Baja News Wire Latest News from Baja California, Mexico

Old 04-22-10, 02:13 PM   #1
Noticias
 
Noticias's Avatar
 
Join Date: 07-13-09
Posts: 2,515

Noticias is on a distinguished road



Default Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications
Carrying proof of status would be requirement

By Leslie Berestein, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.


Jose Melendez, 55, poses for a photo Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at a meat shop in Flagstaff, Ariz. Melendez, a naturalized U.S. citizen, spoke out against a bill in the Arizona legislature that would create a new state misdemeanor crime of willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document. The Arizona House on Tuesday approved a bill that would draw local communities deeper into the fight against illegal immigration despite arguments from opponents that it would do nothing to keep people safer. (AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)


The strict immigration enforcement bill that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer could sign this week is likely to have repercussions beyond the state, not only in terms of political precedent, but in shifts it might prompt in the immigrant population.

The bill would make it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration documents in Arizona, requiring people to carry proof of legal status. It also would require police officers to check immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that someone is in the country illegally, and allow people to sue to force police agencies to comply.

Legal challenges are expected if the bill becomes law, but even the success it has had so far could have a ripple effect in other states, including California.

Illegal immigration has become a high-profile topic in this year’s race for California governor. In 1994, the California election was dominated by Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to bar illegal immigrants from public social services, including public education. The measure was eventually struck down in court.

Proposals like the Arizona bill could make the electoral debate here even more intense.

“We could see anything happen, particularly in the context of the gubernatorial race,” said David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute and a political science professor at the University of San Diego. “It’ll be interesting to see how the gubernatorial race drives the debate on immigration.”

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has claimed that Republican gubernatorial rival Meg Whitman supports amnesty for illegal immigrants, which the former eBay CEO denies. Poizner, who once backed Bush administration policies that would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, has recently called for laws restricting services for illegal immigrants, but has not proposed Arizona-like legislation.

A legislative measure similar to Arizona’s may be less likely in California, where Republicans are a minority in the Capitol. But the immigration debate in California has played out not only at the legislative and state initiative levels, but in local laws. For example, in 2006, the Escondido City Council passed a law that attempted to penalize landlords who rented to illegal immigrants. The city eventually reconsidered following a lawsuit.

Police organizations are divided on the Arizona bill. Proponents say the measure is an enforcement tool. Those who oppose it say it amounts to state-sanctioned racial profiling.

The bill is the second tough-on-immigration measure Arizona has approved in recent years. In January 2008, a law took effect mandating employers in the state to use the federal government’s E-Verify program to check the legal status of new employees.

If the new bill becomes law, it’s likely that Arizona will become even less attractive for those there illegally, said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., organization that advocates restricting immigration.

“Some of them will go home, some who aren’t here yet will decide not to come, and some will move to San Diego or elsewhere,” Krikorian said. “From Arizona’s perspective, if people are moving instead to Georgia or Minnesota or California, that is not really their problem anymore.”

But the Grand Canyon State may become less attractive for some U.S. citizens and legal residents of color, too.

“Definitely, people are saying, ‘I want to move away from Arizona,’ ” said Isabel Garcia, an attorney in Tucson with deep Mexican-American roots.

Garcia said she was outraged about what she considers to be the profiling aspect of the bill. She said any American with brown skin could now be viewed with suspicion.

“They are going to decide what an American is?” Garcia said. “I’m a fourth-generation Arizonan, my kids are fifth generation, my grandchildren are sixth. And we are going to be subjected to this?”

Not all Mexican-American Arizonans are complaining, however. Al Garza, a former leader of the now-disbanded Minuteman Civil Defense Corps — another reaction to Arizona’s human smuggling traffic — said he thought it was “totally great.”

“The laws are in the books,” Garza said. “They just haven’t been enforced.”

There is little question that the Arizona bill could make life more complicated. Rosalva Romero, an organizer with the Coalición de Derechos Humanos, a human rights group in Tucson, pointed out that in Arizona, as in neighboring states, mixed-status families are common. For example, a father and his children might have documents, she said, while their mother does not.

Romero said that many immigrants she speaks with, particularly those without documents, have talked of returning to their native countries or moving to another state. She said she is advising them to stay put.

“If you move, where would you go?” Romero said. “If the law passes here in Arizona, there will be other laws. It will not only happen here in Arizona. They will be affected elsewhere, in the long run.”

It’s most likely that ripple-effect legislation will be seen in states that have had an influx of immigrants in recent years, Shirk said. And as with the Arizona measure, the economy will play a role.

