an undocumented immigrant, which means that Arizonans who don’t check the papers of the kids they drive to Sunday school may now be engaging in illegal activity.â€
That last quote suggests a lot of Arizonans who are gung-ho to get tough on illegal immigrants haven’t thought this bill through.
The drug wars in Mexico — genuinely nasty business — has spilled over into Arizona, and it’s understandable that people want something done. As usually, however, the right-wing blowhards who favor this “get tough” move are not necessarily in sync with law enforcement professionals, who say it will stretch their resources very thin.
Note that the law allows citizens to sue police to compel them to enforce the law. This could get dicey. Further, some commenters suggested that Arizona police could lose the trust of Latino communities, which could make law enforcement more, not less, difficult.
How hard law enforcement comes down on innocent Latinos depends in part on what direction the governor might give for how the law is carried out. Right now, there are a lot of unknowns, including what exactly might make a person a “suspect.”
As Dionne says, “It’s rather strange that many who say they mistrust government overreach could support a law of this sort.” Not strange at all, really, if you follow Righties. On this very day some of the same bloggers expressing support for the Arizona bill have been protesting “big government” by making a hero out of Guy Fawkes, and they see no inconsistency to that.
From what I can tell, the righties are laboring with a false dichotomy — you’re for the Arizona law, or you favor “open borders.” That many people really don’t favor open border but still think the Arizona law is an abomination flies right over their empty heads.
I want to get my hands on the first “Letter’s of Transit,” so The Fat Man and I can make money off Rick when he tries to smuggle his lover Consuela, or Maria (or whatever Mex name she has) out of the State of Arizona to a free state.
maha, I’m joking here. But, in reality, this is NO JOKE!
Yes, there are probably many problems in the state with illegal immigrants, but this was NOT the way to go.
The Governor had a chance to tell everyone to sit down, take a deep breath, and think this thing through. But, of course, she’s running for re-election so she has to appeal to the xenophobic, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging nutjobs that are the Republican constituency out there.
Let’s hope the police use some common sense. God knows the legislators didn’t.
Sure they’re consistent. They consistently have one set of rules for others and another set for themselves. …and the resulting governmental system that this begets is called ANARCHY.
Funny how with all the sympathies being extended to tea partiers (and presumably to these types by the new GOP base) I see no one running on the ANARCHY platform. Well, there’s at leas one inconsistency for you.
I reflect back to an incident that occurred to a (white?) friend of ours. Out walking one evening in his own, predominately Mexican neighborhood, he was stopped by two cops who asked him what he was doing. He said he lived nearby and was just taking a walk. Before parting, the cops said, “If you’d been a Mexican, we’d have beaten you up by now.”
The negative ramifications of the Arizona law will be endless.
I have a lot of American Indian friends who live in Arizona and are considered to look Mexican. They will probably be stopped, too. They would be stopped by people who could be considered immigrants, too. The idiots.
I’d like to see the headlines when they arrest a Native American. That should put that whole racist situation into perspective.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. Illegal Immigration could be stopped easily if we were willing to actually fine a significant number of employers hiring illegal immigrants. Instead, the Fed Govt. is too worried about offending rich sons of bitches and try playing walk a mole with illegals…
On a related note, anyone see Food Inc.? According to that show the employees in beef slaughter houses have been systemically turned into illegals – the Fed. Govt. agents seemed to be in cahoots with the processing plant to do occasional raids where in trailer parks and other concentrated places the workers live – but agents will not raid the plant!
“If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. Illegal Immigration could be stopped easily if we were willing to actually fine a significant number of employers hiring illegal immigrants”
Better yet just make it a felony to hire an undocumented worker, end of story, no fences needed, no jack booted police enforcement, just pass one law guaranteed to work. Fines would just be considered another business expense. Once all the factory farms and “small business owners” who rely on the cheap exploitable labor realize they could do hard time, the illegal’s will be running back across the border, problem solved.
