Arizona's latest shot at ILLEGAL imigration
By speakeasy
@speakeasy (4171)
United States
February 28, 2011 8:21am CST
You may not be aware that Arizona is taking on illegal immigration with a new package of bills aimed at reducing illegal immigrants in Arizona and forcing the federal government to publicly take on some tough questions regarding illegal immigration.
The first issue that you may have heard of is challenging birth-rite citizenship. Babies born in AZ to illegal immigrant parents would be issued a birth certificate that recognizes the child's birth; but, denies that they are US citizens. The amendment to our Constitution that permits all children born in the US to be US citizens was created to grant citizenship to the children of slaves - it was never intended to cover every child born in the US. As a matter of fact there is a clause in the amendment that states that for the child to be a US citizen the US must have "sole sovereignty" over the child. When the child's parents are citizens of another country and are subject to that country's sovereignty - that is not possible.
The other illegal immigration restrictions in this package include:
School officials must require proof of citizenship when children are enrolled.
Hospitals must require proof of citizenship for all non-emergency care.
Illegal immigrants would be ineligible for obtaining any state license - this includes fishing, hunting, and marriage licenses. (they are already prohibbited from getting a drivers license).
Landlords would be required to evict the entire family from public housing if one family member is illegally in the country.
Any illegal immigrant caught driving a vehicle would go to jail for 30 days (they cannot legally get a AZ drivers license anyway so they are driving without a valid license) and forfeit the vehicle they were driving to the state.
Needless to say, if these measures are passed, the state expects legal challenges. But, if allowed to go into effect, laws like these would make it even more difficult for illegal immigrants to live in Arizona and many more would go elsewhere.
8 responses
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I think it is a good idea to make it harder for people to be here illegally. As long as it is easy to be here, people will not do what it takes to become legal. I think that children that are born to illegal aliens should be sent home with their parents or their parents should be forced to go through the process of becoming legal. I know that they will keep coming back if they get sent home, but they should be sent home anyway!
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
2 Mar 11
The fewer incentives there are for them to come here and bring their families the better. Free education and free medical care are two of those incentives.
People complain that sending their illegal parents back breaks up families - if the children born here are also illegal they would be going home with their parents in all cases.
Making it harder for them to live here would reduce the numbers coming back. Many of them pay thousands of dollars to be smuggled into the country. The reward would no longer be worth the risk.
1 person likes this
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
3 Mar 11
AZ knows these will be challenged and they hope at least parts of it will survive the challenges - that is why they are making it a "package of bills" instead of incorporating everything into one bill like they did with 1070.
Also, the issue of birthright citizenship is an issue that they are trying to take up on a national scale. They fully realize that no single state has the right to give or deny US citizenship - but, it is an issue that should have been addressed many years ago and is being ignored.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
2 Mar 11
Let's just hope they can make this happen. I'm sure there will be some bleeding heart that will feel sorry for these people and decide to leave things as they are. It happens with everything else, so why not this? I hope not, but I'm not going to bet on it either.
@emarie (5442)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I'm kind of torn about the whole thing. I know things need to be tougher and if the government would just enforce the laws already in place then it shouldn't be much of a problem. I agree mostly with the illegals obtaining a license and the children going to school. The other laws seems to be a little excessive. It's so hard to tell about these things. I don't like illegals either, but I think they should legalize the ones that are here now (those without criminal records) and make them pay the proper taxes and be harsher on the ones trying to get in.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
2 Mar 11
Why should we reward a criminal for breaking our laws simply because they were lucky enough not to get caught by legalizing them (granting them amnesty)?
If they are actually filling jobs that Americans will not do (and, that is very questionable); then, why should we not let in the hundreds of thousands of workers who have been waiting for a chance to legally come to our country to work?
@emarie (5442)
• United States
4 Mar 11
because it would cost far less to put these people through the legalization course then wasting money gathering them up and shipping them back to their country. the government is already stretched as thin as it could be. but I do see your point. personally, i don't care if all the illegals are shipped out, but we do have to look at the effect it may have on the economy.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
6 Mar 11
Well, if we can convince illegal immigrants that the opportunities are no longer here for them, many will leave on their own and we will not have to pay for sending them away.
Also, we could start billing their governments for the cost of sending them home and if they will not pay; then, reduce their foreign aid by that amount.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
1 Mar 11
I have mixed feelings. For those who are here illegally and trying to live off the system I have no sympathy for them. I do feel for the people who are working to provide a better life for their family. Most of these people are working in low paying jobs and often taken advantage of by the people.
We do needs comprehensive immigration reform, but first we need to secure the border.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
2 Mar 11
I agree that the first thing we have to do is stop the influx of more illegal immigrants; but, the states are limited on what they can do at the actual borders.
In the meantime, should we allow those illegal immigrants already here (and the ones following them even as we speak) to live off of our country and become even more entrenched into our society.
Should we leave an easy life open here to entice even more to try to come into our country?
"Most of these people are working in low paying jobs and often taken advantage of by the people." - sorry, but this is a myth for most of them. Illegal maids in CA are earning $20 or more per hour to clean houses. Illegal construction workers are making good pay every day they can hide under their fake papers. Illegal factory and packing plant workers are earning the same wages as their legal counterparts. Illegal restaurant workers are also making the same "crappy" wages as their American counterparts; because most of them are using "fake" papers. Most illegal workers do have "fake" papers (they can get them for very little); so, they make the same as the legal workers. But, when they are getting close to being caught at their job, they quit and go to a new company with their "fake" papers and start over again.
