I do not have much to say about the new Arizona law, but this much I have to state. It is not an immigration law! In no way does the law impact immigration, not directly at least. Calling it an immigration law is like calling a proposed budget a tax. Yes, there is a connection, but only if you look beyond the scope of the law itself and make assumptions that may or may not be valid or sound.
The Arizona law is more akin to the seat belt laws in many states. If you get pulled over without your seat belt, that’s another ticket. If you get pulled over and are not a citizen, you will be reported to immigration authorities. In both cases the officer must act on the law to give it effect and you already have to be stopped for it to become an issue.
Some say it is a pathway to discrimination. What law is not! There can always be a bad cop that pulls you in for something with some arbitrary reason purely to harass you, that is not new. It is not right, but it is not new.
When you consider that the Federal Government is responsible for dealing with illegal immigration and has not been doing a good job of it is this law really a bad thing? Also, the law has no teeth, as illegal immigrants found are reported to the border patrol, who have been responsible for this thus far, and are not doing the best job.
Again, this is not an immigration law, is no more a doorway to discrimination as any other law, and if anything highlights the Federal Government’s incompetence to such an apparent National Security issue.
