New Arizona Immigration Law: Some Uncomfortable Facts

WARNING: If you generally agree with Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, you probably will not like what you are about to read. I have been listening to Fox Radio to hear what people are saying about the new immigration law in Arizona that allows police to ask for proof of citizenship when there is probable cause and the officer suspects that the person is not in the U.S. legally. Most of the talk show hosts and callers on Fox Radio defend this law vehemently and insist that the law violates no constitutional rights and is only enforcing federal immigration laws. Well, maybe, maybe not. The majority of the comments I heard can be summarized as follows: Those Mexicans are criminals in violation of U.S. law, should go back to Mexico where they belong, stop taking Americans' jobs away and generally bothering us Americans. Much of their rhetoric sounds pretty nasty, and they rely more on opinions and name-calling than facts.

I would like to offer a few current and historical facts, or at least objective statements for anyone who supports the new Arizona law to at least be aware of. It seems that some of these folks don't want to be confused by the facts.

1. Until 1848, the end of the US-Mexico War, the territory that is now Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and California belonged to Mexico, and was taken over by the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe. So most of the western U.S. was Mexican territory prior to 1848. Whether or not this was a legal action has been debated. Did the U.S. take this land from Mexico legally, or did they steal it "fair and square"? Mexicans tend to have a different perspective on this question than people from the U.S., as you might expect. Think about it. How would you react as an American if the U.S. lost a war with a foreign country, which then took control of a third of the U.S. states? Maybe you're thinking but that would never happen. Never is a long time.

2. About 30 percent of Arizonans are Mexican Americans. Many of them have relatives in Mexico who they travel to visit regularly, and their relatives travel to visit them in Arizona. There are currently about 500,000 Mexicans living in Arizona who entered the U.S. illegally or are here on expired visas. So roughly one in three drivers that Arizona police pull over to give a ticket may look like Mexicans.

3. Many Mexicans have been living in Arizona (and the U.S.) illegally for long periods of time, and their children born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. Can U.S. citizens be deported? I don't think so. So do we deport the parents and leave the children behind to fend for themselves? Does that sound like a good idea?