Apoplectic Over Arizona

A state which it believes is being overrun by foreign nationals wants to enforce our nation's immigration laws and everybody from former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo to the Reverend Al Sharpton wants to vilify them.  Why?  1) Because nobody wants to be seen as demonizing a whole race, and the fastest growing voting block, namely Latinos, and 2) Because the new Arizona law may be too effective.  There you have it.  America's debate/divide on immigration reform reduced to its simplest form.  Say what you wish about Arizona's new law to fight illegal immigration, but lawmakers abhor a vacuum and the only reason why the Arizona legislature has pressed this issue is because our federal government has failed to do so.

As silly and toothless as the Secure Fence Act sounds, that's exactly how the U. S. Congress chose to fight illegal immigration, international terrorism and drug cartels in 2006.  A $1.5 billion down payment was authorized to build a 2000 mile fence along the US/Mexico border.  Obama's stimulus added another $2.5 billion.  To date, roughly seven hundred miles of the fence, and another 28 miles of "virtual" fence have been grudgingly constructed.  But nobody is happy about it.  As recently as a week ago, Department of Homeland Security personnel have complained to Congress that the fence, and the whole Secure Border Initiative is a "complete failure."  Kinks, bugs, cost overruns and overall ineptitude has done little to stem the tide of illegal border crossings and violence from drug smugglers spilling into U. S. border towns and communities.  Is it any wonder then that some states feel the need to take matters into their own hands to protect their citizens?  Of course not.

So everyone just take a deep breath and allow the Arizona law to be vetted under practice as well as utility.  It will soon become apparent whether its practical application can be just or whether or not it passes Constitutional muster.  We don't need another rush to judgement like President Obama made after the bill was signed into law.  He called the bill "misguided" and "irresponsible", and even said that such a law might "threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness...as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe."  Like when he himself undermined the basic notion of fairness and the trust between police and the community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, by calling their arrest of a Harvard professor "stupid."

The his testimony before Congress, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said that DHS is "reviewing each sector along the US/Mexican border to figure out what technologies would help them secure their areas against smugglers and illegal immigrants." Arizona state lawmakers and their governor just answered that question with SB 1070.