Hello? Is there anybody out there?
Sly1 said:
I agree its NOT racial profiling and NEITHER is this AZ LAW!
To
reiterate, yet again:
What I don't get about this law is what constitutes actionable cause?
In 2007, without such a law to support them, California authorities
deported an American citizen. What was so disturbing about what
our topic poster classified as a mere bureaucratic screw up is that, in that incident,
ICE reminded that they "only processes persons for removal when all available credible evidence suggests the person is an alien". Indeed, ICE claimed that it "has no reason to believe that it improperly removed Pedro Guzman".
Except that he was an American citizen. Or, as
I put it then, "In other words, no credible evidence at all is enough credible evidence to deport a man."
So what
is reasonable cause for investigation? Looks hispanic, speaks Spanish? I mean, really, what? Will Arizona authorities be nearly so suspicious of
British people who might be in the country illegally?
I think one of the things this law's supporters need to establish is that they recognize people's legitimate concerns about enforcement, and help people understand how those issues are addressed.
And as much respect as I have for our neighbor
Quadraphonics, I am genuinely hoping that one of Arizona's advocates will prove him wrong:
"By now the silence on that point is deafening, and I think you know as well as I do that no explicit answer is forthcoming. "
I would even go so far as to suggest
he would appreciate being proven wrong. Because no matter how many times I raise the issue, the best it seems I can hope for is—
"I agree its NOT racial profiling and NEITHER is this AZ LAW!"
—petulant, insistent evasion.
See, the thing is, Sly1, that the question I'm asking strikes at the heart of people's disagreement about whether or not the Arizona law is, encourages, or mandates racial and ethnic profiling.
So, to go through it point by point:
The Question: So what is reasonable cause for investigation?
The Problem Begging the Question: In 2007, without such a law to support them, California authorities deported an American citizen .... In other words, no credible evidence at all is enough credible evidence to deport a man .... Will Arizona authorities be nearly so suspicious of British people who might be in the country illegally?
The Underlying Theme of the Question: I think one of the things this law's supporters need to establish is that they recognize people's legitimate concerns about enforcement, and help people understand how those issues are addressed.
It would be very easy for Arizona's supporters in this issue to put objections to rest by addressing those issues in relation to racial and ethnic profiling.
As our neighbor suggests, though, the silence on that point is deafening.