@nzinky (822)
• United States
2 Mar 11
Don't you think it's about time we stopped the big hole in our Borders or do you think we should let people who have come here ILLEGALLY have a free pass to make all of the states go broke paying for all the illegals kids here.....Today I heard on the radio that a man and women came here 15 years ago and had 10 kids who are living off of all the freebies they can get.
Hey go to Mexico and try that.....
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
3 Mar 11
Of course, I think we need to stop that hole to prevent them from entering that way; but, what the individual states are permitted by the federal government to do regarding securing the border with another country is very limited.
Until the federal government secures the country's borders, all the states can do is try to find ways to deal with the ones who are already here and make it unattractive to new illegal immigrants that cross over.
One of the big things that the federal government could do is apprehend and deport all illegals who go public. After all, we know who they are and where they are! However, that is not happening. In fact, the ones who "go public" seem to have a "protected status".
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
28 Feb 11
Hurrah! 
Good for Arizona! 
Now Georgia needs to follow their lead.....
Incredibly, the rhetoric being put forth by many opinion writers and special interest groups such as the ACLU fails to ever even acknowledge the devastating social and economic consequences in Georgia resulting from the presence of 425,000 illegal aliens (more than Arizona).
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/pro-con-does-georgia-850454.html
Good for Arizona!
Now Georgia needs to follow their lead.....
Incredibly, the rhetoric being put forth by many opinion writers and special interest groups such as the ACLU fails to ever even acknowledge the devastating social and economic consequences in Georgia resulting from the presence of 425,000 illegal aliens (more than Arizona).
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/pro-con-does-georgia-850454.html@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
2 Mar 11
If GA has more illegals than AZ it is because they know it is easier for them to live there. The illegal hispanic immigrants are still coming into the country through AZ, NM, CA, TX, and FL. However, a lot of them are only passing through AZ to friendlier states.
We need better border security, a system to verify and locate individuals who overstay their visas, and a way to make life so uncomfortable for those already here illegally that they will want to go home or to some other country.
Unfortunately, the federal government is doing very little (or nothing) on any of those fronts; so, the states are left to try to do what they can.
The ACLU needs to remember what the "A" stands for - AMERICAN - not foreign or immigrant. They are the American Civil Liberties Union and they need to start standing up for the rights of the American citizens not a bunch of illegal freeloaders.
@scottcoleson (578)
• Pilot Mountain, North Carolina
1 Mar 11
Are you saying that you are opposed to these things being enacted? Because I fail to see anything wrong in these Laws being passed and there is definitely nothing unconstitutional about them. One thing I find interesting that you mention is that "If allowed to go into effect, laws like these would make it even more difficult for illegal immigrants to live in Arizona and many more would go elsewhere". I'm sorry...are we supposed to be making it easier for them to live anywhere in the United States? The country has been easy on them all this time and they have allowed criminals to live their lives above the Law of the land. I have no problem with people immigrating to this great country, but there is a right way to do that; it's called citizenship and it's really not that hard to do! If you are here in this country illegally, you should be deported...I don't care what your circumstances. Try going to another country (let's take Mexico for example) and demand that they allow us to live there with no documentation, no identification, nothing and see how that works out! You wouldn't even be able to get into the country. It seems that the United States is the only country on the face of the earth that sees something different here. We have people who say that we should allow just anyone to come and go as they please and not to worry about the Laws that govern this country. You should have to provide identification when you are going to school (actually I believe everyone has to have a copy of a birth certificate--not just those who are in the country illegally), hospitals have the right to require proof of citizenship, and of course you would need some documentation of your citizenship if you want to get some sort of license!
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
3 Mar 11
Actually, I am all for these bills, I am just letting people know what is going on in a state that has become famous (infamous) for it's stance on illegal immigration. Perhaps, if they support AZ on these issues the federal government might get off it's posterior and take action also.
""If allowed to go into effect, laws like these would make it even more difficult for illegal immigrants to live in Arizona and many more would go elsewhere". " - Actually, I am hoping that they will go home or to some other country (Canada, Brazil, Argentina, etc.) But, it is true that states that do not take steps to make it difficult for them to live there would also see an influx.
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I hope that all of these pass. I also hope that other states pass similar legislation. Here in Fl. illegals can do whatever they want. It makes it difficult for legals. Most of our hospitals have gone to for-profit hospitals because there are so many illegals sucking off of the system. Now if you do not have ins. you do not even have the option of making payments anymore. You just do not get medical help at all or you pay for everything before the procedure. They make it very difficult for honest folks...
They fill up the public housing here too. I know people who have waited years to get in. If you already have family in public housing, you get preference. This is not right. They have family everywhere.
Anyone can get a license here and they seem to all be able to get SSI and medicaid.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
1 Mar 11
We do know that even if they pass, we will face a lot of lawsuits and they may not be allowed by the federal government. But, just getting these issues into the national news (which will happen once they are passed), will open up the discussion in a lot of other places.
The AZ law requiring police to check legal status when they do a routine traffic stop was placed on hold by a federal court pending a full hearing; but, other states have quietly placed the same or similar laws into effect. The latest is Indiana.
You have to let your state senate and governor know this is an issue that you want corrected. Until you put pressure on your local politicians nothing will happen.
@TheMetallion (1834)
• United States
1 Mar 11
You are greatly misinformed.
Amendment 14 to the Constitution of the United States, Paragraph 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The phrase "sole sovereignty" does not appear in the 14th Amendment, nor anywhere else in the Constitution.
