SB 1070 tarnishes American ideals
By By: Anurag Mandalika | May. 2, 2012Arizona's SB 1070, being pushed by the state's Republican governor Jan Brewer, has been challenged by the Federal government, and is now being debated in the United States Supreme Court. The anti-immigration bill essentially allows state law enforcement to assume the role of federal immigration officials, and detain people whom they merely suspect of being present in the country illegally. Racial profiling of population based on the color of their skin is yet another power granted to the state's police, all in order to make life in Arizona unbearable for people of various ethnic groups as a way to deter illegal immigration. Even before one raises the argument of unconstitutional powers assumed by the state by taking on a role reserved to federal officials, one must consider the vile nature of the bill and the vicious hatred it spews against immigrants. Passage of this bill is bound to usher in an Orwellian atmosphere in Arizona for immigrants and their descendents who were born of a different skin color. Every aspect of their public life will be subject to constant harassment by the state law enforcement, essentially robbing them of a sense of security and of belonging.
