Arizona immigration law sparks controversy

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 02:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ltqJ8-FG8   Posted on YouTube: April 24, 2010 By YouTube Member: AlJazeeraEnglish Views on YouTube: 367   Posted on DU: April 24, 2010 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 912

 

AlJazeeraEnglish — April 23, 2010 — The western US state of Arizona has enacted the toughest immigration law in the country aimed at cracking down on hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants.

Barack Obama, the US president, has called the law "misguided" and expressed concern over possible civil rights implications.

Activists say the new legislation legalises racial profiling and discrimination, and right groups have vowed to take their case to the nation's highest courts.

The new legislation is likely to reignite a national debate on the reform of the US federal immigration system, as Al Jazeera's Monica Villamizar explains. (Apr 24, 2010)

[truth2power]

1. Driving while black. "Breathing" while Hispanic. What crap!!!....

It's racial profiling, pure and simple. And our Prez is "concerned".

This is going to come back and bite Arizonians in the butt. A lot of Hispanic-looking U.S. citizens are going to get detained by the police. I suppose they'll all be willing to put up with the inconvenience.

And what, exactly, is a "US identification document"? I guess a driver's license doesn't count. I sure wouldn't want to vacation in Arizona if I looked the least Hispanic. In fact, I don't think I'd vacation in Arizona, now, just on general priniciples. I hope their tourist industry suffers greatly for this. Good enough for them. Morons!

And how about that poll? Who and how many people did they sample? And let me see the questions asked. You can make a poll show anything you want it to.

What a f**k-up!!!

[vduhr]

4. You're right...

a driver's license is not proof of citizenship. I checked out AZ's DMV site and found the list of required documents to get a license there. The list does include some documents that prove citizenship, but the list is quite extensive and many of the documents do not prove citizenship, and only one document from each list is all that is required (laughingly a couple of the documents are credit cards). It's probably the same in most States. All that was required for me to get my license in New Mexico, was a license from California. Also, I know of people in New Mexico that have shown their license in other States and were thought to be from Mexico (some idiots don't know New Mexico is a State in the U.S.).

Also, many of the people posting on other message boards and are in favor of the law are completely ignorant of the fact that, under this new law, they can be stopped for no reason. Many of them seem to think that they would be stopped for breaking the law, like speeding, etc., and many think that a State issued DL or ID is sufficient proof of citizenship. I think the joke is going to be on them.

[Beams1969]

2. I can't wait to see how many white suburbanite joggers get stopped, searched,

and asked for their papers. Something tells me zero is a correct number.

[vduhr]

3. Here's a good example of how this law is racial profiling:

This is someone's posting on another message board, along with my response:

EverydayAmerican is quoting a comment from a news article, then his response to that quote:

"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."

A PERFECT example of why this law is needed not only in Arizona, but NATIONWIDE! These invaders have NO respect whatsoever for the police or our laws. GO Arizona!!

My response to EverydayAmerican:

You might want to go back and read that statement by that boy. He's saying he is a legal citizen, but because he is Hispanic, he will be profiled. You see...you already profiled him as an illegal just by assuming that, because he's Hispanic, he's an illegal alien. The sentence clearly states that he is an "American Citizen". Thanks for proving that this law is wrong - now it starts already.

[feslen]

5. unsurprisingly those who support this bill

are racist republicans...go figure.

[edwinmathews]

11. Do you think

Rob Kretz's family and friends are racists ?

[happygoluckytoyou]

6. ALL hispanics in AZ should quit carrying unnecessary ID.... AZ can deal with it ! ! !

[happygoluckytoyou]

7. Oh, and thanks from 'BAMA, we were getting tired of being called the STOOPIDEST state in the nation!

[onpatrol98]

8. Don't get too happy...

It'll be a short reprieve. I'm from Mississippi. Southern states and by extension it's people are fair game apparently.

[vduhr]

9. When did Obama call Arizona the stupidist state in the union?

Troll alert!

[teknomanzer]

10. I don't really know what to do...

I am not going to walk around with my birth certificate which happens to be half in spanish because I was born in Puerto Rico.