In the absence of any real border enforcement by the federal government, Arizona rightfully took matters into their own hands and passed a law that whereby Arizona cops can demand to see immigration papers from people they stop.
Good for Arizona. Other states, especially border states, should follow their lead.
Arizona's new law makes it a crime to be in Arizona illegally. It's 2010, good morning America! Those people who can't produce documentation proving they are in the country legally can be jailed up to six months and fined $2,500.00.
Of course the pro-illegal immigration crowd is going berserk that Arizona has done such a common-sense thing. Democrats see any immigration reform measures that seek to protect our border as a threat to their future political base. You would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not see that the grand plan of the Democrats is to entrap illegal immigrants by giving them legal status and then to enslave and destroy them with numerous federal hand-outs and programs.
Pro-illegal immigration advocates are protesting and yammering that this new law will lead to profiling. President Obama has weighed in and asked the Justice Department to review Arizona's new law to see if it is legal.
Unbelievably, while our borders are largely open and being over-run, the Obama Administration recently lectured Israel about expanding their communities just a few feet on land that is arguably theirs to expand upon.
While I applaud Arizona for its bold and brave new law, putting illegals in jail is the wrong move. That costs too much. I say Arizona shoul follow their own American hero, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County. Sheriff Arpaio keeps crooks in a large outdoor holding facility and makes them sleep in tents. Among other common sense things, he feeds them bologna sandwiches. I hope they are not fresh.
My good friend Sheriff Arpaio's common sense policies and practices drives the ACLU and the rest of the left-wing batty. He puts smiles on the faces of Americans who still believe that pragmatism and common sense should rule the day.
Indeed, something needs to be done about illegal immigration and the 12 million-15 million illegals who are already in America and causing a tremendous financial burden on states due to their abuse of the state's social services and criminal justice programs. Hospitals in California and other states have closed and jails and prisons in border states are upwards of 40% full of illegals.
The invasion roils on.
Hospitals and other social service agencies should follow Arizona's lead and require that those seeking services produce American citizenship papers. American taxpayers should not be required to pay for providing medical or any other services to people from another country. Making us do so is the ultimate definition of insanity.
What America shouldn't do is to continue to ignore protecting our borders. There is a growing sentiment that governors of border states should call out the National Guard to help secure our borders. Makes sense to me.
Both Republicans and Democrats have made immigration blunders in the past. We should learn from these mistakes and endeavor to not make the same mistakes again.
I support an open, frank and transparent debate on immigration. Let's lay all the cards on the table and hear from all sides. I say we start with a simple admonition from President Reagan: A nation without borders will soon cease to be a nation.
Good on Arizona. It is refreshing to see that common sense still rules the day somewhere.
