I may be late to the party on this one, but that was deliberate. I have held back opining on the new law for a couple of reasons. First, the initial reports of the law’s provisions had me concerned (as it has many in the American right). Secondly, and admittedly a little more important to me, was the Governor who signed it into law: Jan Brewer – previously known as a tax-hiking squish.
Then I read Byron York’s must-read pieces on the subject in the Washington Examiner, and things were cleared up nicely.
As an aside, there is no political reporter I trust more than Byron York. Two years ago, when much of the American right (including many of my good friends) fell into mass hysteria about an accusation John McCain aimed at Mitt Romney (McCain said Romney supported setting a date for American withdrawal from Iraq), York – practically alone among National Review writers – calmly examined the quotes in question and concluded, rightly, that McCain had a point.
In this case, York has painstakingly noted that the Arizona law will not do what so many of its critics claim – namely, allow the cops to stop anyone, anytime, anywhere and demand proof of citizenship or legal residence. As such, it’s actually a fine law, and very similar to law enforcement actions on this issue in Prince William County.
So why did so many think otherwise, and even worse, make comments on the law not knowing what was really in it? I see two reasons.
Arizona is nearly 3,000 miles from Prince William. Moreover, since the PWC controversy flared up at roughly the same time as the debate over President Bush’s Iraqi surge, it’s almost certain that no one in Washington was paying attention. So, many of the folks who went through this debate a few years back were largely ignored as this came to fruition in the desert. Had this been Virginia, Maryland, or another nearby state, the Prince William example would have played a starring role in the discussion, and much of the hysteria surrounding this would not have ensued.
The other reason is far more unfortunate and preventable, too many people in the chattering classes still pay attention to the New York Times. It was a Times columnist, Linda Greenhouse, who got the disinformation ball rolling on this by getting the law wrong (Mark Krikorian explains the error on The Corner). Please note that several major conservatives who have taken issue with the law did so after Greenhouse’s error (which she has since corrected – Corner again).
York himself noted the mistake so many of the law’s critics have made in his second Examiner column (here’s the link again).
From where I sit, Arizona is basically following Prince William’s example, in which case, I can fully support what they’re doing.
[...] Cross-posted to RWL [...]
The problem is that Arizona is targeting the wrong villain.
Illegal aliens cross the border because American farmers, businessmen and citizens rely on their cheap labor to
mow their lawns, pluck their chickens, pick their lettuce and nanny their children.
Start jailing the guys who are waving cash in the faces of illegals and you might put an end to a lot of border crossings.
Problem is, most of those folks are upstanding pillars of the community are mainly white, mainly wealthy and mainly Republican.
It reminds me of ex-Governor Pete Wilson of California who hopped on the bandwagon of illegal immigration in 1996 hoping to ride it to the White House…until Mrs. Wilson admitted that they had hired an illegal alien as a housekeeper and that they hadn’t paid her social security tax
And where is Pete today?? Who knows.
I never, ever, trusted Pete Wilson.
More and more states will probably start looking at the possibility of adopting similar laws. That is why the open borders, ethnic special interest, CoC and the current administration are screaming so loudly. It isn’t about civil rights, freedom or any of the other BS claims. It is about power and money. It is about increased consumerism, cheap labor and voting power. Those that are complaining the most, could care less about the constitution, civil rights or the individual.
If other states follow suit, soon there would be a mass exodus of illegal aliens from this country. Businesses would lose their cheap labor and consumers, unions prospective new members. Ethnic special interest groups would lose a substantial amount of political power and the Democratic Party would lose the new voters they hoped to gain by CIR.
Those that support and feed off of illegal immigration fear the firestorm ignited by the AZ law.