“Right now, when you look at the economy and you have 9 million people unemployed and an estimated 12 million undocumented in the country, it creates a sense, real or imagined, that undocumented immigrants are taking over, in jobs that should theoretically go to Americans,” Shirk said. “The border is expanding now to places that are not traditional immigrant-receiving states. For those places, the phenomenon of immigration will require a difficult adjustment, and that difficult adjustment will lead to those kinds of reactions.”

The political climate in Arizona that led to the bill’s passage this month was affected by factors that include the economy, Arizona’s status as the southern border’s biggest entry point for illegal immigration, and a dramatic growth in the state’s foreign-born population, said Judith Gans, of the University of Arizona’s Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy. According to a report she authored, the state’s foreign-born population grew by more than 200 percent between 1990 and 2004.

“Since the border fence went up in California, the rate of migration through Arizona has increased, so Arizona is both a funnel and an end point,” Gans said.

PROVISIONS

If the Arizona bill becomes law, it would:

• Make it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration documents in Arizona, requiring people to have proof of legal status.

• Require police officers to check for immigration status if there is “reasonable suspicion” a person is in the country illegally.

• Allow citizens to sue law enforcement agencies to force them to comply with the law.

• Prohibit agencies or jurisdictions from adopting policies that restrict enforcement of federal immigration laws, often referred to as “sanctuary” policies.


More...
Old 04-22-10, 02:32 PM   #2
BajaGringo
 
BajaGringo's Avatar
 
Status: Queso Grande
Join Date: 02-09-09
Location: San Quintin
Posts: 7,148

BajaGringo is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Your papers please...

Hopefully Mexico doesn't decide to enact the same policy.

__________________

TalkBaja.com - Where everybody knows your name and nobody stays on topic
...
Old 04-22-10, 04:26 PM   #3
Bajahowodd
 
Bajahowodd's Avatar
 
Join Date: 05-04-09
Location: Too often not South of the border
Posts: 2,375

Bajahowodd is an unknown quantity at this point



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Arizona?

Look at what else these fools are up to!

Lola Adesioye: Racist Birther Bill Makes Republicans Look Ridiculous

Gawd!
Old 04-23-10, 10:48 AM   #4
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Ya mean this just "cracker jack" thinking from our "courts".....

"Illegal immigration has become a high-profile topic in this year’s race for California governor. In 1994, the California election was dominated by Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to bar illegal immigrants from public social services, including public education. The measure was eventually struck down in court."

So it would appear that with this "legal thinking" no one is an illegal immigrant... everyone in the world has the "right" to public social services including education... regardless of one's place of birth.. and/or citizenship status as it relates to United States of America.. and if one considers the time frame on Prop 187 and the 20 million illegal's who are said to have migrated to the United States, it is quite striking how the ruling allowed even greater movement from the South to the North

As for the checking.. as I understand the law in Mexico.. I must carry proof of my legal status while in Mexico..... or has it changed?

I don't have a problem so far with being a "gringo" in Mexico.. it's their Country, and I'm here as a guest legally... as are most others.. it's the law

As for being a Mexican, my wife is one, as is my Son.....

The intent of the legislation is not racist, rather the enforcement of current laws on the books, which are intended for the legal citizens of the United States.. which have been interpreted as illustrated above by the Courts, which are not reflective of the peoples wishes and/or voting.... including my wife, her family and my son...

I don't have a problem with someone asking me to prove that I'm here legally ....

What rubbish... racist indeed..
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold
Old 04-23-10, 12:38 PM   #5
dusty
 
dusty's Avatar
 
Join Date: 06-23-09
Location: BCS
Posts: 1,536

dusty is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

The laws are in the books....they just haven't been enforced...in the clipping, poignant.

I saw a clip of the AZ governor this morning, she stated over the last 14 months she has sent multiple (I believe I heard four or 5) requests to the president asking for federal assistance in illegal immigration and its attenuating problems. She said she has had no response.

Finance, drugs, immigration...just in these areas we have thousands of laws, codes, rules and regulations. The purpose and public justification of all of them, at least in part, is to protect the citizens. We have agencies, bureacracies, oversight committees. For 3 deades, in all these areas the government has not done it's job and citizens, unprotected, have lost their wealth and their lives. How many tally marks does it take to qualify as a failed state?