Any smart law-enforcement department will have to start arresting white people too to avoid charges of racial -profiling. I think anyone wearing NHL team shirts is potentially an illegal Canadian immigrant, and I think I’d suggest officers might want to stop cute redheads with freckles, because illegal Irish immigration is back up since the banking collapse.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses longing to be arrested by Sheriff Joe Arpaio” –The Arizona Collusus
IIRC a law passed in the early 1980s required employees to keep photocopies of SS cards or passports — there was a list of the documents that could be used — to prove a person was a citizen or green card holder and it was illegal to hire undocumented workers. I kid you not, I remember having to have documents with me on first days at different jobs. They really haven’t enforced the law very well.
Make that EMPLOYERS… gotta proofread better before hitting send.
Immigration Reform (federal) is not an issue to win you any votes. Any bill is going to include provisions that will piss off some voters. The ONLY feature that pleases the far left and far right is clamping down on employers who use undocumented workers. The only way a congresscritter can please the left and the right is to alianate the corporate source of election funds… It would be funny if the problem was not so serious.
“Remember, remember, the 5th of November
of gunpowder treason and plot
I see of no reason
Why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”
Arizona is full of scared shitless retirees, sad but true.
They will reap what they sow.
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If I read the reports right, all of this happened in AZ when both the legislature and governorship went Republican. Remember how the USA turned hard right under GW Bush? Same thing.
In other racial/ethnic matters, there was a diary last night on DailyKos that speculated what the reaction would be, were the Tea Partiers a movement of black people. Dumb whites like Limbaugh and Glenn Beck can scream for sedition and all manner of ugly bile, but if they were black, they’d be shut down in an instant.
I admit I have become addicted to the county web site that shows who is an inmate and what they are there for . I got addicted when my ex was arrested for non payment of spousal support…I noticed something while looking and for what it is worth you decide.
I guess I don’t really have a dog in this fight either way.. even though I am “THE” ONE AND ONLY white lady(or person for that matter) in my business locally that I am aware of. I am a maid in the over night hours for commercial accounts. I do salons, but others in the company I work for work in all fields of commercial accounts. The company I work for was outbid last oct by a company who is staffed fully with un- documented workers(according to my english speaking Mexican co- workers) and as a result I lost half of my monthly income. 8 workers go into the salons that I , one woman used to do and they do it for less than the under 10.00 per hour I make. It hurt me in a major way financially to lose half of my income, but another company could do it cheaper and that is the bottom line.
I don’t have a problem with any of my fellow workers,, they are just trying to eat and keep a roof over their heads like everyone else..we common workers have nothing to do with bidding jobs or the money end,, we just work.. So I don’t “blame them for taking MY job” they just go where the boss sends them like me. So I really don’t want you to think I come at this observation from a point of “build a fence and toss em over” kinda foolishness…
Our Jail web site (polk county inmates in Iowa for anyone wanting to look) lists inmates with photos, age, race and charge. IF a person looked at the words only, no photos , you would think a majority of the people going to jail were “White”,, but an interesting thing happens when you look at names and photos of these “white” folks .. you will notice many are hispanic. All other races are listed as they are..even if you come from Hati.. you are booked as such….but get arrested and be mexican and they will document you as white JUST TO AVOID the question of status…Can someone explain to me why we can call Joseph Sangkhom Phomsouvanh , who is currently an inmate arrested for drunk driving while suspended, listed as “ASIAN” or Alfredo Rivas, arrested for public intox a ‘Pacific Islander” but we call Cesareo Lopez who was arrested for 3rd degree burglary, Criminal mischief, public intox and interference with offical acts “white” ? Or how about Armando Rodriguez melendez? This guy was arrested on 6 felonies for meth and another 5 for not having tax stamps…. listed as white….Sorry but does he look “white” to you????
This is the weekend,, so it is a bad time to watch since there are several college drinking events this weekend but watch the names and faces over a normal week. NEVER will you see a hispanic listed as such….
