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You will have to pardon me if I disagree with those voices that proclaim the success of Senate Bill 1070.
Please excuse me for not sharing the enthusiasm of officials cheering the SCOTUS decision regarding a part of 1070 that allows officers, during a legitimate apprehension for some "crime" like a tail light out, to ask the individual stopped to show proof that he or she is in this country legally.
Now, before we deal with the problem with those "criminal apprehensions," let's look at what the Supremes said were not constitutional:
• SB 1070 made it a misdemeanor if one was not in compliance with federal alien registration requirements, that's dumped. DUMPED
• SB 1070 made it a misdemeanor to for an alien to seek work or be employed in America. DUMPED
• SB 1070 allowed no warrant arrests and deportation if an officer believed
an individual had committed certain public offenses. DUMPED
So now let's get to the meat of the cheerleader's argument. An officer is allowed to ask anyone for proof of citizenship or immigration status during any "crime stop" -- tail light out, cracked window glass or other serious "crimes."
Excuse me?
Doesn't anyone see the elephant in the room? If you send 50 officers to Guadalupe and look for offenses do you think a majority of those stopped might just be Latinos, and is that racial profiling?
Oh, I know there will be classes galore for officers, there will be admonitions and warnings, but the reality is racial profiling is going on every time you stop a brown-skinned person for some minor offense and ask for their papers.
How many of me -- big white guy -- will be asked? Zero.
And as soon as some of those stops of brown-skinned persons find their way to a court, there will be an injunction, SB 1070 enforcement will be halted until the next Supreme Court decision and this time they'll say, "Hey you said no profiling, what's this?" And all the cheering will be ended.
Oh yes, one more little thing the cheerleaders might not have noticed: Arizona's 287(g) capability has been pulled by the feds. So after you pick up the offender and call ICE, you'd better be prepared for a voicemail that says "Please leave a message and we'll get back to you within a year."
Sorry I must pour cold water on those who are cheering. I have just described reality.
Jay Lawrence, Show Host
