Nearly two months ago, on April 23 2010, a controversial and relatively redundant idea was re-introduced to Arizonians and the American people alike. While it is formally titled the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act of Arizona, opponents have dubbed it the Anti- Immigration Act. And though its origin is rooted in such laws as the Federal Patriot Act (instilled post-9/11) and 2004's Arizona Proposition, the latter of which was vetoed under former Democratic Secretary of State Janet Napolitano, the Act has become the staunchest anti-illegal immigration attempt thus far. To reiterate some of the vital details of this Act, it is imposed upon illegal immigrants in the state of Arizona, in which law enforcement agencies are given legal authority to question a persons citizenship, or lack thereof. Questions and concerns over a persons legality are only to be asked if an officer or such enforcement has "probable cause" to pull over, detain or otherwise hinder any person for any reason. Ambiguity, as one can see, is already an obvious problem. A saving grace: one is supposedly "presumed to not be an alien" if he or she has some sort of governmental or tribal identification card. Moreover, someone found of being an illegal immigrant, or 'alien' in AZ terminology, is charged with a misdemeanor crime accompanied by increasing fees, discretionary jail time and general hassle and molestation, possibly culminating in total deportation.
My initial reaction when hearing and learning of this law was mixed feelings - undecided about how I wanted to approach the obvious and ignorant discrimination, racial profiling and bigotry subliminally in between the legal jargon listed in this Act.
I am an American. Born and raised in this great U.S of A and as far back as I can remember, teachers would always refer to America as the "Great Melting Pot". Both literally and figuratively, we are a nation built on the dreams and backs of countless immigrants ho have pledged their life, and sometimes several generations of lives, to the betterment of this country. We are all, native or not, born from a once upon a time heritage of un-American Americans. While the reasons for their arrival vary from foreign need or want, greed or necessity, or even political wars and genocide, people from countries and crevices around the world have washed onto our shores. Ready, willing and hopeful to capitalise on their golden ticket to opportunity. Already these supposed foreigners are sounding pretty 'American' to me; capitalism, opportunity and cashing in on a combination of both are US trademarks. Our forefathers, though Caucasian and 'English', were immigrants. And good 'ole Chris Columbus audaciously 'discovered' this vast land as, yep, an immigrant. Yet this has rarely been a problem. Like most American ideals and principals, immigrants have served a 'purpose'; whether it be labor for the fields or for the mines, immigrants have built, drilled, mined, picked, toiled, plowed, harvested, bore, invested and yet rarely reaped the fruits of the American Dream they have come to collectively create. Still, they come, and for what? Our principals and fundamentals; those vital phrases placed in feather-penned writing that states "all men are created equal...with certain unalienable Rights...[such as] Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". Dare I ask, when will these "self-evident" truths start to hold up? Especially for the underdog-types of people they were written for.
Modern times have found immigrants under persecution from every angle; they are often oppressed in their homelands, for whatever reason (war, famine, political corruption, you name it) only to escape to a land that has morphed from a home of the free to a land of bullying. The immigrant has become the school yard wimp, and fellow Americans, we are quickly becoming an ugly bully. We re-create (or rename, depending on how you look at it) a Federal law that is already in full effect (thanks terrorists and your nifty little WMD's), only to further pester an already burdened people, illegal aliens. The name tag alone, aliens, is inherently segregated from the masses in every way,shape, and form. Or is it? We all started as such - learn you history, kids.
Now, don't misinterpret my intentions or my understanding of some of this Acts intentions and allegations, and other Acts and Laws like it. Yes, we have an enormous drug problem that has ironically grown since we Regan-ized it and pledged an unrelenting war against its survival. Safe to say were losing. Yes, most of our imported drugs have come from countries like Mexico, Central and South America.This is American damn it, we want our drugs in bulk and for cheap. Yes, these drugs have caused crimes beyond containment in such a way that its severity is devastating. Yes, we have a growing deficit that can partially be blamed on an out of control immigration flow and emigration trickle. Yes, our jobs, health care, and in part, economy have all taken jabs from countess persons falling in love with our purple mountains of majesty and our even better quality of living. We claim to leave No Child Left Behind, we DARE you to just say no, and whats more, we offer education and opportunity as far as your eyes can see. Of course people are flocking by the thousands to cozy under our American quilt, and since 1776 we have steadily been inviting them. Ms. Liberty holds a light guiding lost souls to our shore and we live with the whispered premise that if you work hard, you too can have this Dream and any others you conjure up.
What I am saying, Americans and especially the blind-sighted constituents of Arizona, don't forget your roots. Harassing and bullying immigrants is not the way to deal with your immigration problem. It is not the way to deal with your drug problem. It is not the way to deal with your fleeting state economy. You need to be looking for drug dealers, not simply people who may make an unrelated mistake that is inevitably magnified because they are immigrants. Immigrants have and will always hold a place in the US, like any developed country. We need the labor resource to thrive and we need the cultural influx. Don't get confused: recession or not, under the table work has been occurring with natives as well as illegals, and chances are you have had work done, labor performed or a service rendered by someone who was not fully on the up and up. I believe our momentary economic downfall would be steepened without immigrants; the labor and services they often provide and that we often need are often only obtainable for the average person through the give and take situation provided by them. We need to assist anyone trying to legally assimilate into our country with a cohesive and affordable way to do that, not intimidate them into fleeing for the next state or ship that will have them. We need to mandate state and/or tribal identification cards so that there is no one roaming without proper Id's (asking them to carry 'papers' is a tad to reminiscent of both post-Emancipation days as well as mid-Hitler conquests with the Jews and their Davids). Raising the immigration fees for incoming applicants will only propel illegal immigration instead of stifle it. There is no reason we cant fix this now, as we always have. We are a county of resolve. Resolutions are our thing and we pride ourselves with the ability and ease of manifesting solutions to modern problems of various social, economic and international proportions. Dare I ask when that will start occurring? Because, as one pop-culture phenom once proclaimed, "It does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty"...not now, not ever.
u can hear my happiness in my music.