In his latest op-ed piece in the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson calls Arizona's new immigration law "an act of vengeance" "draconian", and "an abomination -- racist, arbitrary, oppressive, mean-spirited, unjust."
No fan of the, so-called, "Tea Parties", Robinson (sarcastically) questions why these folks aren't up in arms over the new law : "Isn't the whole premise of the Tea Party movement that overreaching government poses a grave threat to individual freedom?" He asks that question because, "Legal immigrants will be required to carry papers proving that they have a right to be in the United States. Those without documentation can be charged with the crime of trespassing and jailed for up to six months."
Robinson is, obviously, unaware that, according to Federal law, "If you are a permanent resident age 18 or older, you are required to have a valid green card in your possession at all times." Don't take my word for it ..... go to the USCIS website and see for yourself. [click here.]
Robinson recognizes that "Washington has failed miserably to address what Arizonans legitimately see as a crisis". He writes, "The influx [of illegal immigrants] imposes an unfair burden on the state, and for years Arizonans have implored federal officials to do something about immigration reform and border control -- to no avail." He doesn't, of course, have a solution.
Robinson sees a problem with a law that treats undocumented immigrants as criminals. Earth to Robinson : undocumented immigrants are criminals.
Does this law make Latino citizens and legal residents vulnerable to arbitrary harassment as Robinson believes?
Is it harassment for a police officer to ask you to show proper ID? As I mentioned in Sunday's post [Thoughts on the Arizona Immigration Law.] my Filipina wife, who is a permanent resident and often mistaken for Hispanic, doesn't think so. Like many legal immigrants, she knows that illegal immigration is a serious problem and she sees no problem with showing her "green card" when asked.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 70% of likely voters in Arizona approve of the legislation, while just 23% oppose it. I suspect a good many voters throughout the country approve as well.
Update:
Nationally, 60% Favor Letting Local Police Stop and Verify Immigration Status
