Arizona Hispanics used to be the most Republican in the country. After the Republicans legalized racial profiling, that probably will no longer be the case.
Hopefully Texas Republicans follow suit!
Could this lead to a large change in Arizona politics? Perhaps forcing Hispanics towards the democrats in even greater number? Personally I think this law is important because it effects not only immigrants but Latino US citizens as well because of the racial profiling that could result.
By the way did the Republicans actually see this as being a smart political move??
"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times
carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of
alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him
pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails to
comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to
exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both."
RACIST LAW! Your papers, please! Boycott the USA!!!!
Actually Cinyc, that portion of the law DOES suck. And hard. This section deals with aliens who are here legally, often for years. Now they need to keep their green card on them at all times or risk jail. Forget them one time on your way to the grocery store? Too bad. You're off to to Arpaio's tent city for a month because, yes Cynic, someone ordered "Your papers, please!"
Not much of a burden? How would we react to a law requiring every citizen to keep a copy of their birth certificate on them at all times or face imprisonment? The fact that legal aliens are here at the government's sufferance rather than citizens hardly justifies such an onerous intrusive measure.
Above all, what does provision have to do with fighting illegal immigration? This does nothing more than penalize those persons here LEGALLY for God's sake! All this accomplishes is to make legal immigrants more marginalized and made to feel unwelcome in Arizona.
Or is that the idea? As far as any racist sentiment behind this law I'll only say this: If most illegal immigrants were coming from north of the border in Canada, this law wouldn't get passed anywhere.
The requirement that all legal residents have their green card with them at all times is just ridiculous. And of course if you are an immigrant from Britain you don't really have to worry about it that much but if you are from Honduras.... And then Republicans wonder why minorities are hesitant to vote for them.
I am glad that the law is being narrowed to define just under what circumstances a cop can ask for a person's papers. But this still means that legal residents are now going to have to keep their green cards at all times they get in a car or they go to jail. You don't even go to jail if you forget your license while driving. Not even a fine if you show it to them later on.