So, we make more laws each one of which generates thousands of related regulations and more government employees....financial reform...immigration reform, health insurance reform, yada, yada, yada. It's one thing when people are disappointed int he government...quite another when it starts to become an absurdity that is laughed at as ours is.
Old 04-23-10, 01:23 PM   #6
Bajahowodd
 
Bajahowodd's Avatar
 
Join Date: 05-04-09
Location: Too often not South of the border
Posts: 2,375

Bajahowodd is an unknown quantity at this point



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

It's the mixed message provided by those two signs posted on the border fence next to each other. One says "Keep Out", the other says "Help Wanted'.
Old 04-23-10, 01:49 PM   #7
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bajahowodd
It's the mixed message provided by those two signs posted on the border fence next to each other. One says "Keep Out", the other says "Help Wanted'.

are these next to this sign?

""Illegal immigration has become a high-profile topic in this year’s race for California governor. In 1994, the California election was dominated by Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to bar illegal immigrants from public social services, including public education. The measure was eventually struck down in court."
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold
Old 04-23-10, 02:13 PM   #8
Bajahowodd
 
Bajahowodd's Avatar
 
Join Date: 05-04-09
Location: Too often not South of the border
Posts: 2,375

Bajahowodd is an unknown quantity at this point



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Some are thinking that similar reasoning by the court that struck down 187 will eventually doom the Arizona law. I saw some demographic comparisons between California and Arizona that were interesting. California has a hugely larger minority population than does AZ. Obviously, the largest of the minority groups is the Hispanics. And I'm talking legal Hispanics. It has been suggested that Pete Wilson and the Republican's support of 187 was the turning point that has the Dems control most of the elective races since. To run for office in AZ, one need only to appeal to old white guys!
Old 04-23-10, 02:29 PM   #9
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Strange, thought all saw that sign when considering the employment opportunities, and benifits when heading to the States... know I would ...

Pete Wilson.. you got to be kidding.. a flash from the past... and followed by the true wonder of Politics and a supporter ... Gray Davis.. a real straight shooter for the people of California.. on this very topic.... oh, and what happened to Mr Davis? ...

We got Arnold.. and what is his take.. on this topic.. being that he was born in another Country?
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold
Old 04-23-10, 02:51 PM   #10
Marty Cortez
 
Marty Cortez's Avatar
 
Status: `
Join Date: 05-08-09
Posts: 3,676

Marty Cortez is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bajahowodd
It's the mixed message provided by those two signs posted on the border fence next to each other. One says "Keep Out", the other says "Help Wanted'.
Old 04-23-10, 03:01 PM   #11
Marty Cortez
 
Marty Cortez's Avatar
 
Status: `
Join Date: 05-08-09
Posts: 3,676

Marty Cortez is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by wessongroup
...a flash from the past...what happened to Mr Davis? ...

We got Arnold...
Perhaps you're familiar with this story.

It's a doozy, with some rather-familiar names.

My favorite smoking gun: rather-exuberant energy traders waxing romantic about the very results of the above story.

Trader>>> <<<.Gramma Millie

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Old 04-23-10, 03:05 PM   #12
dusty
 
dusty's Avatar
 
Join Date: 06-23-09
Location: BCS
Posts: 1,536

dusty is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bajahowodd
Some are thinking that similar reasoning by the court that struck down 187 will eventually doom the Arizona law. I saw some demographic comparisons between California and Arizona that were interesting. California has a hugely larger minority population than does AZ. Obviously, the largest of the minority groups is the Hispanics. And I'm talking legal Hispanics. It has been suggested that Pete Wilson and the Republican's support of 187 was the turning point that has the Dems control most of the elective races since. To run for office in AZ, one need only to appeal to old white guys!
On what basis would a state law that supports the enforcement of a federal law be struck down? Isn't this an affirmation of federal law?

187 was struck down, not on the basis of race issues but on the basis of court intrepretation that anyone here is entitled to the social services (entitlements) provided by the government(s). This was the crux of the debacle when Joe Wilson called Obama a liar. Joe knew the law and the precedent set by the overturning of 187. It is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that Obama did not (even I knew it). There's more than enough documentation on Obama's falsehoods....in this case let's just settle for stupid.
Old 04-23-10, 03:21 PM   #13
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Gee, what a nice walk down memory lane... Marty thanks, had forgotten that little bit of "dirt" on Arnold for that one ... and how good a politician that event showed him to be... he walks the walk... don't know about the talk the talk..

really like the frog...
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold

Last edited by wessongroup; 04-23-10 at 03:22 PM. Reason: after thought
Old 04-23-10, 04:21 PM   #14
Bajahowodd
 
Bajahowodd's Avatar
 
Join Date: 05-04-09
Location: Too often not South of the border
Posts: 2,375

Bajahowodd is an unknown quantity at this point



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by dusty
On what basis would a state law that supports the enforcement of a federal law be struck down? Isn't this an affirmation of federal law?

