In April of this year, Governor Jan Brewer, Ariz.-R signed into law the strictest and most controversial piece of immigration legislation, called SB 1070. The law has met with criticism from both the Obama administration as well as leftist groups.
The law has been called, “racist” and “misguided” for making illegal immigration a state crime in Arizona. There are, however, things that must be considered when looking at SB 1070 such as, why this law came to be in the first place.
Arizona is a state where illegal immigration has been a recurring problem. The federal government has done little to secure the border in Arizona, allowing for immigrants to cross into the United States illegally, as well as for drug and human trafficking taking place across the southern border.
This creates a national security risk, as there is often not enough border patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to adequately address the issue. In passing SB 1070, the state of Arizona sought to rectify the government’s inaction by giving its own law enforcement the power to enforce existing immigration statues.
The main criticism of SB 1070 comes from the language of the bill itself. The bill gives Arizona law enforcement the ability to question someone about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect that person is in the country illegally. This power, however, is only granted to law enforcement while they are making stops for other violations such as speeding or a suspected DWI.
Additionally, critics of the bill say that this can lead to, “racial profiling” of people of Latin- American decent. There is no language in the bill, contrary to common belief, that singles out Latin-American immigrants.
There is also no reason to suspect that law enforcement will specifically target those of Latin- American decent. It is also worth noting that legal immigrants, by United States policy, must carry their resident alien identification and can be asked to present it at any time. The idea that one group is being singled out is entirely ludicrous and a blatant distortion of facts by the left.
SB 1070 currently has lawsuits pending against it from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the Obama administration itself. The president has called the law, “misguided” but when asked if they had read the bill, both Eric Holder, attorney general, and Janet Napolitano, national security secretary, have admitted to not fully reading the bill.
The federal government had failed to do its job, as far as securing the borders goes, so the state of Arizona had to take matters into its own hands. There is nothing racially motivated by this bill, even though its supporters are denounced as, “racists” and “fascists” by the bill’s opponents.
The church, especially Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, have come out in opposition to the bill along with immigrant’s rights groups and the ACLU and Service Employees International Union. What the bill’s opponents fail to see is that this is a matter of securing our nation against the potential harmful side issues that can be created by rampant illegal immigration. I have chosen to stand with Arizona and hope to see more border states, including my native California, pass legislation similar to SB 1070. I will stand with Arizona.
Joseph Macasieb is a political science sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected].
In My Opinion is a weekly column open to any Loyola student. Those interested can contact [email protected].