And lets talk about Armando,,,, our meth accused multi tasker,,,, and lets just assume he (or the next Armando like him) really is guilty.(I assume Armando innocent until proven guilty) Now what do we do with him? Sure we convict….and we provide him with a lawyer(WE being the state of Iowa or the county?) And how much are we stuck with just paying the bill for Armando to be convicted? Then we are gonna keep good old Armando,,, and we could be Paris Hiltons boyfriend for less (and we know she at least puts out for the money) ….it’s a comfort to me to know as I get ready for work Armando will be getting health care with my tax dollars that I cannot get for myself.But my smart ass feelings aside Armando is not alone in our little prison system..and even though I don’t have kids in school I see our kids don’t have all they need to be educated to be prepared for the world ahead of them..I see roads we can’t fix ..I see parks that will be closed because we cannot afford people to maintain them…I see food pantries begging the public for help and then I see Armando….and the funds he will drain from our needs without giving a (add f bomb here) ..and frankly I am pissed. And this is just what good old Armando got busted for….imagine how much shit he put on the streets before he got his “white” ass caught. What are we to do? Don’t kid yourself we have thousands of Armandos in our system alone. How are we suppose to sustain our quality of life while housing Armandos that don’t even belong to us? We are a small state in terms of wealth,,,we are a modest people(for the most part) and we just can’t afford the screw ups we have. This reminds me of a bid on the Dave Chappelle show called the racial draft(I bet I know SOMEONE who would give tiger woods back now) How did we get Armando??? Thanks but we have enough meth screw ups of our own !
I totally agree with the comments of others about going after the companies who hire, but Armando’s are gonna slip right thru that crack(no pun intended)
I recall several years ago here in Iowa a train box car of “illegal immagrants” was discovered. The people had died. Our state was left with the sad task of trying to locate family in mexico to make final arrangements…. The costs were later made public and it was staggering..the cost of storage, shipping,looking for family, proper burial of the unclaimed victims…and I certainly am glad we did all we could, but there was a real crisis here finding the funds to cover the expense .It was a terrible thing that happened, but in the scale of emergency situations it was rather small.. things are that tight here that we struggled to handle the crisis.
I am not saying throw out the baby with the bathwater by any means, but we still can’t overlook the reality that without un limited funds we need solutions. I don’t agree with Az and their plan to address the problems they face..
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article7107207.ece
Mexican illegals are not the only ones flooding into this country. In Washington State, illegal entry of Koreans has become a major problem for the U.S. Border Patrol — even bigger, according to B.P. acquaintances, than drug-smuggling. No telling how many illegals we have from countries other than Mexico, but I suspect that identifying them will prove very difficult.
Just this year, a friend of mine was invited to have a little chat with the IRS to explain why, for the past four years, he had not included the income from his employment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on his tax returns. This came as quite a surprise to him, seeing’s he’d never worked in Pennsylvania in his life.
Turns out, an illegal from Eastern Europe had aquired my friend’s name and Social Security number (I suspect from a hacked bank account). In this particular case, the employer had done all the right things: he’d required documentation, filed the right forms and paid the correct withholding.
Over the past five years, both my bank and an investment company have notified me that their computers had been hacked. Kinda makes me wonder how much of that data was used to create new identies for illegals.
Clearly my fingers don’t know how to spell “identities” — stern measures will be taken.
Arizona is the festering, suppurating asshole of the bible belt. I should know – I live there. This is the same state that just passed a law allowing any knuckle-dragging moron to carry a concealed firearm with no permit or training required. The same state where right-wing John McCain is in danger of losing his senate seat to lunatic-right J.D. Hayworth(less), a bloviating buffoon who was previously a US congressman nicknamed “Foghorn Leghorn” by his own repug colleagues, who admitted that he was the dumbest member of congress. Hayworthless is currently riding high in the polls by pandering to and riling up the birthers (or John Birthers as I call them), and throwing his considerable weight behind a state “birther bill” that would require any US presidential candidate to show his or her birth certificate to the Arizona secretary of state. In fact, Hayworthless has complained that the bill doesn’t go far enough, and has demanded that Barack Obama come to Arizona to prove that he isn’t an illegal immigrant from Kenya who committed identity theft. And of course Arizona is the state the fought tooth and nail for years against recognizing Martin Luther King Day, with McCain leading the charge.
The whole state is a foul, stinking cesspit of ignorant, bigoted lunatics. Arizona: just add water and you’ve got Mississippi.
LOL!