187 was struck down, not on the basis of race issues but on the basis of court intrepretation that anyone here is entitled to the social services (entitlements) provided by the government(s). This was the crux of the debacle when Joe Wilson called Obama a liar. Joe knew the law and the precedent set by the overturning of 187. It is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that Obama did not (even I knew it). There's more than enough documentation on Obama's falsehoods....in this case let's just settle for stupid.
Maybe try some basic civil rights. Do you carry proof of citizenship when walking the streets in the US? There have been some ridiculous quotes surrounding this issue including one jackass AZ legislator stating that one can identify an illegal by their clothes and their shoes. As I mentioned in a prior post, CA is far more a melting pot than AZ. But, even in AZ, with a significant native American population, as well as a significant Mexican-American population, do you really want to give marching orders to your local constable to pick and choose who it is that he might suspect of being illegal? This thing will go down in flames on civil rights issues.
Old 04-23-10, 05:04 PM   #15
BajaGringo
 
BajaGringo's Avatar
 
Status: Queso Grande
Join Date: 02-09-09
Location: San Quintin
Posts: 7,148

BajaGringo is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

I am a big believer that the US could stop illegal immigration without drones, sending in the national guard or a million cameras. It can be accomplished via SSN electronic verification and hefty employer sanctions that include criminal penalties. Corporate interests always manage to water down any attempts to enact such tough standards and why I am convinced we really give it lip service only.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bajahowodd
It's the mixed message provided by those two signs posted on the border fence next to each other. One says "Keep Out", the other says "Help Wanted'.
And that is the reason why...

__________________

TalkBaja.com - Where everybody knows your name and nobody stays on topic
...
Old 04-23-10, 07:14 PM   #16
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by BajaGringo
I am a big believer that the US could stop illegal immigration without drones, sending in the national guard or a million cameras. It can be accomplished via SSN electronic verification and hefty employer sanctions that include criminal penalties. Corporate interests always manage to water down any attempts to enact such tough standards and why I am convinced we really give it lip service only.



And that is the reason why...

No fair, you want to approach this rationally

bajaspock
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold

Last edited by wessongroup; 04-23-10 at 07:16 PM. Reason: after thought
Old 04-24-10, 06:56 AM   #17
dusty
 
dusty's Avatar
 
Join Date: 06-23-09
Location: BCS
Posts: 1,536

dusty is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bajahowodd
Maybe try some basic civil rights. Do you carry proof of citizenship when walking the streets in the US? There have been some ridiculous quotes surrounding this issue including one jackass AZ legislator stating that one can identify an illegal by their clothes and their shoes. As I mentioned in a prior post, CA is far more a melting pot than AZ. But, even in AZ, with a significant native American population, as well as a significant Mexican-American population, do you really want to give marching orders to your local constable to pick and choose who it is that he might suspect of being illegal? This thing will go down in flames on civil rights issues.
You may be right about it going down in flames. I'd rather predict earthquakes than what a court might do.
However There's no enumerated civil right that I know of that says we do not have to carry proof of citizenship or proof that we have legally entered the country. How I feel about that is immaterial. Right now, I find nothing that says the government cannot ask a citizen or legal immigrant to prove same. But that isn't the issue as I understand it. The issue is that people do not have to prove citizenship, they have to prove that they are here legally, when there is reasonable doubt of that fact.
Our local constable, our state constables and our federal constables already pick and choose who they suspect of illegality....on everything. The issue in this case would seem to be that AZ believes that the federal agencies are not effectively enforcing federal laws and have been unresponsive to the state's request to do so. The result would appear to be that the legal residents of AZ, whether citizens or legal immigrants have hadtheir civil rights and natural rights violated. Certainly the cases that have made the news substantiate that.

As far as I am concerned this is all about political manipulation. "Civil rights" and "race" are explosive words to cloud the issue. Illegal immigration has become a knotty issue in the US because we have never enforced the existing laws nor updated them to policices that are aligned with the changing needs of the US and the changing abilities of communities in the US to accomodate the influx. IIMHO yet another example of paying taxes for a government that can't/won't do its job and flails in panic when the issue reaches the crisis stage.

Personally, I applaud the good citizens of AZ . I believe what they are really doing is saying "SOLVE THE PROBLEM solve it feds, enforce it or modify it, but solve it or we will. All the noise about civil rights and race is typical equine feces; conjecture and fear to perpetuate the status quo the relieves the government from accountability.

