Reply #85: You are an American citizen. [View All]

As such I don't understand why you would not simply be proud to cooperatively identify yourself if challenged. It is unfortunate that most hispanics, regardless of specific ethnicity or nationality, fit the superficial profile of an ethnic category which has become the subject of exceptional police attention, but you have the U.S. Government's failure to enforce existing immigration laws to blame for that, not the police and certainly not "racism." So I respectfully suggest that you keep things in perspective and not be induced by the paranoid delusions of others to think of it as a "hate" issue.


Actually there is nothing new or exceptional about this "new" law because police always have been innately authorized to question anyone whom they have reasonable cause (formerly probable cause) to suspect has broken the law -- and entering the Country illegally is breaking the law. What is new is the police are no longer constrained from arresting illegal migrants. The pivotal factor in this issue is the "reasonable suspicion" requirement, because bringing weak cases to court reflects negatively on an officer's performance and in extreme examples can result in litigation. So the police will not be eager to arrest legitimate citizens for the sport of it. They will be looking for positive indications of illegal presence.

The bottom line in this situation is Arizona has become ground zero for an increasing flow of Mexican illegals. The effect on Arizona's health care services has been devastating. There is a rising crime rate. The estimated presence of illegals in Arizona exceeds half a million. One out of five inmates in Arizona's jails and prisons is a Mexican illegal. The collective effect is devastating on the state's economy so there is no valid reason to believe this "new" law is motivated by anything but expedient necessity.