The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    The Arizona "Immigration" Law

    Let's be clear about one thing: the Arizona immigration law signed by Governor Janice Brewer this week is not about illegal immigrants. It is about arresting legal immigrants and about American citizens. Because it makes not having your documents on you a crime.

    It makes anyone not carrying proof of immigration status liable to arrest for, among other things, trespassing. (Anyone in Arizona without an ID card is now imagined as a trespasser.) That isn't about reducing illegal immigration, and it won't be effective at doing so. But it will make it almost impossible not to arrest law-abiding citizens who don't happen to have documents with them. Those people wll eventually be released. But first they will be booked, and need bail money. The law creates a new class of second-class citizens.

    As far as the bill's sponsors are concerned that's not a bug. It's a feature.

    Comments

    1) Thank God I moved from AZ. 2) Thank God when I visit, I'm white 3) AZ politicians have been doing crazy conservative stuff like this for years, it's unfortunate that citizens have to deal with the bullsh*t that follows.