Last edited by dusty; 04-24-10 at 07:03 AM.
Old 04-24-10, 07:15 AM   #18
wessongroup
 
wessongroup's Avatar
 
Join Date: 01-17-10
Location: Mission Viejo
Posts: 2,523

wessongroup is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Dusty, Ditto's
__________________
Suicide hot line... please hold
Old 04-24-10, 08:41 AM   #19
Noticias
 
Noticias's Avatar
 
Join Date: 07-13-09
Posts: 2,515

Noticias is on a distinguished road



Post Advocates vow challenges to Ariz. immigration law (AP)

AP - Arizona's governor vows the state's tough new law targeting illegal immigration will be implemented with no tolerance for racial profiling, but at least two advocacy groups were preparing legal challenges and Mexico has warned that the law could affect cross-border relations.

Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill that supporters said would take handcuffs off police in dealing with illegal immigration in Arizona, the nation's busiest gateway for human and drug smuggling from Mexico and home to an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants. The law requires police to question people about their immigration status — including asking for identification — if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. It's sparked fears among legal immigrants and U.S. citizens that they'll be hassled by police just because they look Hispanic.

With hundreds of protesters outside the state Capitol shouting that the bill would lead to civil rights abuses, Brewer said critics were "overreacting" and that she wouldn't tolerate racial profiling.

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said after signing the law. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

Earlier Friday, President Barack Obama called the Arizona bill "misguided" and instructed the Justice Department to examine it to see if it's legal. He also said the federal government must enact immigration reform at the national level — or leave the door open to "irresponsibility by others."

"That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," Obama said.

Current law in Arizona and most states doesn't require police to ask about the immigration status of those they encounter, and many police departments prohibit officers from inquiring out of fear immigrants won't cooperate in other investigations.

The new law makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. Immigrants unable to produce documents showing they are allowed to be in the U.S. could be arrested, jailed for up to six months and fined $2,500.

It also allows lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws and toughens restrictions on hiring illegal immigrants for day labor and knowingly transporting them.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund said it plans a legal challenge to the law, which it said "launches Arizona into a spiral of pervasive fear, community distrust, increased crime and costly litigation, with nationwide repercussions."

William Sanchez, president of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders Legal Defense Fund, said his group is preparing a federal lawsuit against Arizona to stop the law from being applied. The group represents 30,000 Evangelical churches nationwide, including 300 Latino pastors in Arizona.

"Millions of Latinos around the country are shocked," Sanchez said.

Brewer ordered the state's law enforcement licensing agency to develop a training course on how to implement it without violating civil rights. The bill will take effect in late July or early August, depending on when the current legislative session ends.

"We must enforce the law evenly, and without regard to skin color, accent, or social status," she said. "We must prove the alarmists and the cynics wrong."

Many of the demonstrators at the Capitol complex booed when Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox she announced that "the governor did not listen to our prayers."

"It's going to change our lives," said Emilio Almodovar, a 13-year-old American citizen from Phoenix. "We can't walk to school any more. We can't be in the streets anymore without the pigs thinking we're illegal immigrants."

Mexico warned the proposal could affect cross-border relations, with Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa saying her country would have to "consider whether the cooperation agreements that have been developed with Arizona are viable and useful."

Francisco Loureiro, a pro-migrant activist who runs a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, called the new law "racist" and said it would lead to more police abuse of migrants.

"Police in Arizona already treat migrants worse than animals," he said. "There is already a hunt for migrants and now it will be open season under the cover of a law."

Loureiro said about 250 deported migrants have been arriving at his shelter every night and that most tell him they were detained by police.

On Thursday, Mexico's Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the law.


More...
Old 04-24-10, 10:58 AM   #20
BajaGringo
 
BajaGringo's Avatar
 
Status: Queso Grande
Join Date: 02-09-09
Location: San Quintin
Posts: 7,148

BajaGringo is on a distinguished road



Default Re: Arizona immigration bill may have broad implications

Having spent a lot of time living and working abroad over the last 35+ years makes me wonder. How can it be that back in the 70's, 80's and 90's it was more difficult to get work in many third world countries than in the USA for someone without working papers?

The USA had the resources and technology to implement a system to verify SSN's decades ago but pushed aside any attempts to do so. In that regard I agree with Dusty that Arizona was smart to force the federal governments hand with this measure. My problem with the whole thing is that it also opens the door to abuse on the part of (some) local authorities.

If you have white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes it would probably be difficult to understand IMHO. I have lived that experience through my kids who inherited their mom's genes and have been on the receiving end of such racist ignorance.

Hopefully Washington will act now and soon...
__________________

TalkBaja.com - Where everybody knows your name and nobody stays on topic
...






Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Greetings from Baja Bill! Baja Bill Introduce Yourself to the Forum 6 04-27-10 04:37 PM