States act as the laboratories of democracy by experimenting with public policy, and when they are successful Washington is supposed to learn from their example.
The big suits in DC should pay more attention to Arizona, because it is definitely in the vanguard of showing how to do enforcement-based immigration policy regarding illegals. (And why should there be any other kind?) In 2004, state voters passed the initiative Prop 200 that smacked down welfare and voting fraud committed by illegal aliens. Unlike California’s successful Prop 187 citizen initiative which was sabotaged by Gov. Gray Davis, Arizona officials defended Prop 200, and have built on its success.
The latest legislation would make it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. Police could ask to see a driver’s license or state ID whenever the officer felt “reasonable suspicion.” Without proper identification, aliens can be punished.
The bill is not even signed into law and the usual media suspects are howling up a storm. The open-borders Los Angeles Times is mixed on the idea that negative reinforcement might be effective. (That strategy is only the basis of our entire justice system.)
Arizona’s immigration strategy: Make life tough, LA Times, April 15, 2010
For years Arizona’s government has tried to deter unlawful immigration with a consistent approach — make life for illegal immigrants so uncomfortable and uncertain that they will leave, or never come in the first place.
So this week, when the House of Representatives passed what’s viewed as the toughest state law against illegal immigration in the nation, it was the continuation of a pattern that has been widely popular in the state.
“When you make life difficult,” said state Sen. Russell Pearce, author of the current bill and earlier hard-line measures, “most will leave on their own.”There is evidence that is true. The number of illegal immigrants in Arizona dropped 18% between 2008 and 2009, the largest decrease in the nation, according to federal estimates. […]
Some said the campaign won’t chase them out.
“You definitely have to be careful; it’s riskier here now,” Jose, a Phoenix restaurant worker who came to Arizona from Mexico 20 years ago, said in Spanish. “But my whole family is here. This is only a stage we’re living through. It will change.”
Among many Latinos, however, the overall sentiment was one of disbelief.
Adriana, 40, an illegal immigrant in Tucson, fears she won’t be able to drive her two U.S.-born children to appointments without risking being stopped by police.
“I’m afraid. I can’t do nothing. . . . My whole life is here. My dreams are here,” said Adriana, who is taking English classes. “I’m worried about me and everybody. My family, my kids. We can’t do nothing. We’re trapped.”
A lot of reporting isn’t even that rational.
For the straight scoop, the best thing is to go to the source, in this case the bill’s author, State Senator Russell Pearce. He was interviewed April 14 on the John and Ken radio show, colorfully captured on Youtube:
Apr. 14, 2010 – Arizona – Passage of SB 1070: the toughest anti-invader law in the nation – part 1\2
Part 2
