immigration | Honjii's Harangues

Is anyone aware that we have OTHER borders?

August 20, 2010 at 11:19 am | Posted in government, I'm just saying, political rants, stupidity, terrorism, violence | 4 Comments
Tags: border security, illegal immigration, immigration

Am I missing something? Discussions in regard to illegal immigration are always focused on our southern border with Mexico. Once in a while I hear a brief reference to Canada, but it’s rare. Has everyone forgotten we have three other borders? I have met people that are in this country illegally from Canada and Europe so I have to assume they are not the only ones. For all I know they may outnumber those from the southern border. Why is this not an issue being discussed as vehemently as illegals coming from Mexico? I’m just going to take a shot in the dark here, could it be because they’re white and or not brown?

That someone has not entered our country by climbing a fence, digging a tunnel, hidden inside a smuggler’s vehicle, or having trekked across treacherous desert terrain doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be here. For those who have forgotten our other borders, below is an illustration that may help jog your memory. You may notice that the one getting all the attention is not the largest.

I am in no way saying we should not have a comprehensive immigration policy in place. We need to be mindful of those we let into our country just as we are about the people we let into our homes. I live not far from the Mexican border and the border patrol is a very visible presence. As well as the agents they have posted along the border they maintain a checkpoint inside the state of Arizona maybe twenty or thirty miles north of the border, where every car is stopped. I am not commenting on whether or not this is sufficient because I have no way of knowing. Here is what I do know. Just like your home, no matter how well protected it is and how many security measures you have in place, if someone really wants to get in they will find a way.

I’m just saying.

NO racial profiling? Yeah right!

July 1, 2010 at 2:22 pm | Posted in civil liberties, government, U.S. Constitution | 2 Comments
Tags: Arizona Governor, illegal immigrants, immigration, laws, racial profiling, sb1070

My state, Arizona, has been the talk of the nation because of the new immigration law, sb1070. The law is being championed by some, while others challenge its constitutionality. I happened to catch the local news, last night, and saw bits of the training video and training manual instructing law enforcement officers on the proper implementation of the new law.

Based on the parts I saw, more than a few points stand out as problematic. I want to address two. The first thing that bugged me was part of the video showing a racially ambiguous brown skinned male stating there would be no racial profiling used in the implementation of this law, and the law states that racial profiling is illegal. Really? So before sb1070 it was OK? I was under the impression that racial profiling isn’t legal and hasn’t been legal anywhere in the U.S. for quite some time; yet blacks and Hispanics are more likely, than Caucasians, to be pulled over by the police. If you are black, have black friends, or have listened to a black comedian you may have heard someone refer to having received a DWB, a play on DWI (or DUI) meaning driving while black. They are more likely to be arrested, convicted of, and to receive stiffer sentences for the same offenses committed by whites. Is there any reason to believe this will not also be the case in enforcement of sb1070?

The other point that gave me pause (and this goes to racial profiling as well) was the part of the video explaining that the law would be implemented during the course of other issues, such as traffic stops etc, when the officer has reason to believe the party or parties involved maybe in the country without proper documentation. That’s pretty subjective isn’t it? I wonder how many times an officer will believe someone is undocumented based on skin color, accented speech, or clothing. The examples, of why one might suspect legal status, given in the video, were about as lame as it can get: a man explaining that during a traffic stop you (the officer) ask the driver where he/she lives and the driver says he/she doesn’t know… they might be an illegal alien, or if there are other people in the vehicle and when asked who they are the driver claims not to know…they might be an illegal alien (this is beginning to sound like a Jeff Foxworthy bit). I’ve seen a lot of stupid people but would anyone really be dumb enough to answer, “I don’t know” when asked where they live or the identities of their passengers? If I were in a country illegally I imagine my lie/s would be well rehearsed and I would likely be carrying false documents. Actually now that I think about it, there might very well be those dumb enough to give that answer, and I’ll bet a high proportion of them are U.S. citizens (yes, I will admit to having seen an episode or two of Cops).

Show your papers – what does an American look like?

May 19, 2010 at 12:50 pm | Posted in civil liberties, News, political | 2 Comments
Tags: Arizona, Arizona Governor, illegal immigration, immigration, Jan Brewer, stupid laws

I live in southern Arizona, not far from the Mexican border. Arizona is a pretty great place, geographically speaking, and there are quite a lot of interesting people living here. But, every now and then we get some dumb ass, whack job politicians that make us look like a third world state, or a three ring circus.

In the 80′s we had Evan Mecham as Governor who had the honor of being the first U.S. governor to simultaneously face removal from office through impeachment, a scheduled recall election, and felony indictment. He believed Attorney General Bob Corbin had microwaves trained on his ninth floor offices in a effort to overhear the governor’s conversations. Mecham responded by having a radio near the window to block the eavesdropping that Corbin insisted never occurred. He, like Jan Brewer, focused national attention on Arizona when he cancelled the Martin Luther King holiday.

We are now receiving world wide attention because our good Governor, Janet Napolitano abandoned left us for a secretarial position to become Secretary of Homeland Security. Many of us hated to see her go because she was good for Arizona, Jan Brewer, not so much.

Worldwide attention is now focused on Brewer’s new immigration law that requires law enforcement officers to ask anyone who looks like an illegal immigrant…and by illegal immigrant she means Mexican…to prove they have legal status. Several sheriffs, including the one in my county (yay), have publicly stated they will not, or cannot (due to lack of manpower and funding) comply. Many of our law enforcement officers are Mexican. I’m wondering if the new law would require them to show their papers to each other.

Look at the people on the left. Can you tell the legal status of any of them? Now look at the picture below and determine their status. No one in the first picture is indigenous to our country. Their ancestors landed here, screwed the native people, stole their lands and relegated them to the crappiest lands, reservations, and kept all the good ones for themselves. I guess the native people are supposed to be grateful we let them live..OK not all of them..in our country at all.

I think we should learn from the mistakes of the native American people. If they’d had a comprehensive immigration policy in place perhaps we would not have the illegal immigration debacle unfolding before our eyes.

I’m trying to view this from another perspective, especially when I hear those in favor of the new Arizona law, speak so righteously about how they are the true Americans.

I have the same thoughts every time some racist, skin head, KKK member, or neo-nazi state all the non-whites should be sent back to where they belong because this is their country, as if they were here first.