It is so unfortunate that the immigration debate has degenerated to the point it has now, with the Arizona situation. I hope others are as concerned as I am, but I'm not sure based on a review of the most recent Diaries.
I looked at the list of diaries just now, and couldn't find anything on immigration and the new Arizona law. I guess many people here have this on a low priority list? Maybe, but in reality, Immigration reform was one of Obama's big promises, which helped him get a majority of the Latino vote.
Fastforward from 2008 to now- the Arizona situation is causing an "ethnic cleansing" of undocumented in Arizona. Before the law there were estimated to be 400,000 undocumented in AZ, who knows how many there are now. The sheriff in the county where Phoenix is seems to be giddy at the prospect of checking as many latinos as possible and seeing if they are undocumented. They say there is no racial profiling, but when you send out crews of police to do checks to pull over people with faulty brake lights etc in Latino neighborhoods, who really believes that? I find it interesting that while something like 39 states have stable or declining unemployment, Arizona has seen it's unemployment rate go up for the last 3 months. Maybe the exodus has had a negative effect that Ms. Brewer & company didn't anticipate.
I realize the economy is bad, and there are now many Americans looking for work, but at some point our country has to face the facts. We turned a blind eye to undocumented immigration for almost 30 years, letting people in to do the jobs that were needed to fuel our economy with a wink and a smile. The business community was happy having cheap labor, and once they were here the left welcomed them as hard working people in all of our communities.
This situation is serious, there are millions of people in our country undocumented. You may not realize it in your every day life, but many of the people you deal with are likely undocumented. The busboy, the bellman, the waiter, the person who cleans your room at your hotel that you don't see. If you work in a downtown office, likely the person that empties your garbage can and cleans your office if undocumented. These people are real, they have dreams and aspirations, loved ones, and they are living the American dream. Our country has done them, and everyone around them a great disservice by creating and facilitating a situation where these people are welcomed with a blind eye.
Now, the the Arizona law is causing many undocumented in AZ to leave, or live in fear. I don't think this is what our country is about. We are born of immigrants. We have always assimilated immigrants into our country. That is what has already happened for many of the "undocumented". The communities they live in already consider them family.
Another thing that people need to understand is that there is no "line" to wait in if you are looking to immigrate to the US from Mexico or other Central American countries, if you are looking for low wage work. There are basically NO visa's available for low wage workers, with the exception of seasonal workers, who go back and forth each year. However, even those visas are less than needed, and in many situations our US crops can go unpicked due to a lack of pickers. If the American public understood that there are almost no visas given to Mexicans and other Central Americans, compared to the number that are here, they might better understand how many people in their communities are not "legal".
I can trace my family to the American Revolution on my fathers side and at the same time my mother came to this country one year before I was born. I believe with all of my heart that our country is stronger with every immigrant that comes here, struggles, and works to achieve the American dream. Isn't that what we are all about?