Arizona became a hot button topic of interest when it passed its immigration laws in mid 2010, aimed at enforcing federal immigration laws at a state level. Word had spread that other states may follow, and now South Carolina is one step closer in that process when the bill is sent from a subcommittee to a full committee. The bill will not go to the full committee until the legislative session begins on Tuesday, January 11th.
The law in Arizona basically requires police officers to “reasonably” determine the residency status of a person only if they are involved in a traffic stop or detainment for another cause. The definition of “reasonable” has not been clearly defined, but critics raise questions as to the constitutionality of the law. Arguably, if a white person were stopped by a police officer for running a red light, they would be far less likely to be questioned about their citizenship than a Latino or Hispanic might. In this sense, the police would in a way have to engage in mandatory racial profiling no matter what pains the legislature goes through to modify the language in the bill.
Conservatives in South Carolina need to realize that Arizona passed their bill because they share a border with a country that is in the midst of a bloody drug war. Even in Arizona’s unusual geographical position the law has met with severe criticism and a federal lawsuit. They passed it because they had to – South Carolina does not. Let us hope that our legislators and our newly elected Governor turn their attention to jobs and education, instead of passing bills that simply have the goal of trying to “out conservative” the “other guy” while making a mockery of civil rights and the Constitution in the process.
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