Arizona Governor Signs Landmark Illegal Alien Bill

Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed immigration bill SB1070 into law today, in spite of push back by President Obama, who called the bill 'misguided' and pledged to sic the Justice Department on the state in an effort to overturn it.

"Respect for the rule of law means respect for every law," said Brewer, a Republican. "People across America are watching Arizona.

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer added. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

What the law does is to require anyone whom police suspect of being in the country illegally to produce "an alien registration document," such as a green card or other proof of citizenship such as a passport or Arizona driver's license.

It also makes it illegal to impede the flow of traffic by picking up day laborers for work. A day laborer who gets picked up for work by a pick up truck or car and is impeding traffic, would also be committing a criminal act.

What the bill does is simply require police to actually enforce US immigration laws instead of ignoring them.

Amnesty and open borders activists protested outside the Capitol - they've been collecting there since the measure passed out of the Legislature on Monday. Their numbers have grown steadily throughout the week, with buses bringing protesters from as far away as Los Angeles.

Needless to say, they pledge a legal challenge that will be based on rights supposedly only accorded to US citizens and legal immigrants.

Arizona is one of the main transit points for illegal aliens and sentiment for this bill has been fueled, as Governor Barber stated, by Washington's inability to act, by the impact of illegal aliens on the state's budget and by increased crime traced to illegal aliens.

The buzz words that Obama and his allies want to use to frame the arguments on this issue is the need for 'comprehensive immigration reform'. In fact, it's not about 'immigration reform', since immigrants are legal migrants with permission to settle in a country.

We don't have an immigration problem - we have an illegal alien problem and it is just as important to call things by their right names as it is not to demonize people who have mostly have simply come here for a better life.

The real issues are how to enforce our borders, find out who's here and decide who stays and who goes.

I especially reject the 'path to citizenship' meme, because it is manifestly unfair to reward people for essentially jumping the line ahead of thousands of people who have obeyed the law or simply married a foreign national and are trying deal with the outrageous obstacles ICE puts in their way just to get them into the country.

If this were my problem to solve, here's how I'd do it:

• I would immediately pass legislation mandating enforcement of our borders, even if we had to militarize them to some degree.

• I would require that every illegal alien register immediately with ICE with 60 days, or forfeit any future right or appeal to stay in this country. When they registered, each illegal alien would be issued a numbered, tamper proof ID card with a magnetic strip. The card would need to be renewed every 45 days while backgrounds were being checked and final status determined.

• I would establish a website with a database showing names, numbers and a physical description. An employer would be mandated to either check the website or swipe the card at a terminal they could purchase to verify status or face a $25,000 fine for each violation.

• I would put in place a points system, based on criterion like provable time in the country, job skills, English language skills, and willingness of a US citizen like a family member or employer to become a guarantor to see to it that the new migrant doesn't become a public charge.

If the new migrants have enough points to stay and pass background, I would require that they go to the back of the line...and that their residency period for citizenship starts when their quota number for their country of origin is reached, just like everybody else.

The only exception I would make would be for foreign nationals who choose to earn their citizenship by serving in our military.

Admittedly, America doesn't treat it's immigrants in this fashion...but then, as I've already said, these aren't immigrants and simply allowing those of them who meet certain standards to stay is a major compromise no other country would even contemplate.

If the various 'activists' are unwilling to accept the use of guarantors and legal residence with delayed citizenship,what they're really telling us is that they aren't concerned about the people involved, but about their own political agendas...like minting up a brand new batch of beholden Democrat voters and their well heeled activist grievance monger shepherds.

But you knew that, right?

please donate...it helps me write more gooder!