Does the new Arizona law actually define “reason to suspect” that a person is not a citizen, and is not legally in the United States?
Citizens of the United States are not required to carry proof of citizenship, even if they are Hispanic and do not speak English. Non-citizens who are legally allowed to work here are already required by federal law to carry that proof at all times.
By my physical traits, I could be suspected as an illegal immigrant from Ireland, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France, and so on and so forth. Yet, somehow, I’d put money on the failure of Arizona police to have “reason to suspect” me of being an illegal immigrant.
This law simply enables fishing expeditions, fishing expeditions designed to catch people who are guilty of no more than a civil infraction - a traffic ticket - and that will also, in the wide net, bother and annoy citizens. It must be nice to be a resident of Arizona and know that crime is at such a low point that your police can spin their wheels looking for a “reason to suspect” that someone has not paid for their traffic ticket.
I wonder what consitutes “proof of citizenship”? Strictly speaking you would need a birth cerficate and a drivers license or other photo ID, and what if the cop thinks they’re forged? Will Obama be allowed to come into Arizona without being detained?
Don’t get me wrong I actually support not only this type of legislation, but this specific legislation – in theory. In practise it will cause a lot of harassment of perfectly legal residents and immigrants.
Strictly speaking, you need no more than a birth or naturalization certificate. Neither of which is required to be carried just in case Joe Cop has reason to suspect.
This is a terrible, terrible law-- an invitation to abuse. We have an illegal immigration problem in the US, and Arizona is ground zero, but this is not the way to address it.
First we get Birther legislation, and now this. AZ is becoming the new laughingstock.
The Arizona nutcases were under control when we had a democratic governor, now that she is gone the yahoos have power in both the executive and the legislature.
Sigh.
The current Republican governor at least has not come forward with 100% support to this and she has not said if she will veto this bill, the sad thing is that if she does the right thing and does veto it, is very likely that most yahoos here will give her the boot.
OTOH, if she signs it or let it become law that will become the end of any ideas of Republicans looking to get support from Latinos in the foreseeable future. Republicans IMHO will find that Latinos, besides voting, also can organize.
I’m an Arizonan and I officially apologize for my entire state. I don’t know what has gotten into people. But in some ways it’s nothing new. I’m heard rumblings of people wanting this stuff for years, it just never got official until now.
She just signed it, but it will almost certainly be challenged in court immediately and there’s a fair chance that any enforcement of the law will be stayed by a federal judge.
Also, Phoenix PD and a few other major law enforcement agencies (except the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office) aren’t exactly gung-ho about enforcing immigration law. Even if this law were to be enforced, they would likely create enforcement policies to blunt the more blatant racial profiling aspects of it.
It’s a well known fact that it’s very hot in Arizona but it’s a dry heat. It’s also a well known fact that it’s very hot in Florida, but it’s a wet heat which feel worse. So of course Floridians were the first to display heat related idiocy in 2000. It has finally caught up to the Arizonans. I blame Global Warming.
She had until Saturday to do so, and I did mention the alternative, as she has signed it, is clear now what I should do. I will support now even with my time any local politician that is on record against this travesty and to be against the yahoos that supported that bill.
Think about all the 5th and 6th generation Hispanics in Arizona who are now going to be constantly stopped and asked to show proof of citizenship every time they go to the grocery store. I see a lot of F-bombs being dropped.
Its bad enough if it were conscientiously applied by peace officers with scrupulous attention to the rights of civilians. In the hands of a bigot or any of the other varieties of power-freak asshole, its a disaster. Now, at long last, probable cause can be entirely imaginary and need only exist in the mind of the officer. Hell, not even that, he just has to say that it does!
In the hands of a good cop, this is a needless burden. In the hands of a bad one, this is very extra special no-good.
Well, the American federal government was created shortly thereafter So, if they chose not to apply for proper naturalization procedures, then its pretty much their own fault that they are still undocumented! Don’t be blaming America just because they were lazy!
What possible non-racial “reason to suspect” could they come up with? I’m really wracking my brain here.
Wouldn’t this law effectively require all US-citizen hispanics in the state to carry their “papers” on them all the time to avoid being detained? How is that constitutional? (And if you take them at their word there will be no racial profiling, doesn’t that mean literally everyone in the state of Arizona-- including my lily-white ass when I go visit the Grand Canyon-- needs to carry proof of citizenship?)