Who Are You?

There are few of us that have not been asked for proper identification before purchasing liquor or cigarettes. Most have been carded before entering night clubs or perhaps even R-rated movies. Are we guilty of trying to get something for nothing? Not necessarily. The request is merely a fact of operating within a society of laws and standards. We do not feel as though we’ve been profiled or are victims of discrimination. So why is Arizona’s new immigration law creating such a shit storm?

First of all, there can be little argument that the state experiences a high rate of illegal immigrants if for no other reason than its proximity to Mexico. With this new legislation, police can inquire as to the status of anyone (hispanic, or otherwise) who creates a suspicion regarding citizenship. Kind of like the aforementioned requests for ID. Perhaps the inability to speak English would be a good suspicion-arouser. Regardless, this legislation creates a mechanism to identify and deal with those that are in this country illegally.

Why is there such fear among Arizona’s hispanic population? I’d say it’s because many of them have something to fear because of their immigration status. This is a country based on laws and the primary law concerns legal entry. Send your kids to Harvard and tell them to sneak into English 101, secure in the knowledge that, if caught, they’ll be able to stay. Ridiculous? You bet it is, but the same mentality currently exists with regard to illegal immigration. Don’t send troops into the streets in a major sweeping action, but if these folks are found through other legitimate means they need to go home or pay some sort of restitution for their crime.

No, this law will not encourage profiling any further than it already exists. And yes, it does exist because any police officer that is lousy at analyzing a situation absent an abundance of facts will soon be off the force, one way or the other (and that’s all profiling is). It simply provides a tool that the cops can use to enforce long standing immigration statutes. And that, folks, is a good thing.

Other areas of the country deal with the same problems and some do not involve hispanics. There are many folks in this country illegally and they’re from many places. Granted, Mexico is prevalent due to its proximity, but that does not render the attempt to rein in a porous border as moot. We are a nation of laws and society expects its citizenry to abide by those laws. Arizona is merely attempting to do that by enacting this most recent legislation. To somehow claim it exceeds any established boundary of civility is laughable in the face of daily requests for identification in other facets of what is considered to be normal activity.

Lastly, should you be one of those illegal immigrants we’re talking about, don’t for one minute talk to me about your constitutional rights. Those rights flow to those that choose the legal, albeit more arduous, path of attaining a legal entry into this country.