In 2006, I spent nearly the entire month of June in the beautiful state of Arizona. It was a lot like Indiana: beautiful, growing, and Republican. Yet, it was the differences that captured my attention: the mountains (I could see the San Tan Mountain Range from my window), the desert and all its fascinating creatures, but most shocking of all was the sheer ignorance I had to the issues faced by its residents. Having been born and raised in Northwest Indiana, the closest I ever came to wondering about immigration was when a Macedonian boy joined my second grade class. In Arizona, wondering about immigration is a daily topic, and as the new immigration bill, signed into law last week by AZ Governor Jan Brewer, illustrates, the tensions are beginning to boil over.
I will never forget the day my aunt and I went into the neighboring city of Mesa, Arizona to get her classroom ready for a new school year. On our way into the city, I was mostly in awe of the vast desert that surrounded the tiny green and shiny oasis that was Mesa. That was until I saw the protesters. On one side of the street stood a crowd of, dare I say it, white people with signs demonstrating their dislike and contempt for illegal immigrants. They stood , sat, and climbed on top of their vehicles and nearby structures to ensure their voices would be heard. The other side of the street was much quieter. There stood the unmistakable groups of illegal immigrants waiting for someone to pick them up and take them to work. Indeed as we drove by, a truck stopped and the driver stuck four fingers out of the window. Instantly four of the workers jumped into the bed of the truck and the crowd on the other side was incensed to near riot. Most shocking of all was the fact that my aunt didn't seem to notice any of this. When I finally asked her she just said it happens so often she had just learned to block it out.
Shock and Response
The problem of illegal immigration in our southern border states is very real, and as both Meghan McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham has pointed out, "The borders are broken." Arizona has an estimated permanent illegal population of about 500,000 people and reportedly sees a yearly expansion of about 29,000 people. This is a crisis. As Meghan McCain said, there is a cartel drug war going on just over the border and when the national government fails to protect the nations borders, the states will take it into their own hands. This is exactly what has happened, Arizonans are tired of being promised a fix and then watching the situation deteriorate further. With the recent murder of a powerful Arizonan rancher, purportedly at the hand of an illegal immigrant, the people had had enough. They rallied behind a bill, whether good or bad, because they NEEDED change.
The bill itself is a bad bill. The bill calls upon law enforcement officers to determine whether or not a person is an illegal immigrant on the grounds of "reasonable suspicion." This is the same level of operation that schools use for drugs and weapons searches; in other words, the police are not requird to have any real proof before questioning an individual. It is obvious this bill allows for racial profiling and it may even be, as President Obama called it, 'misguided.' However, it is a reaction to the shock the residents felt at the loss of their security. So yes, it is a hurtful bill, to the degree that it can be called a Jose Crowe law. To all of this I agree. However, I issue any and all of its opponents this challenge: fix the border. If you want this resolved and for Arizonans to regain their composure, then step in and re-secure our borders. Delineate between Mexico and the United States and ease these racial tensions. America is a land of immigrants yes, but the land of LEGAL immigrants. So as Meghan McCain's article asks, do not hate Arizona, hate the bill, because unless you have lived their, you have no idea. In 2006 I lived there for only a month, but she is right, until you see it for yourself, you have no clue.
Later,
Cody
(Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images)
While the bill may be far from perfection, (few bills come close to perfect) In my opinion, it is not that bad. While racial profiling may become an issues with the new restrictive measures in place, you have to admit at most if not all immigration laws target a certain group of people. However, racial profiling is almost inevitable because there is only one main group of people who are crossing the US/Mexico border. I think the only thing that is "misguided" about this whole issue is that the Federal Government has done little at best to protect its borders. As you said, there is about 29,000 illegal immigrants passing through our borders annually. So one can only applaud the efforts in its attempt to secure its borders and indirectly our national security. While some parts of the bill may be seen as radical or extreme, I believe these measures are better than nothing. You said yourself that "They rallied behind a bill, whether good or bad, because they NEEDED change."
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