Not an expert. Especially on immigration laws. However, the more I read and listen to debate the Arizona anti-illegal immigration legislation the more that state is acting responsibly and the Federal government irresponsibly. Why is this such a politcally charged issue?
It's not, from what I can tell, an anti-immigration policy nor is it "draconian" or "fascist." So far I haven heard Arizona be compared to Nazi Germany yet. All it does, and it explicitly forbids abuse of police power, is ENFORCE the law already on the books. It's a way to send a smoke signal that it's time to monitor the borders better.
What's wrong with that? Liberals who go off on about "the papers" thing make the same projections they accused conservatives of doing during the health care reform debate. The civil liberties concern is a legit one as I mentioned earlier but I don't see how enforcing the law is a liberty issue. In fact, it's the opposite. Permitting illegals to gain access to a host nation - regardless of their good intentions - tramples on the rights of the citizens of that host nation. For example, paying for health costs, committing crimes etc. while not citizens. It's like accepting the arrival of Vandals and Goths into your country.
Again, as I said in the last post, plenty of hypocrisy to go around and surely this is not an easy issue but, President Obama's concept of "fairness" is hardly impressive.
One must wonder why I'm writing about this from Quebec. I'll tell you why. I've no interest in watching America whither away because it can't find the fortitude to enforce its own laws. America carries Western civilization; they fall we all fall. A little dramatic I know but to those students of history who look beyond borders this notion resonates.
Remember, among many reasons, Rome fell because it failed to adequately protect its borders.
America won't fall because "immigrants" are crossing the limes illegally. America is but about immigration and revolution. It will fall because it fails to stick up for itself.
Alas, I'd prefer to hear from Americans on this. I'm clearly missing something.
Our immigration laws and controls are the least coherent and most ignored laws. There is an agenda behind every law, regulation, or directive in any area of legislation, but the immigration area is where there has been a total breakdown in coherence for many decades and too many advocacy groups and special interests have some sort of vested interest in some aspect of this incoherence.
ReplyDeleteThat's not good.
ReplyDeleteNot good.
At all.
The Arizona statute is just like, here, every Italian looking male could be intercepted and required to prove A) that he is a Canadian citizen on the spot and B) prove that he is not a mafioso.
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel about that?
I don't think it calls for that. All it does is "reintroduce" Federal laws already in place to prevent illegal immigration. It does not follow it will lead to "racial profiling". Profiling happens ALL. THE. TIME.
ReplyDeleteThe cops always did that (with Italians) and quite frankly I never cared because A) they know how to look for Mafiosi's just like they know how to look for illegals and B) I have nothing to hide.
Last, it's like anything else. The police ask for Green cards so what's the real story here?
I'm inclined to go with Zeus and say special interest - corporations, groups like La Razza etc. - have confused the issue. To say this is an "abuse of power" is a little rich. As we've noted, it's a mere enforement of what's on the books.
I would like to know if someone is looking at the real costs and consequences of illegal immigration.
There's been an abdication of duty by the Federal government to protect its borders. Period.
Let me go over this again. The problem in AZ is that this state has passed a law that has been carefully crafted to comply with what is believed by the state to be Federal Law. So what is U.S. Law? It's hard to say, the immigration area is absolutely incoherent, poorly enforced, according to any understanding, and subject to political predation from all directions.
ReplyDeleteWhy Arizona or any other non-Federal jurisdiction is taking on what should be a Federal task -- i.e. the regulation and enforcement of immigration to the U.S. is due to decades of broken, manipulated into unenforceable and probably unsalvageable layers of laws and regulations that do not work. AZ's law represents, in an embarrassing way, the lack of coherent and enforced immigration laws. Period.
The profiling issue is one that is getting a lot of public discussion. That's fine, but it isn't at the root of the problem. A non-functioning immigration system is the problem.
Ah, what they "believe" to be the interpretation. Thanks for that but it still stays in line with my overall point.
ReplyDeleteThe racial profiling thing is a prjection and skirts away from the reall issue. Moreover, those focusing on this are not offering what they would do. I've read Obama is working on immigration reform. Maybe that's why he's upset with Arizona.
To me, the priorities are off. Th should come first before financial reform.
One other thing I thought about. I don't think the "Italian/Mafia" analogy is necessarily fair or accurate. Italians "understand" there are mobsters among us and they've further learned that the cops have refined their techniques on how to pinch them to the point it's preciously rare they "single" us out or profile us.
ReplyDeleteThe liberal position is way off base on this front. I'm willing to bet this scenario transfers well to the law-abiding Hispanic community. They understand the difference between themselves and illegals. For them to side with illegals is almost akin to my siding with mobsters.
To presuppose they're outraged by the attempt to protect national borders stinks of prejudicial arrogance on the part of the left.
Forgive me if I give them more credit than that.