immigration

Now, I'm sure you've all heard about the latest political hoopla in news. The state of Arizona just passed a new immigration law that is making huge waves. Normally, I am not one to get involved in politics. I can't stand all the arguing and lying, so my political views fall more on the "apathetic" side. (That being said, I do my civic duty and vote.) However, I actually have a few things to say about this new law and since this is my blog, I can write whatever I want...even if it has nothing to do with teeth, my social life, school, or the other topics I typically write about. So if you aren't in the mood to debate politics, you probably want to stop reading right now.

In short, the state of Arizona passed a new law that makes it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally and requires that anyone suspected of be an illegal immigrant to show proof of residency or legal status. At first, it seems pretty harmless. After all, it is already a federal crime to be in the United States illegally. However, a lot of the talk stems from the part requiring suspected aliens to show proof of residency when asked by law enforcement officials. Many fear that this is going to lead to racial profiling by police. I don't see how racial profiling can be avoided. After all, what does an illegal immigrant look like? Now, the answer to that question lies within each and every law enforcement officer in this state. And if you are in the state of Arizona, you probably think that an illegal immigrant looks Mexican. (Since the truth is, many of them are. After all, Arizona shares a rather large border with Mexico.) Does that mean that every Hispanic looking person should automatically be suspected of being an illegal alien simply because they look like they could be? I certainly don't think so. There are probably illegal aliens from every corner of the globe in Arizona and I'm sure they don't all look Mexican.

I understand that immigration is an extremely complicated issue. I don't pretend to understand even 5% of it. What I do understand is how the issue affects people. That is why I liked this article from the New York Times. It saddened me to hear some of the comments in the article directed towards illegal immigrants, especially about how they create crime. Yes, I'm sure some illegal immigrants do commit crimes. But guess what? So do many American citizens! Why do we have to have so much hatred towards illegal immigrants? Most of them are just here to have a chance at a better life. They come and do the jobs we don't want. They deal with terrible injustices and become a marginalized population in our country. And this is the "American dream"? I'm pretty sure they don't want to be here illegally, our laws just make it so darn hard to enter this country the right way. And it is truly sad that they have to live in complete fear every day about someone discovering their secret and completely upheaving their life. I understand that illegal immigrants are by no means innocent victims. However, I just wish there was a solution to this situation that did not involve hatred and racism.