Protests Against the Arizona Immigration Law

When I saw Shakira on the news voicing her objections to the Arizona Immigration law, my first thought was, "Does she own property near lower Buckeye? Is she spending her millions at the local bodega? Has she invested one dime in bettering the lives of the illegal aliens here in Arizona?"

The answer of course is no to all these questions. Shakira saw an opportunity to exploit the illegal immigration issue by getting her face in front of a camera. Her opinion is of no consequence since she has no vested interest in Arizona other than a venue for her concerts.

There is a large outcry against the Arizona Immigration law from those who do not live in this state, this state to which some 400,000 illegal aliens from Mexico, Central American and South America have travelled for any number of reasons, both noble and ignoble.

Protestors in Los Angeles and other cities outside of Arizona have turned their indignation into front page news, into a breaking story on the local news, into a public relations nightmare for Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

These protests, in my opinion, are not borne of indignation at the thought of sending illegal aliens back to their home country, but rather at the thought of those 400,000+ illegals making their way to California, to New Mexico, to Texas and Nevada and any other state that isn't enforcing the law against illegal entry into the United States. No one wants to be the "politically incorrect" heavy.

If our law enforcement officers here in Arizona make it too uncomfortable for illegal aliens they will go somewhere else, perhaps to your home state.

The Arizona Immigration Law is not a new law. It is an updated version of an existing law; when a person or persons enter the United States illegally, they have committed a crime and continue to engage in criminal activity as long as they remain illegal occupants or do not obtain the proper visas to be in this country.

Officers of the law are obligated to apprehend and detain people engaged in criminal activity. The Arizona Immigration Law defines the circumstances under which illegal aliens may be apprehended and detained.

Protestors of the law are intent on playing the "racial profiling" card. This is a misconception. Law officers are not searching the streets for brown-skinned people with Hispanic accents. Anyone, be they brown, black, yellow or white, is obligated, when stopped by an officer for lawful reason, to show identification. Should that person fail to have proper identification, the status of their citizenship may be called into question.

So rises the second catch-phrase favored by protestors: "Show me your papers," intending to liken Arizona law officers to Nazis.

This puzzles me, as identification is obligatory to drive a car, write a check or use a credit card, among numerous other activities. When I use a credit card, and the cashier asks me for identification, should I protest loudly, cry racial profiling and call the cashier a Nazi for demanding to see my papers? The notion is preposterous.

So why is the notion of Arizona law officers asking for identification during a traffic stop so preposterous?

I lend no credence to the protestors. They are not here, seeing what I see, what the residents of this state see on a daily basis. Governor Jan Brewer should not, can not back down on this issue, simply because no one else wants the 400,000+ illegal aliens crossing their borders.