Alternatives to Racial Profiling
Immigration Reform
Gabriel King, Staff Reporter
gking@csumb.edu
Arizona’s passage of a new immigration law has created controversy. 60,000 people rallied in Los Angeles protesting the law, singer Shakira traveled to Arizona to express her concerns over the law and the basketball team the Phoenix Suns wore Spanish language jerseys saying Los Suns on them to show solidarity with the local community. There have even been calls to boycott the state of Arizona and Arizona businesses.
With all this commotion surrounding the law I decided to read the law myself.
Section Two
B. F OR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR
OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE
SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS
UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE
ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE
IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON.
At first glance that does not seem so unreasonable. Say you are speeding, a police officer can ask you for proof of citizenship. But there are two problems with that scenario and the law. What is reasonable suspicion that the person is an alien in the country? The Pew Research Center estimates 76 percent of the 12 million illegal immigrants are Hispanic. An Arizona police officer may find “reasonable suspicion” that a person is an illegal immigrant to be because they are Hispanic. This is unacceptable to have a law which could be used to racially profile people.
Instead of boycotting Arizona I think we should be pushing for Arizona to reform its immigration law. Arizona, and those of us not from Arizona, should push the federal government to pass comprehensive immigration reform. This reform should look for ways to limit the need to enter the country illegally by making it easier to immigrate and find ways to change economic policies which may harm the Mexican economy.
A part of comprehensive reform which could fix Arizona’s immigration law would be the use of a national ID card. So if police officers do make lawful contact, they can ask every person for their national identification. This would verify a person’s citizenship and law enforcement officers do not have to racially profile. The use of a national ID to verify citizenship would allow Arizonan citizens and lawmakers who wish to limit illegal immigration a law which could be applied equally to everyone, without using racial profiling.
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