Arizona Governor Jane Brewer, caved to political pressure earlier today, and signed into law Senate Bill 1070. The law will allow police officers to question the immigration status of ‘suspicious’ individuals. But deciphering what constitutes a ‘suspicious’ individual or ’suspicious’ behavior, is easier said than done.
The reality is that individuals will be targeted by ethnicity. Skin color, accent and race will determine who is stopped and questioned. There are no grey areas here; this law upholds racial profiling.
The Hispanic community is the fastest growing minority group in the United States today. We comprise 15% of the overall population. Yet both political party’s continue to ignore comprehensive immigration reform.
Republicans have embraced an overt, anti-immigration reform, platform; while Democrats have yet to act on reform. This stalemate has allowed right-wing rhetoric, against reform, to spread unchallenged. Hispanics now find themselves at odds with protestors who condemn the ‘foreign invasion’.
Comprehensive immigration reform is the only alternative to successfully repairing our broken immigration system. Partisan wrangling disguised as law adds fuel to the fire. And inaction by Congress and the White House will result in more states signing bad bills into law.
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