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So, let’s chat about the REAL world…

By: mbecker908 (Diary)  |  May 26th, 2010 at 07:21 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

There’s been a whole lot of ranting about SB1070, the immigration law passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Governor Jan Brewer. I’m not going to bother rehashing either “public opinion” as is reflected by the roughly 70% approval ratings showing up in polling or “political opinion” reflected by “boycotts” and lawsuits. If you don’t live in a cave you know all about that stuff.

I will quickly note that I’ve said on several occasions that they could have done a whole lot better with the law by simply leaving out the “stop and verify” stuff and by making employment of an illegal a felony with a $20,000 per head fine. I’ve written extensively on that and I’m not going to rehash it except to note that it would be nothing more than an extension of the existing, and long standing, employment law here in Arizona that upgrades a misdemeanor to a felony. I’ve noted that it’s currently a misdemeanor to not have a state issued photo id in your possession at all times and you can be arrested if you can’t produce one. Again long standing law here. Also, if you’re arrested, ever County Jail checks immigration status on 100% of all people when they are booked. If you’re not here legally you get handed over to ICE.

OK, so for today. I happened to have lunch with a group of folks, among whom were several fairly high ranking Phoenix PD officers. The least senior had about 20 years of service. Keep in mind that Phoenix is one of the jurisdictions that’s filing a lawsuit over SB1070.

The subject of 1070 came up. I asked the officers, given the existing ID law, exactly what changed with SB1070. They glanced at one another, all grew little smiles – smirks actually – and finally the most senior said, “Nothing, other than the f****** politicians got involved.” No real change operationally, on the street? said I. “Nope. Except that now we’ve got politicians and lawyers looking over our shoulders for doing EXACTLY the same thing we’ve been doing for years.”

Shakespeare was right.

COMMENTS

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  • acat

    No enforcement changes.
    No procedure changes.
    No new “violation of civil rights” by the cops.
    No extra work for ICE.

    In the end, it’s just Arizona calling out the Fed, and the Fed responding with utterly predictable open-borders excrement ….

    It has served a very nice purpose, though – it’s blown up the amnesty deal well in advance of Obama’s time table.

    Too early to tell if it’s worthwhile for the politicians and the trial lawyers (but I repeat myself…) to have gotten involved, but …maybe. If nothing else, every single election campaign – even the one for dogcatcher – will know exactly where they have to stand on immigration.

    Mew

  • SteveLA

    The issue of illegal immigration is once again front and center and people all across America are saying enough is a enough.

    In my book, that’s a great thing, maybe they will secure the (*&*(^( border.

    • aesthete

      Hehehe. Hehehehehehe. Obama secure the bord– hahaha! That’s a good one!

      The best time to make this a political issue is when a Republican President, at a minimum, is in the White House, preferably backed by a Republican Congress.

  • Common_Cents

    I wonder when an employer gets caught knowingly employing illegals if they can declare themselves “sanctuary employers”. Hehe

    • SteveLA

      One city out here in CA has talked about tying business license to certifying that they use eVerify to check the legal status of employees. I like that approach by the way.

      • Common_Cents

        For not doing their job In the first place. This is what ticks me off.

        • SteveLA

          Make a law that annoys and embarrasses the Feds, stand back and watch.

          Works for me and nothing like a kick in the can to get the mule’s attention.

  • justfedup

    …0 for Gov Perry, but they ‘ll probably be unarmed. More no hope & no change.

    • mbecker908

      really 1200 for McCain. He’s the guy who’s pushing enforcement, he’s the guy who has his face in BO’s face. He’s the noise on the side opposing ramming immigration legislation through the Congress. And my guess is the final number of guard will be more like 5000.

      • Scope

        didn’t push for Border Patrol and enforcement of the laws already on the books when he teamed up with Ted Kennedy, for amnesty, and, almost lost the party nomination because of it. I wish he would have burned himself then. Now, it’s all for great show. Look at how “powerful” I am, I am a Washington mover and shaker. I promised the O I would back his agenda if he awards me the prize of false border patrol, but, in bigger numbers. Just give me this prize so I can come back and help you (O). Thew man would sell his old mother for a few votes.

        • mbecker908

          Although frankly he could get more for the Twitter pics of his daughter.

          Like it or not, show or not, he’s the only one out there who’s actually having any kind of even marginally positive effect. At the end of the day, it appears that “immigration reform” legislation probably won’t see the light of day in this Congress, and I’m guessing – based on the fall out over time which will make Arizona type laws even more popular than the mere 70/30 they’re standing at now – “comprehensive immigration reform” is dead. Now I’m absolutely willing to admit that this is guesswork, but the assumptions are pretty solid.

          If CIR is DOA, you’ll have – in very large measure – John McCain to thank for it.

  • aesthete

    Mostly because a) Republicans are, again, shooting themselves in the foot by endorsing “solutions” that in theory (in practice, not so much because of what you point out), limit the freedoms of citizens. More importantly, since the argument that SB1070 tramples freedom is one that already applies to many laws on the books, this law will actually make it harder to enforce the law, given the potential for suing, the tenser relations between cops and minorities (for something that they had little control over), and re-politicizing of law enforcement.

    I’ve had the same basic anecdote over here: basically, the cops that are wet ‘hind the ears are excited, but the cops who have been doing their jobs for more than a few years see absolutely nothing changing, except that now it’s gonna be harder to get cooperation from some minority citizens and politicians and lawyers are involved.