A Carefully Crafted Immigration Law in Arizona

by Byron York

April 26, 2010

"...The law requires police to check with federal authorities on a person's immigration status, if officers have stopped that person for some legitimate reason and come to suspect that he or she might be in the U.S. illegally. The heart of the law is this provision: "For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency…where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person…"

Critics have focused on the term "reasonable suspicion" to suggest that the law would give police the power to pick anyone out of a crowd for any reason and force them to prove they are in the U.S. legally. Some foresee mass civil rights violations targeting Hispanics.

What fewer people have noticed is the phrase "lawful contact," which defines what must be going on before police even think about checking immigration status. "That means the officer is already engaged in some detention of an individual because he's violated some other law," says Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri Kansas City Law School professor who helped draft the measure..."

The article asks a valid question: Has anyone actually read the law?

Read the rest of the article at the link in the title.
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Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 - signed!

Bravo, Arizona!  Bravo, Gov. Brewer!  Hold firm!

You can download a PDF of the complete bill at the link in the title.

I've read it through.  And I see nowhere in the bill that anyone's civil rights are being violated or even compromised.  Also, it looks like AZ has carefully worded this bill to work with all Federal laws and enforcement.  There is NO mention of race, ethnicity, or nation of origin.

Read it for yourself.
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Best laid plans... agley, again.

Well, I'm mildly disappointed... The Mesilla Valley Amateur Radio Club is having their annual HamFest / BeanFeed this weekend, and I'd understood that it was going to be Saturday.  I'd had plans to drive up, & the son was tempted to join me as he'd lucked out with a Saturday off this week.

Nope - it's Sunday morning.  I'm not sure now that I'll be able to attend.

On the bright side, I'm less likely to spend money on more radio equipment if I'm not there.

Which is good, as we're paying a bit more to the plumber than I'd anticipated....
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And the door slowly creaks open on rusty hinges...

Whew.

Too long. Waaay too long since I updated here. There's been a lot happen in the last year, including a few immediate & extended family crises that we're still re-grouping & recovering from.

Most of my online posting has been through Facebook, using it to keep in touch just with family and friends I don't get to see very often.

Haven't had a whole lot to say, otherwise, about what's going on in the world that isn't already being said by folks a lot more erudite & analytical than I.

Oh - and I didn't vote for O.

And I love tea.
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