Immigration news and comment

One of the ugly realities of the US immigration system is that the federal system, even before the new Arizona "Juan Crow" law (SB1070) was actually deporting legal residents and even American citizens:

Jonathan Baum and Rosha Jones, New Report Reveals Devastating Effects of Deportation on U.S. Citizen Children Immigration Impact 04/26/10

The report to which that article refers is In the Child’s Best Interest? The Consequences of Losing A Lawful Immigrant Parent to Deportation March 2010, a joint report of the UC-Berkeley and UC-Davis Law Schools.

This article is from over two years ago, about the deportation of a native-born American citizen: Marisa Taylor, Immigration officials detaining, deporting American citizens McClatchy Newspapers 01/24/2008

Dave Neiwert gives us an idea of the sort of inspiration behind SB1070 in Profiling Arizona legislator Russell Pearce: Author of immigration law is pals with noted neo-Nazi Crooks and Liars 04/27/10.

Rosemary Joyce in Arizona’s border, all of our civil rights Berkeley Blog 04/28/10 writes:

How can police in Arizona enforce the newly passed law requiring them to ask anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant for proof of citizenship?

I don’t mean this as a moral or ethical question, although 52-year-veteran Pima County Sherriff [sic], Clarence Dupnik, calls the law “disgusting” and says that it is “unwise” and a “national embarrassment”, and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon disclaims the bill as unrepresentative of and “humiliating” for his state’s population.

What I mean is simply this: will all US citizens in Arizona now routinely be required to carry passports, or birth certificates? And if not, what happens when citizens are stopped by suspicious police who think they may be undocumented migrants?

Coverage has rightly emphasized that the law, while claiming to be aimed at supporting detention of undocumented migrants, actually creates new burdens for those immigrants who are in the US legally. Legal immigrants now must carry their papers with them at all times or risk new penalties.

But the requirement to stop anyone “reasonably” suspected of being in the US without legal permission implies more: it will almost inevitably lead to native-born citizens of Hispanic heritage being stopped and asked to produce documents proving they are in the country legally as well. The only way for a native-born citizen to do so would be to produce a birth certificate or passport.

And Markos Moulitsas takes a look at the potential political realignment of Latino voters in Arizona as fallout from SB1070, Immigration law is definitely Arizona's Prop 187 04/27/10.

Tags: comprehensive immigration reform, white racism